2003--Cross Country Road Trip
Preamble--July 2003
This was going to be the most intricately planned trip I have ever done. We, meaning me, my wife Margo, daughter Jessi, niece Arielle, and parents, Earl & Kathy, are planning an eleven day road trip, with at least as many stops. That in itself, with the identification of the things you want to do, the route to Kentucky and back, timing of arrival at each place, hotels, cost planning, time budgeting, and a thousand tiny details makes for plenty of work. But this year I also had to account for my Dad being on oxygen. He had smoked for 50 years and now has emphysema. With six people, a couple of coolers, and luggage, there is not a lot of room for oxygen bottles. There is room for some, but not nearly enough for eleven days. We will have to arrange to have full bottles delivered to most of the hotels we stay at, and leave the empties to be picked up by local oxygen companies.
To make that happen I took a list of our hotel destinations and the nights we will be there, to Brighton Oxygen to work out the details. It only took about an hour for them to find places nearby the hotels that would deliver. They even offered to make the arrangements. How cool was that!? Later when everything was finalized I made sure I had a list of names, addresses, and phone numbers in case something went wrong. I figured that the chances of a blip were much greater than not. So, with that additional hurdle solved, planning was finalized and on July 20, 2003, bright and early, we headed west on I-70 with Abilene, KS as our destination.
Sunday, July 20, 2003 5:20 AM
We’re on the road. We have quite the trip planned. Right now we are on I-70, about 4 miles west of Bennett, CO. Today our ultimate destination is Abilene, KS. We are in a rented 2003 Ford Windstar. Inside, driving, is my wife, Margo. I’m riding shotgun, handling the navigation duties. Behind us are Mom and Dad. Behind them is my daughter, Jessi and my niece, Arielle. We have nothing planned until we get to Abilene. My biggest concern is Dad. I want him to be as comfortable as possible. Getting him in and out of the mini-van looks like it will be a chore. He is not as mobile as he used to be. Plus we have to switch oxygen bottles each time he gets in or out. When he is inside the van, he uses a large bottle that we can’t carry around. When he gets out, he switches to a portable one. He makes the change pretty quickly, so it’s not a big deal, but we always have to factor the bottles and their remaining levels into our equation. Each small bottle has roughly 1 ½ hrs of oxygen in it, when full. We always have to try to remember about how much was used, so we know how many to take with us when we leave the van. Our first planned rest stop is for Goodland, KS. But Mom is diabetic and eats at a regular time so as to help control her blood sugar. That and the insulin injection, which needs to be kept refrigerated. Mom says she eats at about 6:30 or 7:00 AM each morning. We won’t be anywhere near Goodland, at that time. That doesn’t matter; we’ll do what we need to do.
Things were pretty much on schedule until our stop at the Stuckeys in Ellsworth, KS. We stopped for gas, bathroom, and snacks. We got back on the road and 15 minutes later Jessi asks me if my cell phone has service. She can’t find her’s and wants me to call it. We do and we don’t here anything. I utter a cuss word. There are not exits every mile in the middle of Kansas, so it is 5 minutes before we reach the next one and can turn around. We drive back to Ellsworth and I go in to search for it. I can’t find it. So I call it hoping that I can hear it ring. But much to my surprise Jessi answers. She then explains that when I called she heard it. It had fallen out of her pocket and landed on my parent’s seat. When Dad got back in he sat on it. While driving there had been enough road noise and noise from the A/C, combined with the insulation of Dad’s butt, to muffle the phone's ring. But, once stopped, they could hear it. Ordinarily I would have been pissed. We had wasted twenty minutes and today we were on a tight schedule. But I wasn’t. It could have turned out a lot worse and it was kind of funny. Plus, it popped into my head that maybe this was one of the serendipitous things that allows us to have a good experience by affecting the timing of when we get somewhere. Or maybe we avoid something serious by not being in the path of some unfocused driver at another time.
We’re on the road. We have quite the trip planned. Right now we are on I-70, about 4 miles west of Bennett, CO. Today our ultimate destination is Abilene, KS. We are in a rented 2003 Ford Windstar. Inside, driving, is my wife, Margo. I’m riding shotgun, handling the navigation duties. Behind us are Mom and Dad. Behind them is my daughter, Jessi and my niece, Arielle. We have nothing planned until we get to Abilene. My biggest concern is Dad. I want him to be as comfortable as possible. Getting him in and out of the mini-van looks like it will be a chore. He is not as mobile as he used to be. Plus we have to switch oxygen bottles each time he gets in or out. When he is inside the van, he uses a large bottle that we can’t carry around. When he gets out, he switches to a portable one. He makes the change pretty quickly, so it’s not a big deal, but we always have to factor the bottles and their remaining levels into our equation. Each small bottle has roughly 1 ½ hrs of oxygen in it, when full. We always have to try to remember about how much was used, so we know how many to take with us when we leave the van. Our first planned rest stop is for Goodland, KS. But Mom is diabetic and eats at a regular time so as to help control her blood sugar. That and the insulin injection, which needs to be kept refrigerated. Mom says she eats at about 6:30 or 7:00 AM each morning. We won’t be anywhere near Goodland, at that time. That doesn’t matter; we’ll do what we need to do.
Things were pretty much on schedule until our stop at the Stuckeys in Ellsworth, KS. We stopped for gas, bathroom, and snacks. We got back on the road and 15 minutes later Jessi asks me if my cell phone has service. She can’t find her’s and wants me to call it. We do and we don’t here anything. I utter a cuss word. There are not exits every mile in the middle of Kansas, so it is 5 minutes before we reach the next one and can turn around. We drive back to Ellsworth and I go in to search for it. I can’t find it. So I call it hoping that I can hear it ring. But much to my surprise Jessi answers. She then explains that when I called she heard it. It had fallen out of her pocket and landed on my parent’s seat. When Dad got back in he sat on it. While driving there had been enough road noise and noise from the A/C, combined with the insulation of Dad’s butt, to muffle the phone's ring. But, once stopped, they could hear it. Ordinarily I would have been pissed. We had wasted twenty minutes and today we were on a tight schedule. But I wasn’t. It could have turned out a lot worse and it was kind of funny. Plus, it popped into my head that maybe this was one of the serendipitous things that allows us to have a good experience by affecting the timing of when we get somewhere. Or maybe we avoid something serious by not being in the path of some unfocused driver at another time.
We are about 45 minutes from Abilene and we may or may not stop before then. I’m getting a little hungry, so I imagine everyone else is too. Our last stop we also discovered that Stuckey’s seems to be out of the restaurant business. The one that we stopped at, and the only other one we have seen so far, have been composed of a gift shop on one side of the building and a Dairy Queen on the other. There was a Texaco station on the front of the Ellsworth one. I wonder if it’s the same for all of them now? I don’t remember if we actually ate at one on our last road trip or not.
Long Day. We got to Abilene and headed straight to Old Town. My God, it was hot! It was over 100 degrees and the humidity was high to boot. We got there about 2:25 PM and the next gunfight was at 2:30 PM. We just got there in time to see it.
We enjoyed that, even with the heat, and then we took a group photo with the gunfighters. We had not stopped, so everyone was definitely hungry. So we ate lunch at McDonalds. By then Dad was getting pretty tired, so we checked into our hotel, The Best Western President’s Inn. It was at this time that we discovered Dad had brought the wrong hose for his concentrator. The concentrator, oxygen concentrator, sucks in air from the room and through a process I haven't bothered to look in to, increases the amount of oxygen in that air and feeds that O2 rich air to the person. Dad has to have it, so Margo, Mom, and I headed to the nearest hospital to try to get one. That was our only option as today is Sunday, and nothing else is open. We jumped through a few hoops but ended up securing one. Upon our return we found that Dad had jerry-rigged the one he brought. His adaptation would work fine, so we didn’t need the one we procured. But, we kept it anyway. Ordinarily the wasted time would have bothered my, but this was his trip, so what are you gonna do?
Long Day. We got to Abilene and headed straight to Old Town. My God, it was hot! It was over 100 degrees and the humidity was high to boot. We got there about 2:25 PM and the next gunfight was at 2:30 PM. We just got there in time to see it.
We enjoyed that, even with the heat, and then we took a group photo with the gunfighters. We had not stopped, so everyone was definitely hungry. So we ate lunch at McDonalds. By then Dad was getting pretty tired, so we checked into our hotel, The Best Western President’s Inn. It was at this time that we discovered Dad had brought the wrong hose for his concentrator. The concentrator, oxygen concentrator, sucks in air from the room and through a process I haven't bothered to look in to, increases the amount of oxygen in that air and feeds that O2 rich air to the person. Dad has to have it, so Margo, Mom, and I headed to the nearest hospital to try to get one. That was our only option as today is Sunday, and nothing else is open. We jumped through a few hoops but ended up securing one. Upon our return we found that Dad had jerry-rigged the one he brought. His adaptation would work fine, so we didn’t need the one we procured. But, we kept it anyway. Ordinarily the wasted time would have bothered my, but this was his trip, so what are you gonna do?
With Dad resting, and the two girls deciding the pool sounded like a good idea, Margo, Mom, and I decided to sight see. There are two things in Abilene I wanted to see; The Eisenhower Presidential Library and the grave of Bear River Tom Smith. Everyone knows who Dwight D. Eisenhower was; Commander of the Allied Forces in World War II and then President of the United States. Bear River Tom Smith is really only known to those in Abilene, KS and those of us who enjoy the history of the Old West.
Tom Smith was hired as Police Chief of Abilene in May 1870. Abilene had been in existence for 13 years prior, but the last three had seen crime take a huge spike upward as cattle drovers from Texas had begun to take advantage of the railroad access that the city offered in 1867. The city tried a number of men as head lawman, but all were either too incompetent or scared to be effective. Smith was hired and became the first really effective Marshall Abilene had seen. One of his first official acts was to ban the carrying of firearms in the city limits. Tom himself seldom carried a gun and often dealt with lawbreakers with his fists. This lasted until November of the same year, when Smith went to arrest two men wanted for murder. He and a deputy went to the farmhouse to serve the warrant. A gunfight erupted and Smith has hit. The deputy ran for it, and one of the badmen came outside with an axe He used it to both kill and decapitate the Marshall. Thus martyred, Smith became a local legend, and was reportedly something of a hero to Eisenhower. Smith’s replacement would be the legendary Wild Bill Hickok.
Tom Smith was hired as Police Chief of Abilene in May 1870. Abilene had been in existence for 13 years prior, but the last three had seen crime take a huge spike upward as cattle drovers from Texas had begun to take advantage of the railroad access that the city offered in 1867. The city tried a number of men as head lawman, but all were either too incompetent or scared to be effective. Smith was hired and became the first really effective Marshall Abilene had seen. One of his first official acts was to ban the carrying of firearms in the city limits. Tom himself seldom carried a gun and often dealt with lawbreakers with his fists. This lasted until November of the same year, when Smith went to arrest two men wanted for murder. He and a deputy went to the farmhouse to serve the warrant. A gunfight erupted and Smith has hit. The deputy ran for it, and one of the badmen came outside with an axe He used it to both kill and decapitate the Marshall. Thus martyred, Smith became a local legend, and was reportedly something of a hero to Eisenhower. Smith’s replacement would be the legendary Wild Bill Hickok.
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We started with the Presidential Library as it would soon close. The cemetery would be open until dusk. The Library has three areas where we could visit today; the chapel where he, wife Mamie, and son Doud are buried, the museum, and his boyhood home. We started in the museum and saw several exhibits from his World War II days and his days in Denver. Mamie was from Colorado, having lived there for most of her life, until she married the future President.
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So the Colorado connection gave all of us a reason to be a bit more interested. One of the most interesting things in the museum, at least as far as I was concerned, was an electric car. Mamie’s parents, the Douds, were well to do, and could afford this $4000, 1914 Rauch and Lang, automobile. It had a 100 mile range if you didn’t mind driving only 13 miles per hour. There were many other things there, ranging from the registration papers of the electric car, to a name plate from Japanese plane that crashed during the attack of Pearl Harbor.
We rushed a little bit through the museum, because it was getting close to closing time.
Eisenhower’s boyhood home is located on the grounds of the Library. But as everything would be shutting down in 15-20 minutes, all we did was snap a picture of the outside, and walk over to The Place of Meditation, which is what they call the combination chapel and tomb. The Place of Meditation has a very somber feel to it. The tombs of the ex-President, his wife, and son are in a special place of the chapel. The son, Doud Dwight who died of scarlet fever at age three, has a plaque, but that is only visible sign he is there. The parents have plain, but grand, grave coverings that look like polished oak, but they are really made of marble. We spent a few silent minutes admiring the architecture, taking a few pictures, and paying our respects and then it was time to leave. No one ever asked us to leave any of the buildings, but we did not want to hold up anyone’s Sunday plans either.
With the President visited (This is the 5th Presidential grave I have visited. I’m going to have to meet a living one some day), it was off to see Tom Smith’s grave. I’ve already told his story, and although I was very interested in seeing his grave the others weren’t. It was hot, and we were all tired. Driving over seven hours in a car, even with rest breaks is still work, and then with the further sites and adventures it was time for a rest. So, with a map to grave in hand, we quickly found it. After just long enough to snap a few pictures we were back in the mini van and on our way to the hotel. The rest of the evening was spent with dinner, a dip in the hotel pool, and TV. We got to bed as early as we could. We would be up early tomorrow. We had to drive half way across Kansas and all the way through Missouri to get to our final destination, St. Louis.
We rushed a little bit through the museum, because it was getting close to closing time.
Eisenhower’s boyhood home is located on the grounds of the Library. But as everything would be shutting down in 15-20 minutes, all we did was snap a picture of the outside, and walk over to The Place of Meditation, which is what they call the combination chapel and tomb. The Place of Meditation has a very somber feel to it. The tombs of the ex-President, his wife, and son are in a special place of the chapel. The son, Doud Dwight who died of scarlet fever at age three, has a plaque, but that is only visible sign he is there. The parents have plain, but grand, grave coverings that look like polished oak, but they are really made of marble. We spent a few silent minutes admiring the architecture, taking a few pictures, and paying our respects and then it was time to leave. No one ever asked us to leave any of the buildings, but we did not want to hold up anyone’s Sunday plans either.
With the President visited (This is the 5th Presidential grave I have visited. I’m going to have to meet a living one some day), it was off to see Tom Smith’s grave. I’ve already told his story, and although I was very interested in seeing his grave the others weren’t. It was hot, and we were all tired. Driving over seven hours in a car, even with rest breaks is still work, and then with the further sites and adventures it was time for a rest. So, with a map to grave in hand, we quickly found it. After just long enough to snap a few pictures we were back in the mini van and on our way to the hotel. The rest of the evening was spent with dinner, a dip in the hotel pool, and TV. We got to bed as early as we could. We would be up early tomorrow. We had to drive half way across Kansas and all the way through Missouri to get to our final destination, St. Louis.
July 21, 2003
What a long day! I don’t know why I do these vacations this way. It’s nearly 11 PM and I still need to write this journal entry. There are just too many things to and no time to do them. Anyway, we were up at 5:30 AM and had breakfast at La Fiesta, the little restaurant next to the hotel. We were on the road by 7 AM. We have a long drive ahead of us. One thing before I forget. I have greatly over estimated how much oxygen we will need for Dad. He is using it about half as fast as I had guessed. Dad has three sources of oxygen for this trip; His concentrator, which he uses in the hotel rooms; the big tanks, which he uses in the mini-van; and the small tanks, which he carries when we are seeing some attraction. I had arranged to have full tanks waiting for us at the hotel. There were two large tanks and six small tanks that we would have swapped empty for full. But we only need about half that, and even one of the small tanks we are leaving is nearly full.
Continued….
I decided I was too tired last night to finish this before I got some sleep. So we are on the road right now and I should have plenty of time to catch us up. That is if I don’t have to take over driving. Margo keeps throwing up. She isn’t sick, but complains of having a “tickle” in her throat. It must be aggravating the gag reflex. She feels fine the all of a sudden she just throws up. We were in the heart of St Louis and I had to hand her a trash bag and take the wheel. But, I’m getting a head of my self.
What a long day! I don’t know why I do these vacations this way. It’s nearly 11 PM and I still need to write this journal entry. There are just too many things to and no time to do them. Anyway, we were up at 5:30 AM and had breakfast at La Fiesta, the little restaurant next to the hotel. We were on the road by 7 AM. We have a long drive ahead of us. One thing before I forget. I have greatly over estimated how much oxygen we will need for Dad. He is using it about half as fast as I had guessed. Dad has three sources of oxygen for this trip; His concentrator, which he uses in the hotel rooms; the big tanks, which he uses in the mini-van; and the small tanks, which he carries when we are seeing some attraction. I had arranged to have full tanks waiting for us at the hotel. There were two large tanks and six small tanks that we would have swapped empty for full. But we only need about half that, and even one of the small tanks we are leaving is nearly full.
Continued….
I decided I was too tired last night to finish this before I got some sleep. So we are on the road right now and I should have plenty of time to catch us up. That is if I don’t have to take over driving. Margo keeps throwing up. She isn’t sick, but complains of having a “tickle” in her throat. It must be aggravating the gag reflex. She feels fine the all of a sudden she just throws up. We were in the heart of St Louis and I had to hand her a trash bag and take the wheel. But, I’m getting a head of my self.
Monday’s road portion of the journey was pretty uneventful, until St. Louis. This is the 2nd time I have been though St. Louis. We missed an exit the first time, back in 1994, and we got turned around. I am batting a thousand. This city is such a pain in the ass to drive in. The signs aren’t accurate enough for the non-resident. The highways converge and then veer off. If you aren’t in the correct lane right then you miss it. I suppose this is just the frustration of the moment, but I was trying very hard to be in the correct lane. We at least hit our exit, but you had to be in the correct lane while exiting too. We weren’t and missed the Kings Highway turn. We ended up having to find an alternate route to get us to the Gateway Arch, which is what we intended to visit today. We made the adjustments, but it put us a half an hour farther behind schedule. I did not allow enough time for rest breaks today. Dad needs to stop about every two hours with his enlarged prostrate. I don’t mind stopping. I don’t particularly like to drive for endless hours, but I didn’t account for it.
We got to the parking lot at about 3:30 PM. We planned to take a boat ride on the Mississippi, but I knew from the schedule I had printed out that the last one would leave at 4 PM. It would take something just short of a miracle to make it. We got something short of that. It was about a quarter of a mile from the parking lot to Arch and I ran up a head to get Dad a wheelchair. He could have walked it, eventually. But as we were both pressed for time and it was getting hot, this was a better idea. We made it to the entrance to Museum of Westward Expansion about 3:50. The museum is located directly under the arch and is where I got the wheelchair. Getting in the museum was a bit of a hassle for me. I was in a serious auto accident in 1986. As a result I ended up with an artificial hip. Most metal detectors, even in the post 9/11 world, don’t pick it up. But the one on the north side of the museum did, every time. So I would have to move to the side and get patted down by a park ranger every time I came back in the building. Before the day was out I went in and out a total of five times. You would think they would start to remember me. Oh, well better safe than sorry.
We got to the parking lot at about 3:30 PM. We planned to take a boat ride on the Mississippi, but I knew from the schedule I had printed out that the last one would leave at 4 PM. It would take something just short of a miracle to make it. We got something short of that. It was about a quarter of a mile from the parking lot to Arch and I ran up a head to get Dad a wheelchair. He could have walked it, eventually. But as we were both pressed for time and it was getting hot, this was a better idea. We made it to the entrance to Museum of Westward Expansion about 3:50. The museum is located directly under the arch and is where I got the wheelchair. Getting in the museum was a bit of a hassle for me. I was in a serious auto accident in 1986. As a result I ended up with an artificial hip. Most metal detectors, even in the post 9/11 world, don’t pick it up. But the one on the north side of the museum did, every time. So I would have to move to the side and get patted down by a park ranger every time I came back in the building. Before the day was out I went in and out a total of five times. You would think they would start to remember me. Oh, well better safe than sorry.
We got everybody settled and I zipped down to the river to see about tickets and even if a boat was still there. I soon discovered we had the classic good news/bad news situation. The good news was there was a boat leaving at 4:30 and as it was 4:10 there was time. The bad news is that there was no way Dad could make it down all of the stairs to the river in 20 minutes, possibly at all. Stairs are not good. The only alternative was to get him back to the car and drive him down.
Somehow I didn’t think that was going to work either. Dad wasn’t exactly heartbroken. He spent four years in the Navy, so it wasn’t like he had never been on the water before. Mom was content not to contend with a hundred stairs and Margo thought that the air conditioned museum sounded pretty good. Not exactly adventure travelers, but it’s their vacation too.
The girls were with me, so we made out way down, in a quick and orderly manner and got three tickets to ride on the Tom Sawyer. The boat ride lasted about an hour. It was both relaxing and educational. Well, it would have been educational if I had paid much attention to the narration. But, I was enjoying the views. St Louis is very much a working river city. Freight comes in and goes out. We passed a cement processing plant and watched them load a barge as we passed by. That was interesting as they used a large hose and blew the dry mix into the barge, similar to the way you blow insulation into an attic. The barge had a shell on it, so the mix would not escape.
Somehow I didn’t think that was going to work either. Dad wasn’t exactly heartbroken. He spent four years in the Navy, so it wasn’t like he had never been on the water before. Mom was content not to contend with a hundred stairs and Margo thought that the air conditioned museum sounded pretty good. Not exactly adventure travelers, but it’s their vacation too.
The girls were with me, so we made out way down, in a quick and orderly manner and got three tickets to ride on the Tom Sawyer. The boat ride lasted about an hour. It was both relaxing and educational. Well, it would have been educational if I had paid much attention to the narration. But, I was enjoying the views. St Louis is very much a working river city. Freight comes in and goes out. We passed a cement processing plant and watched them load a barge as we passed by. That was interesting as they used a large hose and blew the dry mix into the barge, similar to the way you blow insulation into an attic. The barge had a shell on it, so the mix would not escape.
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The girls just liked being on the river. It was much cooler and the movement created a nice breeze. We went down about four bridges worth and turned around. I took a few pictures, mostly of the girls and soon our trip was over. We made our way back to the museum; got my Ranger massage to enter, and then we found everyone. They had looked around the gift shop a little, but mostly they had just been people watching and enjoying the cool air. As mentioned the museum is directly under the arch and is the staging place for a trip to the top.
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Jessi and been to the top when she was five years old, but Arielle had never been. Mom, Dad, and Margo bowed out. Mom and Margo had also been to the top. Margo had not been impressed with the experience and Mom didn’t like the enclosed and small tram that took you topside. Dad didn’t want to fight it.
He is not Mr. Adventure to begin with, so if something doesn’t tickle his fancy when he hears about it, he isn’t apt to try it just because it is different. He is secure in his conservative world, and in this case it was the exact right decision. The trams are to say the least, not handicapped accessible. They are tiny and seat five. You have to go through a small door, about four feet tall, to get in. The bottom of the door is about a foot off the ground. So if you are mobility impaired, even if you just need a cane, it will be difficult to impossible to ride. But, the girls and I aren’t and we all crawled in.
He is not Mr. Adventure to begin with, so if something doesn’t tickle his fancy when he hears about it, he isn’t apt to try it just because it is different. He is secure in his conservative world, and in this case it was the exact right decision. The trams are to say the least, not handicapped accessible. They are tiny and seat five. You have to go through a small door, about four feet tall, to get in. The bottom of the door is about a foot off the ground. So if you are mobility impaired, even if you just need a cane, it will be difficult to impossible to ride. But, the girls and I aren’t and we all crawled in.
The ride up took about 10 minutes. The car makes a ratcheting sound as it ascends up to the top. The tram was not air conditioned and got a little warm. But once you got to the top, cool air again greeted you. We got out and spent about ten minutes up there. Truthfully, there is just not a lot to do. You can look out a window and that it about it. The windows themselves are pretty small and you only have a few choices. It was also the height of tourist season, (Yes, I know. We were several of them) so it wasn’t like we were alone up there. So after a look-see and a few pictures we walked over to go back down.
Reflecting back to our ride up, I recalled that the people who had just descended from the top looked harried and hot. At the time I thought they were just a bit wimpy. I thought differently now. The staging area to go back down was a furnace. We waited for our turn and after the wait and our ride back down, we had the same look about us too. We didn’t bother to warn anyone. They were past the point of no return anyway. Let them be surprised. Margo and my folks were in the exact same spot as when we left. Dad was looking tired. It was well after six o clock and everyone was getting hungry. I delayed everyone for about ten minutes while I ran into the gift shop to get a polo shirt. A polo shirt or a book, are my preferred souvenirs when I travel.
After that it was back to the car and east out of town. We were staying in Collinsville, IL. This, luckily was not very far. We found a Bob Evans Restaurant near the hotel. It turned out to be a very good choice. My chicken was a tad dry, but that was the only complaint. The portions were huge and all else perfect. Dad looked much better after eating. They had a gift shop and I bought a candle for Debbie Serrano, the lady that works at Brighton Oxygen. She had helped immensely in setting the oxygen deliveries, answering my stream of questions, and providing me with updates on what was done and what was pending. We even called her while on the trip to have a valve delivered to my Aunt Ellen’s place when we finally got to Kentucky, tomorrow. With respect to the oxygen, the deliveries at these first two hotels had gone exactly as planned. What I had ordered was waiting for us. I had decided to call and reduce the amount at our remaining stops, as Dad was still using far less than planned.
We checked in, unloaded, and then I set out to get some water. Unexpectedly, we weren’t drinking much pop on this trip. Everyone seemed to prefer water. So I needed to find a store. The lady at Bob Evans gave me directions to a K-Mart. But I never found it. I did find a Wal-Mart. I never did figure out if I made a wrong turn or is she misspoke about the identity of the store. Like it mattered. I got water and went back to the hotel. I went through my money routine and went to bed. These days are long and the nights are short!
Reflecting back to our ride up, I recalled that the people who had just descended from the top looked harried and hot. At the time I thought they were just a bit wimpy. I thought differently now. The staging area to go back down was a furnace. We waited for our turn and after the wait and our ride back down, we had the same look about us too. We didn’t bother to warn anyone. They were past the point of no return anyway. Let them be surprised. Margo and my folks were in the exact same spot as when we left. Dad was looking tired. It was well after six o clock and everyone was getting hungry. I delayed everyone for about ten minutes while I ran into the gift shop to get a polo shirt. A polo shirt or a book, are my preferred souvenirs when I travel.
After that it was back to the car and east out of town. We were staying in Collinsville, IL. This, luckily was not very far. We found a Bob Evans Restaurant near the hotel. It turned out to be a very good choice. My chicken was a tad dry, but that was the only complaint. The portions were huge and all else perfect. Dad looked much better after eating. They had a gift shop and I bought a candle for Debbie Serrano, the lady that works at Brighton Oxygen. She had helped immensely in setting the oxygen deliveries, answering my stream of questions, and providing me with updates on what was done and what was pending. We even called her while on the trip to have a valve delivered to my Aunt Ellen’s place when we finally got to Kentucky, tomorrow. With respect to the oxygen, the deliveries at these first two hotels had gone exactly as planned. What I had ordered was waiting for us. I had decided to call and reduce the amount at our remaining stops, as Dad was still using far less than planned.
We checked in, unloaded, and then I set out to get some water. Unexpectedly, we weren’t drinking much pop on this trip. Everyone seemed to prefer water. So I needed to find a store. The lady at Bob Evans gave me directions to a K-Mart. But I never found it. I did find a Wal-Mart. I never did figure out if I made a wrong turn or is she misspoke about the identity of the store. Like it mattered. I got water and went back to the hotel. I went through my money routine and went to bed. These days are long and the nights are short!
July 22, 2003
I got to sleep in all the way until 5:20 AM this morning. This is the worst part of road trips. You have to spend so much time on the road. We breakfasted at Bob Evans before we left. Like last night the food was good and the portions large.
At this moment we are in Illinois, on I-64 E, about 20-30 miles from the Indiana border. Our ultimate destination is Ashland, KY. Margo had to stop to throw up again. We still have no idea what is causing this and we are probably going to have to get it looked at. Hopefully it will clear up on it's own or at least doesn’t get to point where we have to find an emergency room. That was one of two incidents we have had crossing Illinois. About 10 miles ago, which with Margo’s lead foot means about 5 minutes ago, I had just started writing this entry when I glanced up. I don’t know why I looked up, but when I did I saw this tire zipping across the median, in a diagonal from the other side of the road.
I could tell instantly that it wasn’t going to hit us, so I didn’t scream “Look out!” or anything. I just pointed and said look at that. Margo had been checking the rear and side mirrors at that point, and our back seat passengers where either sleeping or just relaxing. The point being no one else sees this. Margo looks at where I’m pointing but the tire had continued on its course and had already crossed behind us. She just looks at me with a look of “What the hell are you talking about” and I yammer on for a few minutes. “Really a tire.” Shrug of the shoulder and she relaxes back into her seat. “I did too see a tire without a car cross the highway.” I’m thinking. But, as know one else did, it became a tree falling in the forest question. If tire crosses the road and only Bill saw it, is he crazy? His wife thinks so.
I got to sleep in all the way until 5:20 AM this morning. This is the worst part of road trips. You have to spend so much time on the road. We breakfasted at Bob Evans before we left. Like last night the food was good and the portions large.
At this moment we are in Illinois, on I-64 E, about 20-30 miles from the Indiana border. Our ultimate destination is Ashland, KY. Margo had to stop to throw up again. We still have no idea what is causing this and we are probably going to have to get it looked at. Hopefully it will clear up on it's own or at least doesn’t get to point where we have to find an emergency room. That was one of two incidents we have had crossing Illinois. About 10 miles ago, which with Margo’s lead foot means about 5 minutes ago, I had just started writing this entry when I glanced up. I don’t know why I looked up, but when I did I saw this tire zipping across the median, in a diagonal from the other side of the road.
I could tell instantly that it wasn’t going to hit us, so I didn’t scream “Look out!” or anything. I just pointed and said look at that. Margo had been checking the rear and side mirrors at that point, and our back seat passengers where either sleeping or just relaxing. The point being no one else sees this. Margo looks at where I’m pointing but the tire had continued on its course and had already crossed behind us. She just looks at me with a look of “What the hell are you talking about” and I yammer on for a few minutes. “Really a tire.” Shrug of the shoulder and she relaxes back into her seat. “I did too see a tire without a car cross the highway.” I’m thinking. But, as know one else did, it became a tree falling in the forest question. If tire crosses the road and only Bill saw it, is he crazy? His wife thinks so.
I don’t think we are going to make very good time today. Margo has had to stop twice so far and it’s only coming up on 10 AM. She is wondering if she doesn’t have some sort of bug. I’m estimating that we are about 45 minutes behind schedule. If we don’t make up some of it I have to call Aunt Ellen with an updated time. She, and the rest of the family are expecting us, and she is cooking dinner for us tonight.
Continued….
We made up most of the time and got to Aunt Ellen’s at 5:06 PM. They were all pretty impressed that I was able to estimate our arrival time with in 6 minutes. Lots of luck on that one. It was sure nice to see everyone again. Aunt Ellen (Dad’s sister) had hardly changed at all. But Dad’s other living sister, Aunt Ann, had gotten very thin. She looks like she has been sick. I didn’t come out and ask, but the rest (which includes Uncle’s Tom and Bill) hinted enough that we knew she had been. I think they are a little scared about it. Dad’s brother, Uncle Johnnie, had died three months ago, and one of Dad’s nephews, Earl Edward, had just died too. These things seem to run in threes, so with Dad’s recent stroke and Ann’s illness, I think health was a subject they preferred to steer clear of.
When we arrived at Aunt Ellen and Uncle Tom’s place, Aunt Ann & Uncle Bill were there too, obviously. Joining them was the only other surviving sibling, Uncle Delbert. There were nine children born to my grandmother. One died as a child. The other eight, of whom Dad is the baby, all lived long lives. Two Aunts, the two who practically raised my Dad, after his father was killed in mining accident when he was two, died within a week of each other in 1983.
Continued….
We made up most of the time and got to Aunt Ellen’s at 5:06 PM. They were all pretty impressed that I was able to estimate our arrival time with in 6 minutes. Lots of luck on that one. It was sure nice to see everyone again. Aunt Ellen (Dad’s sister) had hardly changed at all. But Dad’s other living sister, Aunt Ann, had gotten very thin. She looks like she has been sick. I didn’t come out and ask, but the rest (which includes Uncle’s Tom and Bill) hinted enough that we knew she had been. I think they are a little scared about it. Dad’s brother, Uncle Johnnie, had died three months ago, and one of Dad’s nephews, Earl Edward, had just died too. These things seem to run in threes, so with Dad’s recent stroke and Ann’s illness, I think health was a subject they preferred to steer clear of.
When we arrived at Aunt Ellen and Uncle Tom’s place, Aunt Ann & Uncle Bill were there too, obviously. Joining them was the only other surviving sibling, Uncle Delbert. There were nine children born to my grandmother. One died as a child. The other eight, of whom Dad is the baby, all lived long lives. Two Aunts, the two who practically raised my Dad, after his father was killed in mining accident when he was two, died within a week of each other in 1983.
The brother closest to Dad in age had died in 1995. That was the year after we last visited and also the trip we couldn’t talk Dad into joining us on. He has hated to travel ever since he got out of the service. But with his own mortality staring him in the face, he made up his mind he had to go home once more. I already mentioned Uncle Johnnie passing in March, so that left just these four siblings left. Uncle Delbert was not doing so well. He would celebrate his 83rd birthday in two days, and years of cigarettes and alcohol had taken their toll. He was barely ambulatory and the loss of his larynx years ago had already robbed him of speech.
The only other person there was Kristen, Aunt Ellen’s great-granddaughter, age 12. She and the girls went off to discuss the mall and boys. We all sat down shortly after arrival and had a very nice dinner. Afterwards we talked and visited until 10 PM. Uncle Bill and Aunt Ann took Uncle Delbert home, and we said our good byes too. Everyone was tired, but Dad was holding up really well. He doesn’t show it very much, but he was glad to be back home.
The hotel for us was the Best Western River Cities. It’s pretty new and turned out to be a great choice. The pool was open late, so Jessi and Arielle took advantage of that. Margo and I set about taking care of our nightly budget duties. Most people are going to think this a bit strange, but we have developed a system with respect to the money we spend. I spend months researching and planning each of our vacations each year. We plan an itinerary, compute costs, identify and reserve hotels, and budget money for everything. It’s a bit anal, but it minimizes surprises and maximizes what we are able to see and do. It is very rare that there is something nearby that we could have seen, that we should have seen, that we didn’t see. Plus the money is already allocated for it, and we don’t go into debt to make it happen.
The only other person there was Kristen, Aunt Ellen’s great-granddaughter, age 12. She and the girls went off to discuss the mall and boys. We all sat down shortly after arrival and had a very nice dinner. Afterwards we talked and visited until 10 PM. Uncle Bill and Aunt Ann took Uncle Delbert home, and we said our good byes too. Everyone was tired, but Dad was holding up really well. He doesn’t show it very much, but he was glad to be back home.
The hotel for us was the Best Western River Cities. It’s pretty new and turned out to be a great choice. The pool was open late, so Jessi and Arielle took advantage of that. Margo and I set about taking care of our nightly budget duties. Most people are going to think this a bit strange, but we have developed a system with respect to the money we spend. I spend months researching and planning each of our vacations each year. We plan an itinerary, compute costs, identify and reserve hotels, and budget money for everything. It’s a bit anal, but it minimizes surprises and maximizes what we are able to see and do. It is very rare that there is something nearby that we could have seen, that we should have seen, that we didn’t see. Plus the money is already allocated for it, and we don’t go into debt to make it happen.
That is the part that most people say, “Yeah, that makes sense. It’s smart to know what there is to do and how much it will cost” The part that messes with everyone’s mind is the itinerary part. They look at my spreadsheet and it say “9AM to 10:30 AM—tour the Arch. And they say, but I don’t want to get locked into a set time to start or finish or even what to do. First off, I explain, the schedule is dynamic and mostly just to allot time and order. It’s just like money, you only have so much of it, so you have to budget it too. If you want to see the Arch, and the Old Courthouse, and the St Louis Zoo, and take a riverboat cruise, you have to know how much time they take, when the tours are, and how long they are open. Otherwise you show up and find out this is closed or that takes so much time you can’t do something else. If it turns out you are having a great time at the zoo, and you would rather skip the riverboat, then "Fine, we skip it", but at least we had the option. It has worked very well for us. When we went to Disney World, we never waited in line more than 45 minutes for any ride. Most were 20-30. If you have ever been to Disney World, in the summer, you already know how incredible that sounds. I got advice on which rides to do first and to get their early. It worked, and this does too.
Anyway, back to the routine. At then end of each night we record what we spent, from the receipts we have gotten, and see how we are doing in comparison to what we budgeted. We can see if we are spending too much on food or souvenirs and make adjustments. We also can use this as a tool to plan next year’s vacation. We almost always come in under budget, because I over allocate a bit for food, and already know what we will spend on things like the hotels and attractions. But, it does take some time, so after finishing unpacking and relaxing in front of the TV some we still didn’t get to bed until about midnight. Tomorrow we would be driving to Van Lear, KY to see the little town where Dad was born and his dad had died.
Anyway, back to the routine. At then end of each night we record what we spent, from the receipts we have gotten, and see how we are doing in comparison to what we budgeted. We can see if we are spending too much on food or souvenirs and make adjustments. We also can use this as a tool to plan next year’s vacation. We almost always come in under budget, because I over allocate a bit for food, and already know what we will spend on things like the hotels and attractions. But, it does take some time, so after finishing unpacking and relaxing in front of the TV some we still didn’t get to bed until about midnight. Tomorrow we would be driving to Van Lear, KY to see the little town where Dad was born and his dad had died.
July 23, 2003
We got a late start this morning, as we needed to catch up on our sleep. After getting ready and a late breakfast we ran up to Aunt Ellen’s to pick up the extra oxygen valve that we had delivered. It will make it simpler if we have one for the big tank and one for the little tank.
Getting Dad in and out of the car will be so much simpler. After saying our good-byes and letting Aunt Ellen know we were planning to take them out for dinner tonight, we left. We got onto US 23 and headed south. Our destination today was Van Lear, KY
Van Lear is the childhood home of Country/Western star, Loretta Lynn. More importantly it was where my Dad was born and lived for the first two years of his life. The family moved to Ashland after that. What draws me to Van Lear is not to pay homage to Loretta or to revisit where Dad grew up. It is to see and learn more about the mine explosion that took my grandfather’s life.
Let’s traveling back in time to July 17, 1935 and we find that my grandfather, Charley Kretzer, his brother, William, and 10 other men had managed to find a day’s work in the coal mines that day. Mid summer is not high demand time for coal, and work in the mines were scaled back. But mine #155 was heaving. That means that the ground was rising up and closing off access. This can happen for a couple of reasons. The most dangerous is pressure from a methane gas pocket below. There are conflicting stories as to when and how much testing was done that day for gas build up, but someone deemed it safe to work. So the 12 men went into the mine, not to dig coal, but to remove Consolidated Coal Company assets. Those were mainly the rails for the coal wagons, so they could be reused. Once the mine had heaved to the point of closing off an area anything left in there was lost.
We got a late start this morning, as we needed to catch up on our sleep. After getting ready and a late breakfast we ran up to Aunt Ellen’s to pick up the extra oxygen valve that we had delivered. It will make it simpler if we have one for the big tank and one for the little tank.
Getting Dad in and out of the car will be so much simpler. After saying our good-byes and letting Aunt Ellen know we were planning to take them out for dinner tonight, we left. We got onto US 23 and headed south. Our destination today was Van Lear, KY
Van Lear is the childhood home of Country/Western star, Loretta Lynn. More importantly it was where my Dad was born and lived for the first two years of his life. The family moved to Ashland after that. What draws me to Van Lear is not to pay homage to Loretta or to revisit where Dad grew up. It is to see and learn more about the mine explosion that took my grandfather’s life.
Let’s traveling back in time to July 17, 1935 and we find that my grandfather, Charley Kretzer, his brother, William, and 10 other men had managed to find a day’s work in the coal mines that day. Mid summer is not high demand time for coal, and work in the mines were scaled back. But mine #155 was heaving. That means that the ground was rising up and closing off access. This can happen for a couple of reasons. The most dangerous is pressure from a methane gas pocket below. There are conflicting stories as to when and how much testing was done that day for gas build up, but someone deemed it safe to work. So the 12 men went into the mine, not to dig coal, but to remove Consolidated Coal Company assets. Those were mainly the rails for the coal wagons, so they could be reused. Once the mine had heaved to the point of closing off an area anything left in there was lost.
The men had not been working very long when at 8:40 AM there was an explosion, that manifested itself as a low rumble on the surface. Three of the men had been working away from the heaved area, assessing and planning the work to be done. Two of them were knocked down by the concussion of the explosion. Those two, and the third man, who had been unharmed, raised the alarm. The fate of the other men was not known for nearly a full day. But on the morning of the 18th, the men were found. All had died from either the force of the explosion or from the roof falls that resulted.
This tragedy signaled the beginning of the end of Van Lear as a coal town. World War II demanded coal, but by the early 1950s major mining was done in Van Lear. As for my grandmother and her eight children (Dad being the youngest) there was nothing to hold them there, so they took the pittance of a settlement offered and used it to by a shack and some land in Ashland, KY.
I knew a lot of this before this trip. I learned some while we visited this tiny town, and picked up even more later on. But setting eyes on this place makes it come alive. We were here in 1994, but Dad did not join us for that trip. He never gave us a good reason, but he has hated to travel since he was discharged He spent 20 years combined in the Navy and Air Force.
Continued………
This tragedy signaled the beginning of the end of Van Lear as a coal town. World War II demanded coal, but by the early 1950s major mining was done in Van Lear. As for my grandmother and her eight children (Dad being the youngest) there was nothing to hold them there, so they took the pittance of a settlement offered and used it to by a shack and some land in Ashland, KY.
I knew a lot of this before this trip. I learned some while we visited this tiny town, and picked up even more later on. But setting eyes on this place makes it come alive. We were here in 1994, but Dad did not join us for that trip. He never gave us a good reason, but he has hated to travel since he was discharged He spent 20 years combined in the Navy and Air Force.
Continued………
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We pulled into Van Lear and made our first stop the Coal Mining Museum, which is housed in the Van Lear Historical Society building. There we met Tina Webb and David (?) Wells. Webb is a well known surname in Van Lear. It was the maiden name of Loretta Lynn. But I never did find out how Tina was related, but I am sure she is. I had called ahead to let them know we were coming. None of the Van Lear attractions are open regular hours. They are by appointment only, as traffic is so sparse. But, we were warmly greeted and Tina proceeded to give us a tour.
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We saw a lot of Van Lear history and various artifacts from days gone by. There was an old dentist chair, and a doctor’s examining table. We were told that Loretta Lynn was examined on this table by the company doctor and diagnosed as being pregnant. There was a display of past Van Lear residents who had served in the military. The display featured the men in their uniforms and gave a bit of biographical information. There were old school pictures and old uniforms. And then there were more pictures. They probably have a copy of every significant Van Lear photo in existence. And as this was a coal mining museum we saw plenty of old mine equipment, and a display depicting the various geological levels on the Miller’s Creek Coal Seam, which Van Lear used to mine.
One of the most intriguing displays they had was a life size mural of the entrance to a coal mine, circa 1910 (my guess). The mural was painted by local artist Tina Butcher. She is obviously very talented. On either side of the entrance stand two coal miners with shovels. In the middle is a small mule pulling a coal wagon. That small mule is called a bankmule. The tiny stature of the animal was necessary as the entrances to the mines were not very tall. The “bank” part of “bankmule” comes from the term coal bank, which is an exposed seam of coal, the stuff the little mule eventually hauls out. I bored you all with that only to point out that the Bankmule is both the mascot of the now defunct Van Lear High School and the name of the Van Lear Historical Society’s newsletter. We all got our picture taken in front of the mural.
One of the most intriguing displays they had was a life size mural of the entrance to a coal mine, circa 1910 (my guess). The mural was painted by local artist Tina Butcher. She is obviously very talented. On either side of the entrance stand two coal miners with shovels. In the middle is a small mule pulling a coal wagon. That small mule is called a bankmule. The tiny stature of the animal was necessary as the entrances to the mines were not very tall. The “bank” part of “bankmule” comes from the term coal bank, which is an exposed seam of coal, the stuff the little mule eventually hauls out. I bored you all with that only to point out that the Bankmule is both the mascot of the now defunct Van Lear High School and the name of the Van Lear Historical Society’s newsletter. We all got our picture taken in front of the mural.
The tour continued over the three top floors of the building. The uppermost floor was being used for storage and had plenty of stuff they were going to work into the museum at some point. Tina was very friendly and accommodating. She gave us plenty of details and answered any questions we had. Being used to large museum with either a self guided cassette tour, no tour, or a group tour, having your own guide was a bit intimidating. You felt like she had to have more important things to do, but in reality she didn’t and probably doesn’t on a normal basis.
The bottom floor contained “Icky’s”, a 50’s diner/soda shop recreation. I think that Ickys was an actual establishment back in Van Lear's hey day. Outside we were shown the old jail. It was more like a cage, but during the latter 1800s and early 1900s this was actually pretty common in small towns. The “cage” was more easily constructed than a building to be used as a jail. Dad confessed to spending a night in the Van Lear jail. It wasn’t the cage, but their newer one. Dad’s crime was DUI. He said he and a friend had to be bailed out by Uncle Tom. Much later I found out that his “friend” was actually his brother Delbert. I think there is plenty about my Dad I am just never going to know. The tour was no charge for us, as we were legacy members of the town. But it was obvious that the historical society could use the money, so I left $20. Tina was very pleased with that, and I ended up feeling guilty for not leaving more, for all the fuss she made about it.
We left and made our way towards Webb Market and we were flagged down by a lady coming out of the store. We couldn’t for the life of us figure out why. When we pulled in and started talking to us, she told us Louise Kretzer was on her way down, and she wanted to talk with us. As I was the family genealogist I knew who she was. Her husband, deceased, was my grandfather’s brother, making her Dad’s aunt. I didn’t know she still lived in Van Lear. I slowly came to understand that out of town visitors (family) were enough of a rarity that if was considered down right rude not to stop and visit, even unannounced.
The bottom floor contained “Icky’s”, a 50’s diner/soda shop recreation. I think that Ickys was an actual establishment back in Van Lear's hey day. Outside we were shown the old jail. It was more like a cage, but during the latter 1800s and early 1900s this was actually pretty common in small towns. The “cage” was more easily constructed than a building to be used as a jail. Dad confessed to spending a night in the Van Lear jail. It wasn’t the cage, but their newer one. Dad’s crime was DUI. He said he and a friend had to be bailed out by Uncle Tom. Much later I found out that his “friend” was actually his brother Delbert. I think there is plenty about my Dad I am just never going to know. The tour was no charge for us, as we were legacy members of the town. But it was obvious that the historical society could use the money, so I left $20. Tina was very pleased with that, and I ended up feeling guilty for not leaving more, for all the fuss she made about it.
We left and made our way towards Webb Market and we were flagged down by a lady coming out of the store. We couldn’t for the life of us figure out why. When we pulled in and started talking to us, she told us Louise Kretzer was on her way down, and she wanted to talk with us. As I was the family genealogist I knew who she was. Her husband, deceased, was my grandfather’s brother, making her Dad’s aunt. I didn’t know she still lived in Van Lear. I slowly came to understand that out of town visitors (family) were enough of a rarity that if was considered down right rude not to stop and visit, even unannounced.
So she arrived, introduced herself and we followed her back down to her place nearby (everything is nearby in Van Lear). We visited with her for about an hour, taking pictures of each other. I was surprised I was able to remember enough names and facts to carry on, and lead our side of the conversation. Margo and the two girls were completely clueless. Mom and Dad didn’t ask many questions, but answered the ones Louise had for them. We finished our lemonade (very good stuff) and made our apologies for having to leave. We still wanted to make it over to Loretta Lynn’s home, and then an hour or so drive back to Ashland, for dinner. After we got in the car Mom asked Dad, do you remember her? Dad said “I don’t know who hell she was.” Dad had likely not seen her in 70 years.
Next on the agenda was to visit what was left of Mine #155, where my grandfather died. I don’t remember if we got directions from Louise or Madonna, but like I said, nothing is too hard to find in Van Lear. A mine is essentially just a hole in the side of mountain or the ground, and that is what we saw. This hole in the mountain was mostly bricked up, but we stuck our heads in and saw enough litter to know that someone, local kids maybe, had at least been in the front area. It would have been excessively stupid to go in, even though it would not have been difficult, so after a few pictures, including some with a flash inside, we were on our way.
We went back to Webb’s Market and got directions from the lady that flagged us down, to Loretta Lynn’s childhood home. The lady, Madonna Webb, is Loretta Lynn’s niece and daughter of Herman Webb, LL’s brother, and man who would be giving us our tour. You don’t just show up to Butcher Holler and take a tour. All are done on demand. You show up or call ahead and someone finds Herman. While we waited we visited with Madonna. She told us about her trip to our home state of Colorado. She was down in the Colorado Springs area. She drove up, as a passenger, to the top of Pike’s Peak. The drive, on a road that is not protected by guard rails everywhere, scared her so bad; she took the train back down. I guess the Rocky Mountains are a bit more intimidating that the Appalachians.
Next on the agenda was to visit what was left of Mine #155, where my grandfather died. I don’t remember if we got directions from Louise or Madonna, but like I said, nothing is too hard to find in Van Lear. A mine is essentially just a hole in the side of mountain or the ground, and that is what we saw. This hole in the mountain was mostly bricked up, but we stuck our heads in and saw enough litter to know that someone, local kids maybe, had at least been in the front area. It would have been excessively stupid to go in, even though it would not have been difficult, so after a few pictures, including some with a flash inside, we were on our way.
We went back to Webb’s Market and got directions from the lady that flagged us down, to Loretta Lynn’s childhood home. The lady, Madonna Webb, is Loretta Lynn’s niece and daughter of Herman Webb, LL’s brother, and man who would be giving us our tour. You don’t just show up to Butcher Holler and take a tour. All are done on demand. You show up or call ahead and someone finds Herman. While we waited we visited with Madonna. She told us about her trip to our home state of Colorado. She was down in the Colorado Springs area. She drove up, as a passenger, to the top of Pike’s Peak. The drive, on a road that is not protected by guard rails everywhere, scared her so bad; she took the train back down. I guess the Rocky Mountains are a bit more intimidating that the Appalachians.
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We were on our way shortly and met Herman at the Loretta Lynn’s home. Margo, Mom, Jessi, and I had taken the tour before, back in 1994. Dad and Arielle had not. But, Dad thought it was too much work to get in and out of the air conditioned van and then the walking. Arielle is not a county music fan, so she was out. Jessi and Mom both decided that they weren’t interested enough to contend with the hot, humid Kentucky weather. It was nice and cool in the mini-van. Me, I don’t travel across the country to sit in the car. If they have two guys playing chess, I’m going to be out there watching. Margo likes Loretta Lynn, so she wasn’t going to miss it. So in, we went.
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Mr. Webb launched into his well rehearse tour speech. It was obvious he had it down to a science. We listened and towards the end, when he paused to take a breath, I asked him his father’s name. I should have known it already, but I’d forgotten. He told me it was Melvin Webb, but he went by Ted. I told him about my grandfather and that he was one of the ones killed in the mine explosion of 1935. Everyone in Van Lear knows about the explosion, but there aren’t a whole lot of them that are still around who can remember it. Herman doesn’t remember it, as he was still very young when it happened. His famous sister was only three months old. But, he had heard the stories, so we talked about that for awhile, and theorized that his dad and my grandpa must have worked together for a time. They couldn’t have helped it. Van Lear is just not that big.
We talked about the decline of Van Lear and little bit about his sister, and some about his family. His wife was sick, I thought he told me she had Alzheimer’s, but I later heard that she died (2006) of ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease. He told me that the medication she was taking was very expensive; in the neighborhood of $900 per month. When I figured I had wasted enough of his time, we wished him luck, thanked him and headed back into town.
We talked about the decline of Van Lear and little bit about his sister, and some about his family. His wife was sick, I thought he told me she had Alzheimer’s, but I later heard that she died (2006) of ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease. He told me that the medication she was taking was very expensive; in the neighborhood of $900 per month. When I figured I had wasted enough of his time, we wished him luck, thanked him and headed back into town.
Margo had decided she wanted to get a copy of Loretta Lynn’s cookbook, so we figured if anyone had it; it would be Webb’s Market. But, no luck. Madonna suggested a local bookstore called Words n Stuff. She pointed us in the right direction and we arrived about five minutes later. No luck there either, but we did find some other things to take back with us. But, by now it was 5:00 PM, and we should have already been back to Ashland.
I called and let Aunt Ellen know where we were and told her we would be back in about an hour.
We got back to Ashland about 6:15 and we, which included Aunt Ellen & Uncle Tom, Aunt Ann & Uncle Bill, and Aunt Ellen’s great-granddaughter, Kristen. The food was good, but twelve year old Kristen behaved like a five year old. I thought Margo was going to take her outside and given her a spanking. I can tell you neither of my girls ever carried on like that. They acted up once each, and got taken outside. I didn’t have to spank either one. They could tell there were now no witnesses or anyone to perform for. They each quickly decided that it would be best to straighten up, rather than risk a red backside. When the check arrived, I had a devil of time with Uncle Bill and Uncle Tom. They wanted to pay for dinner, but they had been plenty generous already, and would be organizing a reunion picnic the next day. But, in the end their wives intervened and I paid the tab. We did nothing after that. We went back to the hotel and went to bed. We had filled this day right to the top.
I called and let Aunt Ellen know where we were and told her we would be back in about an hour.
We got back to Ashland about 6:15 and we, which included Aunt Ellen & Uncle Tom, Aunt Ann & Uncle Bill, and Aunt Ellen’s great-granddaughter, Kristen. The food was good, but twelve year old Kristen behaved like a five year old. I thought Margo was going to take her outside and given her a spanking. I can tell you neither of my girls ever carried on like that. They acted up once each, and got taken outside. I didn’t have to spank either one. They could tell there were now no witnesses or anyone to perform for. They each quickly decided that it would be best to straighten up, rather than risk a red backside. When the check arrived, I had a devil of time with Uncle Bill and Uncle Tom. They wanted to pay for dinner, but they had been plenty generous already, and would be organizing a reunion picnic the next day. But, in the end their wives intervened and I paid the tab. We did nothing after that. We went back to the hotel and went to bed. We had filled this day right to the top.
July 24, 2003
Today is our last day in Ashland. It does not escape me that after we leave my Dad and his siblings will never see each other again. They are all getting too old to travel; Dad, Delbert, and Ann are in declining health, so the odds are very long. Last night at dinner, I asked Uncle Bill and Uncle Tom to show me how to get to the Kretzer Family Cemetery, near Hitchins. They took me there back in 1994, but I did not write down turn by turn directions, so this time I wanted to be able to find it. I’m just not sure how many people are left that remember how to get there, and if they do, would even bother. The farther you get away from the people buried there, relationship-wise, the less likely you are to visit.
Anyway, my uncles were happy to do it, and we left Ashland about 10:30 AM. My two uncles, Margo, Jessi, Arielle, and I all piled into two cars. The kids, especially Jessi, didn’t want to go, but I made them. There are some things in life that are obligations. I felt this was one of them. It took about ½ hour to get there. I wrote down directions as we went. By 11:00, when we got there, it was obvious it was going to be a typical hot, humid Kentucky summer day. Jessi was complaining about her allergies flaring up. That was to be expected, as she really does have seasonal allergies and Kentucky has much more stuff growing that back home. Plus, she really didn’t want to be there.
The Kretzer Family Cemetery, like all rural mountain cemeteries is on a hill top. You can’t waste prime flat land on the dead. That is saved for the farm and the farm buildings. The land itself is all part of the old Kretzer farm, originally owned by my Great-Grandfather. It’s now in the hands of one of his grandsons, but it is no longer used as a farm. There is a hand made barbeque pit, a bench or two, and a kid’s swing set sitting where the house used to be. I think they have the occasional family get together on it.
Today is our last day in Ashland. It does not escape me that after we leave my Dad and his siblings will never see each other again. They are all getting too old to travel; Dad, Delbert, and Ann are in declining health, so the odds are very long. Last night at dinner, I asked Uncle Bill and Uncle Tom to show me how to get to the Kretzer Family Cemetery, near Hitchins. They took me there back in 1994, but I did not write down turn by turn directions, so this time I wanted to be able to find it. I’m just not sure how many people are left that remember how to get there, and if they do, would even bother. The farther you get away from the people buried there, relationship-wise, the less likely you are to visit.
Anyway, my uncles were happy to do it, and we left Ashland about 10:30 AM. My two uncles, Margo, Jessi, Arielle, and I all piled into two cars. The kids, especially Jessi, didn’t want to go, but I made them. There are some things in life that are obligations. I felt this was one of them. It took about ½ hour to get there. I wrote down directions as we went. By 11:00, when we got there, it was obvious it was going to be a typical hot, humid Kentucky summer day. Jessi was complaining about her allergies flaring up. That was to be expected, as she really does have seasonal allergies and Kentucky has much more stuff growing that back home. Plus, she really didn’t want to be there.
The Kretzer Family Cemetery, like all rural mountain cemeteries is on a hill top. You can’t waste prime flat land on the dead. That is saved for the farm and the farm buildings. The land itself is all part of the old Kretzer farm, originally owned by my Great-Grandfather. It’s now in the hands of one of his grandsons, but it is no longer used as a farm. There is a hand made barbeque pit, a bench or two, and a kid’s swing set sitting where the house used to be. I think they have the occasional family get together on it.
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Once we got there we had to park at the base of the hill and walk up about 100 yards or so. It was not terribly strenuous, but it was enough to keep my two Aunts, Mom and Dad at home. Up there is buried; my Grandfather, Charles Kretzer, who was killed in the mine explosion. Near him is his dad, Friedrich, who emigrated from Germany in 1882, after serving in Franco-Prussian War of 1870. Beside him is his second wife, my great-grandmother, Minnie. Friedrich knew her in the old country, and after his first wife died, he needed a mother for his two children. So he traveled to southern Ohio, made his pitch for her to marry him, and she did.
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They later had eleven children together. Also buried here is my grand uncle, William, who died with my grandfather, a couple of other granduncles and grandaunts, and other more distantly relatives that I had barely heard of.
When we got to the top, we all paid our respects. Then Uncle Tom took a weed whacker to the area to knock down the grasses and weeds. He must do that fairly regularly, as the cemetery was not terribly overgrown. I took as many pictures as I could to document the cemetery as best as I could. You just never know when they might be needed. About this time the combination of Uncle Tom stirring up pollen and other such plant matter and a wasp landing on Jessi’s arm, set her off, and she was in tears. I guess enough was enough. She was hot, stuffed up, miserable, and now a bug was after her. We walked back down the hill, got in the car, and headed back to Boyd County.
When we got to the top, we all paid our respects. Then Uncle Tom took a weed whacker to the area to knock down the grasses and weeds. He must do that fairly regularly, as the cemetery was not terribly overgrown. I took as many pictures as I could to document the cemetery as best as I could. You just never know when they might be needed. About this time the combination of Uncle Tom stirring up pollen and other such plant matter and a wasp landing on Jessi’s arm, set her off, and she was in tears. I guess enough was enough. She was hot, stuffed up, miserable, and now a bug was after her. We walked back down the hill, got in the car, and headed back to Boyd County.
We made it back to Ashland and we met up with the rest of the family over at Aunt Ellen’s. Aunt Ellen and Uncle Tom’s place was the gathering place, because they were more or less the senior member’s of the family and had a large home. Uncle Delbert was too feeble to do much hosting and Aunt Ann & Uncle Bill had moved into an apartment years ago. When we got back, Dad let me know that he want to visit with Aunt Opal. Aunt Opal is his sister-in-law. She had married his brother, Jimmy. She was family and all, but as Dad is not a social butterfly, I really didn’t understand why he was making a point to see her. I mean the only other trip I had take with him, we made a stop in a city, in which a guy he worked with for nearly 20 years had retired to. We made arrangements to meet him, and at the last minute Dad changed his mind and we didn’t make the appointment. I was a bit dumbfounded, but I had no problems with his request.
So shortly after we got back, Me, Margo, Mom, and Dad all hoped in Uncle Bill’s car and he drove us the few blocks over to Aunt Opal’s. Aunt Opal was widowed back in 1995 when my Uncle Jimmy died. This was particularly tragic for Dad in a couple of ways. First, as I was to find out, Jimmy was the brother closest to Dad in age, so he spent a lot of time with him even though Jimmy was nine years older. Dad really looked up to him. The second had to do with when we came to Ashland to visit in 1994, the year before Uncle Jimmy died. I tried everything I could to talk Dad into going, but I couldn’t. In 1994 he had not been back home in nearly 20 years. If he had gone he could have seen Jimmy one last time.
So shortly after we got back, Me, Margo, Mom, and Dad all hoped in Uncle Bill’s car and he drove us the few blocks over to Aunt Opal’s. Aunt Opal was widowed back in 1995 when my Uncle Jimmy died. This was particularly tragic for Dad in a couple of ways. First, as I was to find out, Jimmy was the brother closest to Dad in age, so he spent a lot of time with him even though Jimmy was nine years older. Dad really looked up to him. The second had to do with when we came to Ashland to visit in 1994, the year before Uncle Jimmy died. I tried everything I could to talk Dad into going, but I couldn’t. In 1994 he had not been back home in nearly 20 years. If he had gone he could have seen Jimmy one last time.
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But, he wasn’t going to miss seeing Aunt Opal one last time. We got there and it was explained to me that Aunt Opal’s place is on the land, and right next door to, the house that Dad grew up in. When my grandfather died in 1935, my grandmother had moved the whole lot from Van Lear and bought this land, and a shack of a house. When Uncle Jimmy got out of the service and started his family, he built a home right next door to his mother. He lived there until he died. The house that Dad remembered as home is long gone. The pictures I have seen didn’t show it as much, but that was the time of the Great Depression.
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Dad and Aunt Opal visited and got caught up on nearly 30 years of life. We all mainly listened. I would ask an occasional question to spur things along, as Dad is good listener, and prefers that end of a conversation. That worked out, as Opal enjoys talking to visitors and more than made up for Dad’s end. A lot of the talk was catching up on people that Dad remembered from the area. It was a bit depressing to find out that almost all of them were dead. But, he was happy to tell a few stories about hunting in the woods behind the house or about one of his many dogs. We went on in that direction for quite awhile. It was after 5 PM when Uncle Bill came around to pick us up.
Aunt Ellen and Aunt Ann, with plenty of help from their daughters and daughters-in-law, had organized a family reunion at Armco Park in Ashland. We were actually the last to arrive, ten minutes later and were greeted by many members of the family I hadn’t seen since I was a kid. There were also a few I can never recall meeting. I think all told there were about 35 people. Considering this was a late Thursday afternoon, that was a pretty good turn out. We really didn’t have a lot of choice on the days we were in Ashland, as I wanted to make sure I got Dad to the Grand Ole Opry. The Opry is only broadcast on Friday and Saturday nights. There were other factors, such as coordinating my and Margo’s work schedule, so today was the best we could do.
Aunt Ellen and Aunt Ann, with plenty of help from their daughters and daughters-in-law, had organized a family reunion at Armco Park in Ashland. We were actually the last to arrive, ten minutes later and were greeted by many members of the family I hadn’t seen since I was a kid. There were also a few I can never recall meeting. I think all told there were about 35 people. Considering this was a late Thursday afternoon, that was a pretty good turn out. We really didn’t have a lot of choice on the days we were in Ashland, as I wanted to make sure I got Dad to the Grand Ole Opry. The Opry is only broadcast on Friday and Saturday nights. There were other factors, such as coordinating my and Margo’s work schedule, so today was the best we could do.
We had a good time visiting with everyone. Both Mom and Dad got to visit with everyone. I visited some and took plenty of pictures. And of course there was the food. There was a variety of things and all of it good. Nothing fancy, your standard burgers, hot dogs, and potato salad kind of thing, but it was a good way to spend an early evening.
It was over in about three hours. The park closes at dusk, so when the sun started getting low people started to say their good-byes. As the out of town guests we got plenty of attention, Dad most of all. Soon we were about the last ones there.
We climbed in to the car and headed back to Aunt Ellen’s to pick up our car. Margo, the kids and I left Mom and Dad, at Aunt Ellen’s, while we went to run a few errands. There were things we needed to stock up on for tomorrow, and we wanted to have the mini-van all gassed up. So they got to visit alone for another hour or so. We visited for awhile too, once we got back. Aunt Ann and Uncle Bill were there by now. But it was getting late by now, and we had to get an early start. Everyone knew, but no one commented, that this was it. When we left, Dad and his family would never see each other again. They all put up a good face, but Aunt Ann spent the last few minutes telling me the virtues of Ashland. She wanted me to move down here.
I hate good-byes in general. They are awkward to begin with. But this one was worse. Aunt Ellen got pretty misty and was in tears. Aunt Ann didn’t want to let Dad’s arm go, as they walked us out to the car. And all of the men folk were stoic and matter of fact. But there was no getting around it, and no way to make it easy. So after plenty of hugs, handshakes, good-bys, and I love yous, we got in the car and drove away.
It was over in about three hours. The park closes at dusk, so when the sun started getting low people started to say their good-byes. As the out of town guests we got plenty of attention, Dad most of all. Soon we were about the last ones there.
We climbed in to the car and headed back to Aunt Ellen’s to pick up our car. Margo, the kids and I left Mom and Dad, at Aunt Ellen’s, while we went to run a few errands. There were things we needed to stock up on for tomorrow, and we wanted to have the mini-van all gassed up. So they got to visit alone for another hour or so. We visited for awhile too, once we got back. Aunt Ann and Uncle Bill were there by now. But it was getting late by now, and we had to get an early start. Everyone knew, but no one commented, that this was it. When we left, Dad and his family would never see each other again. They all put up a good face, but Aunt Ann spent the last few minutes telling me the virtues of Ashland. She wanted me to move down here.
I hate good-byes in general. They are awkward to begin with. But this one was worse. Aunt Ellen got pretty misty and was in tears. Aunt Ann didn’t want to let Dad’s arm go, as they walked us out to the car. And all of the men folk were stoic and matter of fact. But there was no getting around it, and no way to make it easy. So after plenty of hugs, handshakes, good-bys, and I love yous, we got in the car and drove away.
July 25, 2003
We have another full day planned. We need to drive nearly 500 miles from Ashland to Nashville, TN. We have a planned stop in Monterey, TN for another family obligation. Then the pay off is going to be second row seats at the Grand Ole Opry. We started out, as we had the last two days, by eating a light breakfast at the Best Western we were staying at. We all really liked this hotel. The beds were comfortable, the location was good, the people were friendly and it was clean. Mom commented that we were probably going to get spoiled. Later on, we were to find out Mom was psychic.
We were on the road by 6:30 AM, but pulled into a rest stop at 7:15 AM. Margo had to go to the bathroom. I was a little annoyed, but what can you do. We have had to stop every hour and a half to two hours. It’s usually Dad who needs the rest break, but not always. I have had to interrupt the trip too. This one turned out to be just a bit more than a rest break, as we ran into my cousin, Shelia and her husband, Bill. They had both been at the reunion yesterday, and were on their way to Lexington. Shelia’s husband had had a liver transplant last November and they were going to have some blood tests done. So we visited for a few minutes and then we were both off.
Two hours later we pulled into London, KY and stopped at McDonald’s for one of their tasty and nutritious breakfasts. OK, that’s two lies for the price of one. But, what the hell, isn’t McDonalds almost a traditional part of the American Road Trip? About four hours later, with stops in Knoxville for a rest break, and in Crossville, TN to pick up flowers, we arrived in Monterey, TN, to visit the grave of my Uncle Adam.
We have another full day planned. We need to drive nearly 500 miles from Ashland to Nashville, TN. We have a planned stop in Monterey, TN for another family obligation. Then the pay off is going to be second row seats at the Grand Ole Opry. We started out, as we had the last two days, by eating a light breakfast at the Best Western we were staying at. We all really liked this hotel. The beds were comfortable, the location was good, the people were friendly and it was clean. Mom commented that we were probably going to get spoiled. Later on, we were to find out Mom was psychic.
We were on the road by 6:30 AM, but pulled into a rest stop at 7:15 AM. Margo had to go to the bathroom. I was a little annoyed, but what can you do. We have had to stop every hour and a half to two hours. It’s usually Dad who needs the rest break, but not always. I have had to interrupt the trip too. This one turned out to be just a bit more than a rest break, as we ran into my cousin, Shelia and her husband, Bill. They had both been at the reunion yesterday, and were on their way to Lexington. Shelia’s husband had had a liver transplant last November and they were going to have some blood tests done. So we visited for a few minutes and then we were both off.
Two hours later we pulled into London, KY and stopped at McDonald’s for one of their tasty and nutritious breakfasts. OK, that’s two lies for the price of one. But, what the hell, isn’t McDonalds almost a traditional part of the American Road Trip? About four hours later, with stops in Knoxville for a rest break, and in Crossville, TN to pick up flowers, we arrived in Monterey, TN, to visit the grave of my Uncle Adam.
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My Mom’s oldest brother, Adam, had relocated to Monterey, TN when his adopted grandchild moved there about three years ago. Adam had never married and had kids of his own, but got close to a neighborhood girl. When she grew up, married and moved away, he followed. Truth be told my Uncle Adam was never all there. He passed away in March. As we were so close Mom really wanted to pay her respects. She would likely be the only representative of our family to ever visit the grave.
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No one else lives close. We had gotten directions from Uncle Adam’s “family” here and made it to the church cemetery. It took us a few minutes but we eventually found the grave. We were not impressed. Mom and the rest of her brothers and sisters had been paying for an insurance policy to cover Adam’s burial expenses when he did pass away. As such we were expecting a stone monument. But there was just the temporary one, and it was still pretty much bare earth. Maybe it had not been enough time yet, and our expectations were too high. But at least we were there. I snapped a few pictures and we got back into the mini-van. We stopped about twenty miles down the road to eat at the Shoney’s in Cookeville. This was our last pit stop. 80 minutes or so from this point and we would be in Nashville and getting ready to go to the Grand Ole Opry!
Well 80 minutes turn out to be optimistic. The state of Tennessee was working on I-40, so it was more like two hours until we got to our hotel, a Motel 6 off of exit #87 on I-65. It was very hot and humid. We were tired and needed a rest before we saw our show, but first we had to deal with the hotel. We were supposed to have adjoining rooms. I made the reservation, over the phone, months prior. It made it easier on all of us to have rooms together. But, they weren’t. The rooms were also tiny. You didn’t have enough room to change your mind. That was probably intentional. My folks’ room didn’t have any towels. Ours was two short. And did I mention how small the rooms were? I might put all of this in a review on line, but I think the hotel is closed down now. No doubt a petition was drawn up.
While not the hotel’s fault in the least, the local oxygen company had not made the delivery. I had called and confirmed with them before we left. I called them now and they sent someone out. The delivery guy said they were just behind schedule. Whatever, they didn’t even bring what we ordered. Grrrrrrrrrrr. This is not what you want after a long day of driving. But, we got everything settled and grabbed a nap.
Naps are a wonderful invention. They provide rest and an attitude adjustment for the same low price. I was in a much better frame of mind. We had dinner and we left at 6:15 for our 7 PM show. The timing was just right. We got there and got seated. Our tickets were in Row CC. I thought that would be third row, but as it turned out there was no row AA, at least in our section, so we had 2nd row seats! The only complaint about the seats ended up being with a lady in front of us, who must see a lot of shows. She did her very best, with hoots, hollers, waves and other machinations, to make sure she was noticed.
While not the hotel’s fault in the least, the local oxygen company had not made the delivery. I had called and confirmed with them before we left. I called them now and they sent someone out. The delivery guy said they were just behind schedule. Whatever, they didn’t even bring what we ordered. Grrrrrrrrrrr. This is not what you want after a long day of driving. But, we got everything settled and grabbed a nap.
Naps are a wonderful invention. They provide rest and an attitude adjustment for the same low price. I was in a much better frame of mind. We had dinner and we left at 6:15 for our 7 PM show. The timing was just right. We got there and got seated. Our tickets were in Row CC. I thought that would be third row, but as it turned out there was no row AA, at least in our section, so we had 2nd row seats! The only complaint about the seats ended up being with a lady in front of us, who must see a lot of shows. She did her very best, with hoots, hollers, waves and other machinations, to make sure she was noticed.
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Porter Wagoner (he just passed away this year) opened up. I should have written down the songs that he and the other performers did, but it didn’t occur to me at the time. I was too busy enjoying myself. I took a lot of pictures, but my digital camera doesn’t do well in low light. This probably means I don’t know what I’m doing. We saw a lot of artists; John Conlee, Little Jimmy Dickens, Osmond Brothers, Jan Howard, Bering Strait, Jean Shepherd, Mike Snider, Jim Ed Brown, Graham Brown, The Virginia Boys, Bill Anderson and Josh Turner.
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I had heard of most of them. Jean Shepherd was one of Dad’s all time favorites, and it made his day that she was there.
I was particularly impressed with the band Bering Strait. I think I had heard of them in passing, but I knew nothing about them. As it turns out, they are all Russian! Country music in and from the Soviet Union!? Stalin is probably trying to scratch his way out of his grave. (Hopefully they buried him face down.) They did a very spirited rendition of Alan Jackson’s song “In a Mercury”, and then a Russian Folk Song. I could have done without the Russian song. Judging by the polite applause from the rest of the audience, I wasn’t alone. But they made Alan Jackson proud with they way they did his song. Jessi and Arielle thought a couple of the male members of the band were pretty cute. The two lady members of Bering Strait were not the stereotypical Russian women either. Both were very cute, especially the lead singer who played guitar.
I was particularly impressed with the band Bering Strait. I think I had heard of them in passing, but I knew nothing about them. As it turns out, they are all Russian! Country music in and from the Soviet Union!? Stalin is probably trying to scratch his way out of his grave. (Hopefully they buried him face down.) They did a very spirited rendition of Alan Jackson’s song “In a Mercury”, and then a Russian Folk Song. I could have done without the Russian song. Judging by the polite applause from the rest of the audience, I wasn’t alone. But they made Alan Jackson proud with they way they did his song. Jessi and Arielle thought a couple of the male members of the band were pretty cute. The two lady members of Bering Strait were not the stereotypical Russian women either. Both were very cute, especially the lead singer who played guitar.
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I was a bit worried about Dad, as the show is a long one. He and I took a rest break twice, once in the first half and then once in the second. He had walked in, no wheelchair, and both breaks were the same. As we were all the way up front, these were a bit of a hike. The second rest break was my idea. I had the feeling he was not going to get up in the middle of the show, again. He hates to draw any attention to himself. So, with about 20 minutes left in the show, I got up and told him I had to go to the bathroom and asked if he did. I really did have to go, but I could have held it. I knew at the end of the show there would a stampede to the restrooms and a lot of headaches to get out. This way we could take care of business and watch the last few minutes of the show, from the back. Dad had the same idea, so that is what we did.
Everyone enjoyed the show, but I was starting to worry about Mom. She is nodding off every time she sits down for more than a few minutes. When the Osborne Brothers played a slow bluegrass number she fell asleep and I had to nudge her awake. Their next selection was “Rocky Top”. No danger of sleeping though that one. The show finished, and we all reunited. The rest of our group hit the restrooms and we bought a few of the requisite souvenirs. Then it was time for the hotel. From there I went though my nightly ritual dealing with the money. I track how and what I spend so as to stay on budget and help to forecast for future travels. And we can’t forget this journal entry. So it was well after 11 before I finally got off to bed.
Everyone enjoyed the show, but I was starting to worry about Mom. She is nodding off every time she sits down for more than a few minutes. When the Osborne Brothers played a slow bluegrass number she fell asleep and I had to nudge her awake. Their next selection was “Rocky Top”. No danger of sleeping though that one. The show finished, and we all reunited. The rest of our group hit the restrooms and we bought a few of the requisite souvenirs. Then it was time for the hotel. From there I went though my nightly ritual dealing with the money. I track how and what I spend so as to stay on budget and help to forecast for future travels. And we can’t forget this journal entry. So it was well after 11 before I finally got off to bed.
July 26, 2003
Another short night! Between all of the loading and unloading, doing the books, keeping up with this journal, and various other errands there just isn’t enough time to sleep, too! Oh, well I could be at work! We ate breakfast at the Waffle House near our hotel. This was my first experience with a Waffle House. I decided I liked the food, but I didn’t care for our waitress. Rather than walk around the plastic partition that separated us from the counter area, she both took our orders and pour the coffee from behind it. That struck me as excessively lazy. Then she took three separate cell phone calls. We could hear her end of the conversation just fine. It was obvious there was no emergency at home, and no reason for her to neglect her duties. But the food was still out quickly and allowed us to get on the road by 7:30 AM, which was my goal.
Our primary destination today was Huntsville, AL. We were going to visit the US Space and Rocket Center. From there we would drive to Memphis to spend the night. There wouldn’t be any time on this trip to explore Memphis, but you have to make sacrifices.
It should have taken us about 1 ½ hours to get from Nashville to Huntsville, but a wrong turn and a rest break added a half an hour to our journey.
Dad was not going to be up to a walking tour of the facility, so I had checked in advance to see if wheelchairs were available. I had wanted to arrive at 9 AM, when they opened to guarantee that we would get one. I didn’t think it would be a concern, but you plan for the worse and hope for the best. Summer is obviously the high time for this place and even just half an hour into their work day all of the customer service people were busy dealing with one issue or another. I waited at the Guest Services counter waiting for someone to appear to help me. I waited and waited and waited. Finally, a guy came over. He grabbed a baby stroller for a couple he was helping, and taking the time to ignore me completely, left without a word. OK, then. I had not failed to notice, that not 5 feet to my right was a wheelchair. So, I took it. I figured that if I was violating a policy or procedure the wheelchair police would appear from out of no where, and then be forced to help me. My plan was foiled by their failure to notice my larceny. So I had to console myself with the fact that I had the wheelchair and we could start enjoying the museum.
Another short night! Between all of the loading and unloading, doing the books, keeping up with this journal, and various other errands there just isn’t enough time to sleep, too! Oh, well I could be at work! We ate breakfast at the Waffle House near our hotel. This was my first experience with a Waffle House. I decided I liked the food, but I didn’t care for our waitress. Rather than walk around the plastic partition that separated us from the counter area, she both took our orders and pour the coffee from behind it. That struck me as excessively lazy. Then she took three separate cell phone calls. We could hear her end of the conversation just fine. It was obvious there was no emergency at home, and no reason for her to neglect her duties. But the food was still out quickly and allowed us to get on the road by 7:30 AM, which was my goal.
Our primary destination today was Huntsville, AL. We were going to visit the US Space and Rocket Center. From there we would drive to Memphis to spend the night. There wouldn’t be any time on this trip to explore Memphis, but you have to make sacrifices.
It should have taken us about 1 ½ hours to get from Nashville to Huntsville, but a wrong turn and a rest break added a half an hour to our journey.
Dad was not going to be up to a walking tour of the facility, so I had checked in advance to see if wheelchairs were available. I had wanted to arrive at 9 AM, when they opened to guarantee that we would get one. I didn’t think it would be a concern, but you plan for the worse and hope for the best. Summer is obviously the high time for this place and even just half an hour into their work day all of the customer service people were busy dealing with one issue or another. I waited at the Guest Services counter waiting for someone to appear to help me. I waited and waited and waited. Finally, a guy came over. He grabbed a baby stroller for a couple he was helping, and taking the time to ignore me completely, left without a word. OK, then. I had not failed to notice, that not 5 feet to my right was a wheelchair. So, I took it. I figured that if I was violating a policy or procedure the wheelchair police would appear from out of no where, and then be forced to help me. My plan was foiled by their failure to notice my larceny. So I had to console myself with the fact that I had the wheelchair and we could start enjoying the museum.
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There was a lot to keep us busy. We started out inside and toured the museum. If you enjoy the history of the US exploration of space, this is nirvana. They had an Apollo Lunar Module (the part that lands on the moon), a Lunar Excursion Vehicle (car), and a Gemini Command Module. All of displays were nicely done. I pushed Dad around and had a good time too. I remember growing up that Dad had bought a LP (long playing record/vinyl recording, for you kids reading this) of the Apollo 11 moon landing. It had various recordings of the conversations between the astronauts of that historic flight and Mission Control in Houston.
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Inside the building they also had an IMAX theater and we watched a short documentary. As had been her pattern Mom kept falling asleep. This has kind of progressed from being humorous to wondering if she has a real problem. She confessed that she doesn’t seem to sleep well at nights. Regardless we all enjoyed the picture. The real stars of the US Space & Rocket Center are outside in the Rocket Garden. The garden itself was a little run down. It looked like the infrastructure could use a little TLC and some paint. But the displays themselves were awesome! I think they had every type of rocket used in the space program from the Mercury Redstone to the Saturn V. Which is saying something. The Saturn V (which I believe only 3 remain) is huge! It stands 363 feet tall. That’s longer than a football field, including both end zones. The museum has both a real Saturn V and a full scale replica. The replica is standing up, so you get the full measure of just how tall it is.
On display at the front of the museum is an A-12 Blackbird. The A-12 was the CIA version of the infamous SR-71 Blackbird, the fast plane ever developed. The Blackbirds were developed in the late 1950s and had flown until 1999. They were put out of business by the development of spy satellites. But, they certainly don’t look obsolete. The one on display here looked like it was going about Mach 1, just sitting there. There are only about 30 surviving A-12/SR-71s in existence, so I felt pretty fortunate to see one.
On display at the front of the museum is an A-12 Blackbird. The A-12 was the CIA version of the infamous SR-71 Blackbird, the fast plane ever developed. The Blackbirds were developed in the late 1950s and had flown until 1999. They were put out of business by the development of spy satellites. But, they certainly don’t look obsolete. The one on display here looked like it was going about Mach 1, just sitting there. There are only about 30 surviving A-12/SR-71s in existence, so I felt pretty fortunate to see one.
The last major thing we saw outside was the replica of the Space Shuttle. They call it Pathfinder, and it is a full scale model of the Space Shuttle. It was used to test equipment and procedures at the Kennedy Space Center. You really have to see these things to appreciate how big they are. I had my picture taken next to it. I’m back by the rear concrete support, waving. You can just make me out.
In addition to all of the space program related stuff, the girls got to enjoy their favorite part of the center, Space Shot. Space Shot is an amusement park ride that shoots the riders straight up, like they are astronauts. Once at the apex of the ride, it bounces you around some and then lands you safely. I said the girls enjoyed this. I, on the other hand, no longer posses “The Right Stuff”, so I acted as the official photographer. The girls, and this included Margo, got to ride this about three times in the span of 25 minutes. It just wasn’t very busy, for some reason. My vote was motion sickness. We could have spent the whole day there. We didn’t get to see everything, and then skimmed some of the other stuff. But as we had close to 200 miles yet to drive, dinner to eat, and maybe see some of the Civil War sights in Corinth, MS, we need to get a move on. We left about 2:45 PM. Good time had by all.
In addition to all of the space program related stuff, the girls got to enjoy their favorite part of the center, Space Shot. Space Shot is an amusement park ride that shoots the riders straight up, like they are astronauts. Once at the apex of the ride, it bounces you around some and then lands you safely. I said the girls enjoyed this. I, on the other hand, no longer posses “The Right Stuff”, so I acted as the official photographer. The girls, and this included Margo, got to ride this about three times in the span of 25 minutes. It just wasn’t very busy, for some reason. My vote was motion sickness. We could have spent the whole day there. We didn’t get to see everything, and then skimmed some of the other stuff. But as we had close to 200 miles yet to drive, dinner to eat, and maybe see some of the Civil War sights in Corinth, MS, we need to get a move on. We left about 2:45 PM. Good time had by all.
My reason for stopping in Corinth, MS was to cross this state off my list of states I have visited. I have strict rules that govern this list. I don’t just tick the state off my list because I drove through or stopped to eat. Nope, I have to actually do something to experience the state. Corinth, MS was an important railroad cross roads during the Civil War. Today the most important relic of that part of the Civil War is the Corinth Earthworks. These were a series of earth fortifications that were used in the battle fought in the area. There were museums and antebellum homes. But, sadly, I was really the only one that any interest in these, so we decided pretty early on in our trip to skip them, and just get to Memphis as soon as possible. We did stop to eat at the Shoney’s in Corinth
The trip to Memphis was completely uneventful and boring. The most noteworthy thing we saw was the kudzu that was taking over trees and telephone poles alike. We arrived in Memphis after dark, and we were all beat. This was the second time I have stayed in Memphis. We stayed at a Motel 6 nine years ago, and the hotel turned out to be in a not so good part of town. This time we decided to stay in a Studio 6, which is the extended stay arm of Motel 6, and looked to be of a better quality.
Apparently God felt that I needed to really learn my lesson with respect to Motel 6 and he decided to drive the point home about avoiding this chain in the future. We pulled into the parking lot and the first thing we saw was a number of people leaning over the second and third floors just hanging out and drinking beer. Uh, Oh! I was getting a bad feeling. I made my way to the office and promptly found out a number of things. First, they were renovating the hotel and the Handicapped room I had specifically reserved was not available. Nor were there any other handicapped rooms available for my folks. The handicap rooms have walk in showers and a number of other amenities to make life easier for people that have a hard time getting around. Strike One! Next, we would not have adjoining rooms. I had both requested and confirmed this before we left. My folks would get a ground floor room, so they wouldn’t have to deal with stairs, but our room would be on the 3rd floor. Strike Two!! Then as we walked around we discovered the pool was closed and all those people hanging around were long term guests. Apparently Studio 6 serves as some sort of low income housing project. In addition to the people loitering about and drinking, there was a distinctive odor in the air that told me that alcohol was not the only mind altering substance being consumed. Strike Three!!! We had officially crossed Motel 6 off of the preferred list.
To put the cap on our Memphis experience I was told at the front desk that no oxygen had been delivered. I called the company, thru their 24 hrs number, and they claimed they had no record of my order. Funny, they knew all about when I confirmed it five weeks ago. We had enough oxygen that this wouldn’t be anything more than an inconvenience, but I was still annoyed. Next time I go to Memphis we will stay in nice hotel, in a good part of town, enjoy Beale St and Mud Island. But, today I just wanted to leave. We would do that in the morning. Tomorrow we would be in Little Rock, AK and then Branson, MO.
The trip to Memphis was completely uneventful and boring. The most noteworthy thing we saw was the kudzu that was taking over trees and telephone poles alike. We arrived in Memphis after dark, and we were all beat. This was the second time I have stayed in Memphis. We stayed at a Motel 6 nine years ago, and the hotel turned out to be in a not so good part of town. This time we decided to stay in a Studio 6, which is the extended stay arm of Motel 6, and looked to be of a better quality.
Apparently God felt that I needed to really learn my lesson with respect to Motel 6 and he decided to drive the point home about avoiding this chain in the future. We pulled into the parking lot and the first thing we saw was a number of people leaning over the second and third floors just hanging out and drinking beer. Uh, Oh! I was getting a bad feeling. I made my way to the office and promptly found out a number of things. First, they were renovating the hotel and the Handicapped room I had specifically reserved was not available. Nor were there any other handicapped rooms available for my folks. The handicap rooms have walk in showers and a number of other amenities to make life easier for people that have a hard time getting around. Strike One! Next, we would not have adjoining rooms. I had both requested and confirmed this before we left. My folks would get a ground floor room, so they wouldn’t have to deal with stairs, but our room would be on the 3rd floor. Strike Two!! Then as we walked around we discovered the pool was closed and all those people hanging around were long term guests. Apparently Studio 6 serves as some sort of low income housing project. In addition to the people loitering about and drinking, there was a distinctive odor in the air that told me that alcohol was not the only mind altering substance being consumed. Strike Three!!! We had officially crossed Motel 6 off of the preferred list.
To put the cap on our Memphis experience I was told at the front desk that no oxygen had been delivered. I called the company, thru their 24 hrs number, and they claimed they had no record of my order. Funny, they knew all about when I confirmed it five weeks ago. We had enough oxygen that this wouldn’t be anything more than an inconvenience, but I was still annoyed. Next time I go to Memphis we will stay in nice hotel, in a good part of town, enjoy Beale St and Mud Island. But, today I just wanted to leave. We would do that in the morning. Tomorrow we would be in Little Rock, AK and then Branson, MO.
July 27, 2003
Margo and I discussed it last night before we went to bed and decide to vote Little Rock off the itinerary island. We were only planning to have a picnic in the park by the river, so we weren’t planning to see a lot. So we weighted the aggravation factor and decided that it just wasn’t worth it on this trip. We would be able to spend a little more time in Branson, so that is what we did. After yesterday’s oxygen fiasco I called ahead to our Branson hotel and was pleasantly surprised. They not only knew all about our oxygen delivery, but it had already arrived. This was another Motel 6, and my resolve to abandon this chain was tested. We’ll see after we actually stay there.
With the undesirables in the area there was no way we were eating around here. The neighborhood didn’t look a lot better in the morning. So we got on the highway and headed west. We crossed into Arkansas and stopped at a truck stop called the Iron Skillet in West Memphis, AK. It had been a while since I had eaten a truck stop. I think it was back in my youth when the local Tomahawk truck stop was the only place open when the booze ran out. But, I sort of remembered that the food was generally good. The Iron Skillet was. One of the things I love about the south is they know how to serve a breakfast. The folks down there are still more than happy to serve all of the stuff that the food police say we shouldn’t eat. Stuff like bacon, sausage, eggs, biscuits and gravy. Yummy!
It is about a five hour drive from West Memphis, AK to Branson, MO. We managed to make it with only one stop. That was in North Little Rock, about halfway. After a later than usual start and taking our time getting on the road we pull into Branson about 2 PM.
The first thing we did was head to our hotel. This would be our next to last Motel 6 and as I knew it had been recently built. I was hoping it would be a pleasant stay. It was. We had queen beds, adjoining rooms and everything was modern and comfortable. It wasn’t quite as nice as the Best Western in Ashland, but it was a close second.
Margo and I discussed it last night before we went to bed and decide to vote Little Rock off the itinerary island. We were only planning to have a picnic in the park by the river, so we weren’t planning to see a lot. So we weighted the aggravation factor and decided that it just wasn’t worth it on this trip. We would be able to spend a little more time in Branson, so that is what we did. After yesterday’s oxygen fiasco I called ahead to our Branson hotel and was pleasantly surprised. They not only knew all about our oxygen delivery, but it had already arrived. This was another Motel 6, and my resolve to abandon this chain was tested. We’ll see after we actually stay there.
With the undesirables in the area there was no way we were eating around here. The neighborhood didn’t look a lot better in the morning. So we got on the highway and headed west. We crossed into Arkansas and stopped at a truck stop called the Iron Skillet in West Memphis, AK. It had been a while since I had eaten a truck stop. I think it was back in my youth when the local Tomahawk truck stop was the only place open when the booze ran out. But, I sort of remembered that the food was generally good. The Iron Skillet was. One of the things I love about the south is they know how to serve a breakfast. The folks down there are still more than happy to serve all of the stuff that the food police say we shouldn’t eat. Stuff like bacon, sausage, eggs, biscuits and gravy. Yummy!
It is about a five hour drive from West Memphis, AK to Branson, MO. We managed to make it with only one stop. That was in North Little Rock, about halfway. After a later than usual start and taking our time getting on the road we pull into Branson about 2 PM.
The first thing we did was head to our hotel. This would be our next to last Motel 6 and as I knew it had been recently built. I was hoping it would be a pleasant stay. It was. We had queen beds, adjoining rooms and everything was modern and comfortable. It wasn’t quite as nice as the Best Western in Ashland, but it was a close second.
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Next up was lunch; we chose Denny’s. None our group was known to be terrible adventurous when it comes to food, hence our uninspired decision. That and it was right there. We had a pleasant lunch and now decided we could enjoy the town some. Margo, Jessi, and I had been to Branson two prior times. Each of those times we rode the ducks. “The Ducks” are old World War II amphibious vehicles (known as DUKWs) that have been converted to carry tourists instead of troops. The company that operates them, “Ride the Ducks”, takes you on a land tour of Branson, and then a water tour of Lake Taneycomo.
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The highlight, at least for the kids, was after the duck enters the water. The Captain, in our case, Captain Sober, lets the kids drive the duck on the water. It’s a big lake and he keeps an eye out for icebergs. Both Jessi and Arielle took a turn. We bigger kids decided to remain passengers and help the Captain keep watch.
Once our Duck ride was over we went back to the hotel. I had done most of the driving today, and even if I hadn’t, just riding in a car for hour after hour is tiring. So we decided to get in a short nap. We had tickets for two different shows during our stay in Branson. Tonight would be Moe Bandy and tomorrow Paul Harris. Moe was at 8 PM. By 7:15 we had eaten and were on our way to the Majestic Theater. In each of our two prior trips to Branson we had seen Moe Bandy. The first show, back in 1994, was great. It was one of my favorite shows of all time. The one in 1998 was good, but not nearly as good as 1994.
We thought we would give him another chance. It was still a good show, and in truth your chance of seeing a bad show in Branson is less than finding snow in Miami. But I found myself disappointed. I liked his old stuff and he didn’t do nearly as much of that as I would have liked. It looked like he had nearly 100% turnover of his band too. I only recognized the drummer. Moe’s new wife, and step daughter were prominently featured. They were OK, but I was paying to listen to Moe Bandy sing, not his family. I guess they need to earn there keep.
Once our Duck ride was over we went back to the hotel. I had done most of the driving today, and even if I hadn’t, just riding in a car for hour after hour is tiring. So we decided to get in a short nap. We had tickets for two different shows during our stay in Branson. Tonight would be Moe Bandy and tomorrow Paul Harris. Moe was at 8 PM. By 7:15 we had eaten and were on our way to the Majestic Theater. In each of our two prior trips to Branson we had seen Moe Bandy. The first show, back in 1994, was great. It was one of my favorite shows of all time. The one in 1998 was good, but not nearly as good as 1994.
We thought we would give him another chance. It was still a good show, and in truth your chance of seeing a bad show in Branson is less than finding snow in Miami. But I found myself disappointed. I liked his old stuff and he didn’t do nearly as much of that as I would have liked. It looked like he had nearly 100% turnover of his band too. I only recognized the drummer. Moe’s new wife, and step daughter were prominently featured. They were OK, but I was paying to listen to Moe Bandy sing, not his family. I guess they need to earn there keep.
July 28, 2003
We started the way we had finished the previous night, by eating at the Golden Arches Dinner Club. The girls, including Mom, decided to go shopping. Dad wanted no part of that, so he decided to stay in his room and watch TV. I decided to work on the expenses and to get caught up writing in my journal. There are always more things to write about then there is time to write it.
By the time the girls returned it was time to check out of the hotel. We weren’t leaving Branson right away, but we weren’t staying here another night either. We checked out and Dad and I could no longer avoid shopping, so we tagged along as the girls checked out a few more shops. It didn’t last that long and we broke for lunch. We had a nice country meal at Baldknobbers Restaurant. The Baldknobbers is one of the oldest theaters in Branson. They long ago expanded to include a restaurant.
Our final show in Branson was to see the comedian, Paul Harris. None of us knew anything about him, but the reviews I read on line were universal in there praise. It sounded like a good bet, so I had pre-ordered the tickets. It was an afternoon show, so we headed there right after lunch. Paul Harris was headlining his own theater this season. In prior years he had been the house comedian for a singing group. But, his following had grown large enough to pay the rent on his own place. We were hoping that all of this would add up to a good show. He did not disappoint. Dad, who is universally known as a stoic and as unexpressive as Mr. Spock, was wiping tears out of his eyes. Margo was complaining that her jaws hurt from laughing so much, and Jessi and Arielle were red faced. He was hilarious and the highpoint of our visit to Branson.
We started the way we had finished the previous night, by eating at the Golden Arches Dinner Club. The girls, including Mom, decided to go shopping. Dad wanted no part of that, so he decided to stay in his room and watch TV. I decided to work on the expenses and to get caught up writing in my journal. There are always more things to write about then there is time to write it.
By the time the girls returned it was time to check out of the hotel. We weren’t leaving Branson right away, but we weren’t staying here another night either. We checked out and Dad and I could no longer avoid shopping, so we tagged along as the girls checked out a few more shops. It didn’t last that long and we broke for lunch. We had a nice country meal at Baldknobbers Restaurant. The Baldknobbers is one of the oldest theaters in Branson. They long ago expanded to include a restaurant.
Our final show in Branson was to see the comedian, Paul Harris. None of us knew anything about him, but the reviews I read on line were universal in there praise. It sounded like a good bet, so I had pre-ordered the tickets. It was an afternoon show, so we headed there right after lunch. Paul Harris was headlining his own theater this season. In prior years he had been the house comedian for a singing group. But, his following had grown large enough to pay the rent on his own place. We were hoping that all of this would add up to a good show. He did not disappoint. Dad, who is universally known as a stoic and as unexpressive as Mr. Spock, was wiping tears out of his eyes. Margo was complaining that her jaws hurt from laughing so much, and Jessi and Arielle were red faced. He was hilarious and the highpoint of our visit to Branson.
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It was not just a comedic show. Paul’s best friend, Clay Cooper, took care of most of the musical portion of the show. He had a very good voice, reminiscent of Buck Owens. We all liked him, too. We liked it so much so that we bought his CD, and about $76 worth of other souvenirs. Both, Paul Harris and Clay Cooper made themselves available for pictures and autographs and we got down in the thick of it, with the other lemmings. It was fun.
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We were staying in Joplin, MO tonight, instead of Branson. Not because we didn’t like the hospitality or accommodations in Branson, but because we wanted to be closer to our ultimate destination for tomorrow. Early tomorrow evening our plan was to be in Dodge City, KS. That would be 430 miles from Branson. We could easily drive that in one day, but we also wanted to stop in Coffeyville. But, all of this is getting ahead of myself. The bottom-line for today is that we had 70 miles to drive today. But, not before some ice cream. We got a snack at “Cakes and Dreams” before we left town.
I called the Joplin oxygen company to confirm delivery of Dad’s supply. The guy knew all about it, but begged me to meet him in Springfield, which was on our way. It would save him a trip to pick up the empties in Branson and an additional two hour drive. I was kind of hesitant, because these kinds of things have the potential to act like a shaken can of beer and blow up in your face. But, I’m either a nice guy or a sucker so I let him talk me into it. We made plans to meet in a Wal-Mart parking lot, just off the highway. We got to Wal-Mart about ten minutes before the arranged meeting time. Not one to waste a stop, we all went into Wal-Mart to at least prevent bladders, if not the situation, from exploding. By the time we finished that, getting some ice for our cooler, and unloading the empty oxygen bottles, he was there. The exchange took about three minutes, and we were on our way.
We arrived at our motel, another and our final Motel 6. They had left the light on for us (I’m hilarious, huh?), but I think it would have looked better in the dark. It was slightly better than Nashville’s example, and way better than Memphis’, but this final stay only cemented by resolve to forever cross this discount chain off the preferred list. I decided that Margo and I are just too old, fat, and pampered to sacrifice the little things that a better hotel would offer. Things like a room big enough to turn around in, an elevator, or even cigarette burn free furniture. But, I digress. In truth, it was fine for one night, and we were all tired. Not just physically, but mentally too. It is hard being cramped in a mini-van, with five other people, for a third of your day. Then to do it for a week? Oh, well. It was still better than working and we were having a blast once we got to where we were going. Tomorrow we would be seeing some cowboy stuff, and Dad and I were looking forward to it.
I called the Joplin oxygen company to confirm delivery of Dad’s supply. The guy knew all about it, but begged me to meet him in Springfield, which was on our way. It would save him a trip to pick up the empties in Branson and an additional two hour drive. I was kind of hesitant, because these kinds of things have the potential to act like a shaken can of beer and blow up in your face. But, I’m either a nice guy or a sucker so I let him talk me into it. We made plans to meet in a Wal-Mart parking lot, just off the highway. We got to Wal-Mart about ten minutes before the arranged meeting time. Not one to waste a stop, we all went into Wal-Mart to at least prevent bladders, if not the situation, from exploding. By the time we finished that, getting some ice for our cooler, and unloading the empty oxygen bottles, he was there. The exchange took about three minutes, and we were on our way.
We arrived at our motel, another and our final Motel 6. They had left the light on for us (I’m hilarious, huh?), but I think it would have looked better in the dark. It was slightly better than Nashville’s example, and way better than Memphis’, but this final stay only cemented by resolve to forever cross this discount chain off the preferred list. I decided that Margo and I are just too old, fat, and pampered to sacrifice the little things that a better hotel would offer. Things like a room big enough to turn around in, an elevator, or even cigarette burn free furniture. But, I digress. In truth, it was fine for one night, and we were all tired. Not just physically, but mentally too. It is hard being cramped in a mini-van, with five other people, for a third of your day. Then to do it for a week? Oh, well. It was still better than working and we were having a blast once we got to where we were going. Tomorrow we would be seeing some cowboy stuff, and Dad and I were looking forward to it.
July 29, 2003
We have a long drive ahead of us today. Our ultimate destination is going to be Dodge City, in west Kansas. We are in west Missouri. Plus we plan to spend an hour or so in Coffeyville, KS, which is only an hour away. We ate breakfast at the Country Kitchen, in Joplin. The hours in the back of the mini-van were starting to get to Jessi, and she started in shortly after we finished eating. She complained about Mom falling asleep and then snoring and how neither Mom nor Dad “could breathe” right. I got after her a little, very little, but it annoyed me.
We were on the road before 8AM and arrived in Coffeyville, KS at about 8:50 AM. I was anxious to visit Coffeyville, because the town has a storied past with respect to the Old West. In 1892, the Dalton Gang attempted to rob two banks at the same time in this small border town. Through a combination of bad intelligence, inept co-leadership, and the fact that the towns folk recognized them (the Dalton family lived near by for many years), they were shot to pieces with only one gang member, Emmett Dalton, surviving. I had an issue of True West magazine that had a well written and well illustrated article on the robbery and subsequent gun fight. Dad had gotten a good look at it to, but already knew about the Daltons.
The plan was to see the places where the events happened, the museum dedicated to the Defenders of Coffeyville, and the cemetery where several of the Daltons are buried. The Dalton Defenders Museum opened at 9 AM, so we decided to head over to the cemetery first. Four members of the Dalton gang (of five) were killed, Bob and Grat Dalton, Dick Broadwell, and Bill Power. Three of them, the two Daltons and Bill Power were buried together. In 1892, the town definitely was not paying to honor them by putting a monument on their grave. So instead, someone stuck an old iron pipe in the ground to mark the spot. The fifth member of the gang was Emmett Dalton, the youngest Dalton (age 21), was shot to pieces, and nearly died. He ended up serving 15 years in jail. Emmett later paid for a headstone to be placed on the grave.
We have a long drive ahead of us today. Our ultimate destination is going to be Dodge City, in west Kansas. We are in west Missouri. Plus we plan to spend an hour or so in Coffeyville, KS, which is only an hour away. We ate breakfast at the Country Kitchen, in Joplin. The hours in the back of the mini-van were starting to get to Jessi, and she started in shortly after we finished eating. She complained about Mom falling asleep and then snoring and how neither Mom nor Dad “could breathe” right. I got after her a little, very little, but it annoyed me.
We were on the road before 8AM and arrived in Coffeyville, KS at about 8:50 AM. I was anxious to visit Coffeyville, because the town has a storied past with respect to the Old West. In 1892, the Dalton Gang attempted to rob two banks at the same time in this small border town. Through a combination of bad intelligence, inept co-leadership, and the fact that the towns folk recognized them (the Dalton family lived near by for many years), they were shot to pieces with only one gang member, Emmett Dalton, surviving. I had an issue of True West magazine that had a well written and well illustrated article on the robbery and subsequent gun fight. Dad had gotten a good look at it to, but already knew about the Daltons.
The plan was to see the places where the events happened, the museum dedicated to the Defenders of Coffeyville, and the cemetery where several of the Daltons are buried. The Dalton Defenders Museum opened at 9 AM, so we decided to head over to the cemetery first. Four members of the Dalton gang (of five) were killed, Bob and Grat Dalton, Dick Broadwell, and Bill Power. Three of them, the two Daltons and Bill Power were buried together. In 1892, the town definitely was not paying to honor them by putting a monument on their grave. So instead, someone stuck an old iron pipe in the ground to mark the spot. The fifth member of the gang was Emmett Dalton, the youngest Dalton (age 21), was shot to pieces, and nearly died. He ended up serving 15 years in jail. Emmett later paid for a headstone to be placed on the grave.
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We drove into town, paid our admission and walked around the Dalton Defender Museum. They have quite a few exhibits inside. They have one of the original safes from the robbery, several of the guns, the original doors to one of the banks (including bullet holes), and Old Town set up inside. The Old Town had many artifacts from days gone by, that were used in day to day life. One was old crib. Mom remembered her folks having one similar when she was little.
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Outside we retraced the steps of the bandits, and walked down an alley, called Death Alley. This was the avenue at which the Daltons tried to make their escape. Paint silhouettes mark the places where they fell. We visited the Condon Bank, one of the two banks the Daltons robbed. It now houses the Chamber of Commerce. But, inside there is still the teller’s cage, which made for some excellent photos. Arielle looked best as a teller being held up. But, we still had a long way to go and I wanted to be in Dodge City tonight in time for the show in their Old Town
I had planned to be on the road at 11 AM, spending two hours in town. But we enjoyed ourselves so much, at least I did, that we spent an extra half hour there. We made a pit stop in Arkansas City, KS, about 1 ½ hours later. Jessi started complaining and crying that her back hurt, and she was cramped, and she was stuck with two people who couldn’t breathe right. I got after her again. More sternly; just a few sentences to get my point across. I thought she was being not only a bit selfish, but disrespectful. In her defense, we had that mini-van packed pretty full and there was not much room to spread out. Both she and Arielle had been dealing with it for 10 days now. We rearranged some and moved the seat up a notch to give them some more room.
So now I’m in a bad mood. I brooded, thinking about how that she is right, that we are all being inconvenienced by taking Mom and Dad. But, that is balanced by the fact that this vacation was about getting Dad back home once more before he dies. So, I’m becoming angry because Jessi is not sucking it up, and I’m pissed because I couldn’t do anything about the situation. So, by the time we pulled into Wichita about an hour later, I’m ready to bite.
It didn’t take long. We planned to stop in Wichita to eat. At dinner Jessi said something, and I don’t even remember what she said. But, I had worked myself into hair-trigger mode. She got both barrels. She was in tears in seconds. Margo came to her defense and she got some too. I regretted yelling at them almost immediately, but I was tired too. Margo talked to her some; we finished eating, and got back in the mini-van.
We had about three more hours of driving before we get to Dodge City. That was a long time to be in a bad mood. I made up my mind I had to try and fix this. I couldn’t swallow my pride and apologize, which would have been the right thing to do. So, I had to think of something else. We had brought along several CDs of music to listen to help shorten the drive. I popped in the one I had made, that I used to work out to. It is filled with very upbeat and energetic music. It always improves my mood. When that was done, I put in one of the Paul Harris CDs we had just bought. It worked. By the time we got to Dodge her mood (& everyone else’s) had improved. She even laughed at a joke or two.
I had planned to be on the road at 11 AM, spending two hours in town. But we enjoyed ourselves so much, at least I did, that we spent an extra half hour there. We made a pit stop in Arkansas City, KS, about 1 ½ hours later. Jessi started complaining and crying that her back hurt, and she was cramped, and she was stuck with two people who couldn’t breathe right. I got after her again. More sternly; just a few sentences to get my point across. I thought she was being not only a bit selfish, but disrespectful. In her defense, we had that mini-van packed pretty full and there was not much room to spread out. Both she and Arielle had been dealing with it for 10 days now. We rearranged some and moved the seat up a notch to give them some more room.
So now I’m in a bad mood. I brooded, thinking about how that she is right, that we are all being inconvenienced by taking Mom and Dad. But, that is balanced by the fact that this vacation was about getting Dad back home once more before he dies. So, I’m becoming angry because Jessi is not sucking it up, and I’m pissed because I couldn’t do anything about the situation. So, by the time we pulled into Wichita about an hour later, I’m ready to bite.
It didn’t take long. We planned to stop in Wichita to eat. At dinner Jessi said something, and I don’t even remember what she said. But, I had worked myself into hair-trigger mode. She got both barrels. She was in tears in seconds. Margo came to her defense and she got some too. I regretted yelling at them almost immediately, but I was tired too. Margo talked to her some; we finished eating, and got back in the mini-van.
We had about three more hours of driving before we get to Dodge City. That was a long time to be in a bad mood. I made up my mind I had to try and fix this. I couldn’t swallow my pride and apologize, which would have been the right thing to do. So, I had to think of something else. We had brought along several CDs of music to listen to help shorten the drive. I popped in the one I had made, that I used to work out to. It is filled with very upbeat and energetic music. It always improves my mood. When that was done, I put in one of the Paul Harris CDs we had just bought. It worked. By the time we got to Dodge her mood (& everyone else’s) had improved. She even laughed at a joke or two.
We pulled into Dodge City at about 5:30 PM. This was better than an hour later than I had planned. I’ll interrupt this narrative to defend my, or at least explain, my seemingly anal retentive attitude towards my schedule on these trips. Through friends and family I have listened to tales of trips they have taken and horror stories that reoccur. Tales of really wanting to do something, but finding out they were closed when they got there. Stories of waiting endlessly in lines because it was “free day”. Whining that they did not know a certain festival, event or attraction was there or going on. Complaining about the long lines at an amusement park. Lamenting of the time wasted driving endlessly trying to find a suitable hotel. All of this under the guise of being spontaneous or not being tied down to a schedule. “We’re on vacation!” they say. I respond, with two words “Horse Shit”
There are a certain number of hours in the day and so many things to see and do. To not try and allocate time to make happen what you want to happen is just stupid. To me, if you don’t know what you want to see and do before you leave, you’re either lazy or deluded. Good trips don’t just happen. Now, can you over plan and make yourself crazy. You betcha. I try to avoid that and leave room to make changes as we see fit. But, if it’s 100 miles from Point A to Point B, I am going to know if it should take a bit under two hours to drive or more like three. When I get there I am not going to have to waste time searching for a hotel. I will know when the things are open that we want to see and will make arrangements so we are there in time. So when I say I was better than an hour behind schedule doesn’t mean life will now come to an end, it just means that we will now have to see what needs to be changed to make the most out of what time is left.
Isn’t it funny, that on a trip you have that luxury? But, in real life you don’t.
Our Dodge City plans included looking around the Boot Hill Museum and Front Street. They have gunfights scheduled throughout the day there. We also wanted to attend the Chuckwagon Supper they do there each night, and then see the Variety Show at the Long Branch Saloon. So as soon as we got into Dodge we skipped checking into our hotel (I always confirm late arrival with my credit card) and went straight to Front Street.
Front Street was the main road in Old West Dodge City. It was patrolled by the likes of Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and Bill Tilghman back in the day. Now a big section of it has been “preserved’ as their old town. There is a museum, an old west city street with shops and gunfights, a stagecoach, and a replica of the old Boot Hill Cemetery. Nothing is original, but it feels TV western enough to be fun. I went inside the Boot Hill Museum gift shop and checked the schedule of things for the rest of the day. The Chuckwagon Supper was at 6 PM, the final gunfight of the day was at 7 PM, and the Variety Show was at 7:30 PM.
We could do the museum tomorrow before we left for home. Perfect. As we had a half an hour before dinner, we went into the Long Branch. The Long Branch, made famous on the TV show “Gunsmoke”, was a real saloon, although it wasn’t run by Miss Kitty. But, Gunsmoke was one of Dad’s favorite shows so we had to have a drink in the Long Branch. Dad had quit drinking a couple of years ago, but for greenhorns and tenderfeet the Long Branch served their own Sarsaparilla. We all were relaxing nicely and in a much better mood. I tipped the bar lady $5, partially because of this change in spirits. I usually over tip a bit, anyway. I have a bit of sympathy for those that have to earn a living on the whim of those they serve. Dad really liked his drink and got an unopened on to take back home with him.
There are a certain number of hours in the day and so many things to see and do. To not try and allocate time to make happen what you want to happen is just stupid. To me, if you don’t know what you want to see and do before you leave, you’re either lazy or deluded. Good trips don’t just happen. Now, can you over plan and make yourself crazy. You betcha. I try to avoid that and leave room to make changes as we see fit. But, if it’s 100 miles from Point A to Point B, I am going to know if it should take a bit under two hours to drive or more like three. When I get there I am not going to have to waste time searching for a hotel. I will know when the things are open that we want to see and will make arrangements so we are there in time. So when I say I was better than an hour behind schedule doesn’t mean life will now come to an end, it just means that we will now have to see what needs to be changed to make the most out of what time is left.
Isn’t it funny, that on a trip you have that luxury? But, in real life you don’t.
Our Dodge City plans included looking around the Boot Hill Museum and Front Street. They have gunfights scheduled throughout the day there. We also wanted to attend the Chuckwagon Supper they do there each night, and then see the Variety Show at the Long Branch Saloon. So as soon as we got into Dodge we skipped checking into our hotel (I always confirm late arrival with my credit card) and went straight to Front Street.
Front Street was the main road in Old West Dodge City. It was patrolled by the likes of Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and Bill Tilghman back in the day. Now a big section of it has been “preserved’ as their old town. There is a museum, an old west city street with shops and gunfights, a stagecoach, and a replica of the old Boot Hill Cemetery. Nothing is original, but it feels TV western enough to be fun. I went inside the Boot Hill Museum gift shop and checked the schedule of things for the rest of the day. The Chuckwagon Supper was at 6 PM, the final gunfight of the day was at 7 PM, and the Variety Show was at 7:30 PM.
We could do the museum tomorrow before we left for home. Perfect. As we had a half an hour before dinner, we went into the Long Branch. The Long Branch, made famous on the TV show “Gunsmoke”, was a real saloon, although it wasn’t run by Miss Kitty. But, Gunsmoke was one of Dad’s favorite shows so we had to have a drink in the Long Branch. Dad had quit drinking a couple of years ago, but for greenhorns and tenderfeet the Long Branch served their own Sarsaparilla. We all were relaxing nicely and in a much better mood. I tipped the bar lady $5, partially because of this change in spirits. I usually over tip a bit, anyway. I have a bit of sympathy for those that have to earn a living on the whim of those they serve. Dad really liked his drink and got an unopened on to take back home with him.
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We headed over to the Occident Saloon for the Chuckwagon Supper. They served a meal of BarBQ, corn, and biscuits, lemonade or tea to drink and baked apples for dessert. It was really pretty good. They served it on old tin plates and cups, which added to the ambiance. We finished up in plenty of time, walked around the shops a bit, and then found a place to watch the gunfight. I have seen plenty of these gunfights. Places like Old Tucson in Arizona, Buckskin Joes in Colorado, and Abilene, KS (this trip), all put them on.
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The one here in Dodge had plenty of action, but was lacking a bit on dialogue to tell the story. Still how wrong can you go watching the black hats vanquished by the white hats?
Back in 1994 when we were Dodge City on another trip we had taken in the Variety Show then. We all really liked it. It had a great mix of comedy, skits, and Can-Can dancers. Dad did not go with us back then, and through Mom’s descriptions of it, to Dad, it was the one thing he really regretted not seeing. The show did not disappoint him. Miss Kitty came out and got things going. One of the first things she did was to introduce the Can-Can girls, and gave the patrons the opportunity to buy garters from the ladies. One $1 you got a garter and got to take it off the ladies leg. Well, who could pass that up? The ladies in the crowd (really not much of a crowd, maybe 15-20 people) got to buy garters from the male bartenders, who would later sing a bit. So after we had insured that everyone in our group had at least one garter, and the other tables did the same, the show began. Miss Kitty had a solo number and she went out into the crowd and serenaded one guy from the crowd. For some reason, doubtless my incredible looks, she picked me. I imagine I was red in the face by the time she was done. Margo was laughing so hard she forgot to preserve the moment for posterity with the camera.
Later on, she provided a piece of information that cleared up the mystery of why I was chosen. Miss Kitty was our barkeep from earlier! Best five bucks I ever spent, even if my ego did have to take a bruise. After the show was over they all hung around for pictures. We all got our picture taken with either the guys or the girls. We would have a hard time getting the grin off of Dad’s face.
It was still pretty early, but we were all dead tired. We went to the Dodge House, our hotel and checked in. We had stayed there in 1994 and liked it’s odd layout and feel. It had an indoor pool in the courtyard, which the girls took advantage of. The only thing we didn’t like was the twin beds. But it wasn’t like that was going to keep us awake. Once we climbed into bed, sleep came very easy.
Back in 1994 when we were Dodge City on another trip we had taken in the Variety Show then. We all really liked it. It had a great mix of comedy, skits, and Can-Can dancers. Dad did not go with us back then, and through Mom’s descriptions of it, to Dad, it was the one thing he really regretted not seeing. The show did not disappoint him. Miss Kitty came out and got things going. One of the first things she did was to introduce the Can-Can girls, and gave the patrons the opportunity to buy garters from the ladies. One $1 you got a garter and got to take it off the ladies leg. Well, who could pass that up? The ladies in the crowd (really not much of a crowd, maybe 15-20 people) got to buy garters from the male bartenders, who would later sing a bit. So after we had insured that everyone in our group had at least one garter, and the other tables did the same, the show began. Miss Kitty had a solo number and she went out into the crowd and serenaded one guy from the crowd. For some reason, doubtless my incredible looks, she picked me. I imagine I was red in the face by the time she was done. Margo was laughing so hard she forgot to preserve the moment for posterity with the camera.
Later on, she provided a piece of information that cleared up the mystery of why I was chosen. Miss Kitty was our barkeep from earlier! Best five bucks I ever spent, even if my ego did have to take a bruise. After the show was over they all hung around for pictures. We all got our picture taken with either the guys or the girls. We would have a hard time getting the grin off of Dad’s face.
It was still pretty early, but we were all dead tired. We went to the Dodge House, our hotel and checked in. We had stayed there in 1994 and liked it’s odd layout and feel. It had an indoor pool in the courtyard, which the girls took advantage of. The only thing we didn’t like was the twin beds. But it wasn’t like that was going to keep us awake. Once we climbed into bed, sleep came very easy.
July 30, 2003
I got to sleep in all the way to 6:30 AM this morning. After getting up at 5 AM and often not getting into bed the previous night until near midnight, this felt like heaven. But, I don’t go on vacation to spend it sleeping. I can do that at home, and more comfortably. I avoid hotel pools (mostly) for the same reason. They are OK for unwinding at night, but if you are going to drive 1000 miles and spend the prime part of the day at the pool, you have just spent several hundred dollars and many hours to do what $5 would have accomplished back home.
Anyway, we had a late breakfast, finishing up a bit after 9 AM. We headed over to the Boot Hill Museum to see what the museum had to offer. We started out in the gift shop and looked around some. We would be back later; we were more or less killing time until the short orientation film on Boot Hill started. They had a lot of displays and I found all of them interesting. In the exhibit that housed their gun collections they had a pistol owned by Mysterious Dave Mather and a shotgun that had belonged to Ben Thompson. Old West buffs will recognize the names, but if you don’t you likely wouldn’t have liked this display anyway. No worries, plenty of others. Dad & I liked this one though.
One that we all liked was the Gunsmoke room. It was a mid 20th century single family room; the living room. It was decorated in a bright western theme and had Gunsmoke playing on the television. On the walls were pictures and displays about the actors who appeared on the long running series.
We saw Boot Hill Cemetery, or at least a recreation. It was a bit disappointing, but there was enough history on the signs to make it interesting to me. Then we saw another gunfight out on Front Street and the Prickly Ash Bitters street skit. This was a comic skit based on an actual snake oil salesman who was made famous or infamous for being in town when a well know photo of early Dodge City was taken. His sign was prominent in the foreground. The Dodge City actors turned it into a very funny skit. There was a little bit more to be experienced, but we needed some lunch first. We ate there on Front Street. I can’t remember if it was when we ate, or if we were back at the Long Branch for a drink, but it was there that I was able to take a picture of Miss Kitty, out of costume. I must be clueless, because I still couldn’t tell they were the same person!
I got to sleep in all the way to 6:30 AM this morning. After getting up at 5 AM and often not getting into bed the previous night until near midnight, this felt like heaven. But, I don’t go on vacation to spend it sleeping. I can do that at home, and more comfortably. I avoid hotel pools (mostly) for the same reason. They are OK for unwinding at night, but if you are going to drive 1000 miles and spend the prime part of the day at the pool, you have just spent several hundred dollars and many hours to do what $5 would have accomplished back home.
Anyway, we had a late breakfast, finishing up a bit after 9 AM. We headed over to the Boot Hill Museum to see what the museum had to offer. We started out in the gift shop and looked around some. We would be back later; we were more or less killing time until the short orientation film on Boot Hill started. They had a lot of displays and I found all of them interesting. In the exhibit that housed their gun collections they had a pistol owned by Mysterious Dave Mather and a shotgun that had belonged to Ben Thompson. Old West buffs will recognize the names, but if you don’t you likely wouldn’t have liked this display anyway. No worries, plenty of others. Dad & I liked this one though.
One that we all liked was the Gunsmoke room. It was a mid 20th century single family room; the living room. It was decorated in a bright western theme and had Gunsmoke playing on the television. On the walls were pictures and displays about the actors who appeared on the long running series.
We saw Boot Hill Cemetery, or at least a recreation. It was a bit disappointing, but there was enough history on the signs to make it interesting to me. Then we saw another gunfight out on Front Street and the Prickly Ash Bitters street skit. This was a comic skit based on an actual snake oil salesman who was made famous or infamous for being in town when a well know photo of early Dodge City was taken. His sign was prominent in the foreground. The Dodge City actors turned it into a very funny skit. There was a little bit more to be experienced, but we needed some lunch first. We ate there on Front Street. I can’t remember if it was when we ate, or if we were back at the Long Branch for a drink, but it was there that I was able to take a picture of Miss Kitty, out of costume. I must be clueless, because I still couldn’t tell they were the same person!
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After lunch we found the Old Time Photographer and got a group picture taken. We all look a bit silly. The girls on the bar are dressed as bar girls in skimpy outfits. Me, Mom, and Dad are dressed in heavy coats like its freezing. It was still fun. We were already 1 ½ hours late getting on the road, but I still wanted a stagecoach ride. Mom and Dad did not feel like fighting getting in and out of the cramped coach, so they skipped it. Margo was happy to keep them company
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The girls humored me, as they knew we would be heading home after we were done. It was pretty quick and without narration, but it was still fun. It was time to go. Everyone was looking forward to sleeping in their own bed tonight.
Right after we got out of the stagecoach we got in our car and headed north to link up with I-70. We had six hours of driving plus stops before we got home. We stopped in Burlington, CO for dinner. From there it was it was straight home. We had planned to be home about 6:30 PM, but we were two hours late leaving Dodge City. We didn't care. It was still light when we got home. It was a very enjoyable trip. There were a few hiccups and inconveniences, but nothing that came close to spoiling the trip. We all had a great time and everyone experienced things that will last a lifetime. Isn't that why we travel?
Right after we got out of the stagecoach we got in our car and headed north to link up with I-70. We had six hours of driving plus stops before we got home. We stopped in Burlington, CO for dinner. From there it was it was straight home. We had planned to be home about 6:30 PM, but we were two hours late leaving Dodge City. We didn't care. It was still light when we got home. It was a very enjoyable trip. There were a few hiccups and inconveniences, but nothing that came close to spoiling the trip. We all had a great time and everyone experienced things that will last a lifetime. Isn't that why we travel?
Epilogue
We all agreed it had been a great trip, but maybe a day or two, too long. But, that was going to be tough to avoid, unless we wanted to drive even longer each day, and see nothing. This was the first trip I had taken my niece, Arielle, on and she was great. She helped out with her grandparents, especially grandpa. Jessi did a great job managing the cooler, getting drinks and snacks for everyone, and taking care of the oxygen tanks for Dad. Both girls had to put up with the very back seat for all those hours. It was no wonder things got uncomfortable towards then end.
Not long after the trip Mom was diagnosed with sleep apnea, this explained her falling asleep all the time. She got a by-pat machine and was soon getting a good night’s sleep.
We all knew it would be the last time Dad would see his family. His brother Delbert passed away 18 months later in February 2005. Nine months later Dad contracted a particularly nasty strain of pneumonia and passed away on November 4th of that same year.
I had been working on a Family History book, but not as hard as I should. His death was the catalyst to complete it. I presented a copy to both of my Kretzer Aunts, siblings, Mom, and my daughters. Although I failed to dedicate it to anyone, it was definitely for Dad that I wrote it.
We all agreed it had been a great trip, but maybe a day or two, too long. But, that was going to be tough to avoid, unless we wanted to drive even longer each day, and see nothing. This was the first trip I had taken my niece, Arielle, on and she was great. She helped out with her grandparents, especially grandpa. Jessi did a great job managing the cooler, getting drinks and snacks for everyone, and taking care of the oxygen tanks for Dad. Both girls had to put up with the very back seat for all those hours. It was no wonder things got uncomfortable towards then end.
Not long after the trip Mom was diagnosed with sleep apnea, this explained her falling asleep all the time. She got a by-pat machine and was soon getting a good night’s sleep.
We all knew it would be the last time Dad would see his family. His brother Delbert passed away 18 months later in February 2005. Nine months later Dad contracted a particularly nasty strain of pneumonia and passed away on November 4th of that same year.
I had been working on a Family History book, but not as hard as I should. His death was the catalyst to complete it. I presented a copy to both of my Kretzer Aunts, siblings, Mom, and my daughters. Although I failed to dedicate it to anyone, it was definitely for Dad that I wrote it.