KOA Cheyenne, WY, to KOA, Lyman, WY:  This morning dawned clear and sunny.  But last night we had quite a scare.  It was windy to begin with, but a front came through with these ugly black clouds and the wind increased dramatically.  I freaked out.  Thought we were going to get blown over.  Luckily, Mike had put down the landing legs and the jacks so we were a little more stable.  Anyway, we left this morning at 8:15 and continued west on I80.  The scenery west of Cheyenne is so pretty with verdant green hills, rocky outcroppings, buttes, mesas and arroyos. And we saw lots of antelope.  But the further west we went the more desert like it became.  Before long it was a desolate landscape of brown hills covered with sagebrush—and probably lots of rattlesnakes.  Arrived at the KOA in Lyman and were set up by 3:00.  Did a grocery run and then relaxed.  We’re here for two nights.

KOA Gothenburg, NE, to KOA Cheyenne, WY:  Got a late start this morning, but we gained an hour and the trip was a little shorter, so no big deal.  After leaving Gothenburg, I80 runs right along the Platte River—probably the same route our intrepid pioneers took on their way west in their conestoga wagons.  The Platte River is pretty, I think anyway.  It’s really shallow and sandy bottomed.  The pioneers wouldn’t have had problems crossing unless it was in flood.  We crossed it many times as it meandered across the landscape.  Arrived in Cheyenne around 2:30 and it was 89 degrees.  Really, really windy.  We’re getting buffeted around pretty good.  Not unhooking.  Just here for one night.  On to Lyman, WY, tomorrow where we’ll stay for two nights.

Downtown Cheyenne has all these painted cowboy boots.

Cute little downtown area.

Capital building in downtown Cheyenne.

Beacon RV Park, St. Joseph, MO, to KOA Gothenburg, NE:  This morning we headed out in a cold, misty rain.  Didn’t last long though, but the clouds hung around.  Continued north on I29 which is a pretty drive of rolling hills interspersed with large fields of neatly planted crops.  And off to the west were the bluffs along the Missouri.  Took Interstate 2 west and crossed the Missouri into Nebraska and shortly after that the clouds dispersed revealing a beautiful blue sky.  Stopped in Lincoln, NE, for food and fuel.  Then Mike took over driving.  The drive between Lincoln and Gothenburg was a pretty flat and nondescript landscape of farmers’ fields.  But, alas!  There is an original Pony Express Station here in Gothenburg.  We probably won’t go see it since we weren’t planning on unhooking.  Left at 8:45 this morning and arrived here and were set up by 3:30.  55 when we left St. Joe and 73 here in Gothenburg. 

Barns of America

Pony Express Station--Gothenburg, NE

St. Louis to KOA, St. Joseph, MO:  This trip had a terrible beginning.  On Thursday night Mike started the refrigerator in the fifth wheel so when we brought the food over on Friday it would be good and cold.  Got a late start taking the food over because of threatening storms and we had to wait until the service person came over to check out our air conditioner, which we do every year.  Everything checked out there so we got all the food together and headed to our storage place.  The sun was actually shining at this point.  When we opened the refrigerator though, it was not running and there were two error codes.  So, we called our RV dealer and they said to bring it right up, so we hooked up and hauled it up there after much bitching and moaning.  They cleaned out some soot and stuff around the electrical panel and it seemed to work, so back we went to the storage facility, unhooked  and loaded up the food and headed back home.  After dinner the storms hit.  We spent most of the evening in the basement with the tornado sirens going off around us.  Lost our power and groped around with flashlights for the rest of the evening.  But we didn’t have any damage—just a few branches down.  The power was still off this morning so we were all discombobulated.  Had to manually unhook the garage door so we could get out and then hook it back up.  Drove over to the storage area, hooked up and checked the refrigerator and there were more error codes.  So we took off anyway hoping we could get it fixed somewhere on the road and in the meantime maybe buy a couple of coolers.  So we headed out around 9:30 and got to Lake St. Louis after a little over an hour driving and Mike realized he forgot all his meds.  So, we turned around and headed back.  Didn’t unhook or anything.  I just pulled off on the shoulder on the service road outside the entrance of our place and Mike walked up and got all the stuff he forgot.  So, back on the road.  Even after all this we were in St. Joseph, MO, and set up by 5:30.  Just here one night.  Not even unhooking.  Oh, and the refrigerator is working!  Life is good!  And while we were heading out the second time, Johanne Brouillet, our Canadian friend from the Keys, called to see if we were okay.  Apparently they had seen a report on CNN about STL and the tornados.  How nice of her!  At least someone is thinking of us!

Pony Express Stable--St. Joseph, MO

Pony Express Rider--St. Joseph, MO

St. Joseph, MO, is a pretty historic town.  The Pony Express used to run from here to Sacramento, CA.  It only lasted for about a year and a half, but these daring men--boys actually--on their speedy mounts used to fly across the country carrying the mail.  The stations were spaced about 18 miles apart and they ran at a full gallop, pushing their horses to go faster and faster. There were about eighty pony-riders in the saddle all the time, night and day, stretching in a long, scattering procession from Missouri to California, forty flying eastward, and forty toward the west.   They carried letters 1900 miles in 8 days!  Incredible!  Walter Cronkite was born here. His father and grandfather were dentists here.  And, it's the place where Jessie James was shot.  The Patee House is a great museum full of the rich history of this area.

A quote from Mark Twain while on a stage coach trip across country..."We had had a consuming desire, from the beginning, to see a pony-rider, but somehow or other all that passed us and all that met us managed to streak by in the night, and so we heard only a whiz and a hail, and the swift phantom of the desert was gone before we could get our heads out of the windows".

Sun, 3/31/13:
KOA, Nashville, TN, to St. Louis, MO:  An absolutely miserable morning.  We left at 8:45 under leaden skies spitting a steady rain.  In about an hour we drove out of the rain.  Didn’t see the sun until about Paducah, KY.  Another long driving day—for us, anyway. We decided to drive back today instead of tomorrow because snow flurries were in the forecast tomorrow for St. Louis with highs in the low 40s.  When we pulled into the storage area it was 70 degrees. A whole lot better than low 40s!  Back home around 4:00.

Beautiful spring blooms.  Unfortunately, St. Louis is pretty bleak right now.  But it's coming.

Pine Mt. RV Park, Pine Mt., GA, to KOA, Nashville, TN:  A long driving day today.  Got an early start (thankfully), but it took 6 hours plus time to stop and eat and fuel up.  Even though we were on a four-lane, limited-access highway most of the time, there were a lot of small towns we had to go through which showed us down.  We gained an hour though.  We’re finally back on Central Standard Time.  Instead of staying here a couple of days, we’re heading home tomorrow—mainly because of a snow forecast in St. Louis on Monday.  So, we’ll head home tomorrow and hope for the best. It’s raining here now and is supposed to rain all night.  The highest temp we saw today was 68.

Callaway Gardens, Pine Mt. GA
Picture by Mike

Callaway Gardens, Pine Mt. GA

Pine Mt. RV Park, Pine Mt. GA:  Went to FDR’s Little White House today in Warm Springs, GA.  Stopped and had breakfast first in Pine Mt.  Then took the scenic drive through Roosevelt State Forest.  Lots of hiking trails in there.  Wanted to dust off my hiking boots and go for a hike. The Little White House is a cute and very modest little house on top of a hill with a pretty view.  FDR built the house in 1932 while governor of New York.  He first came to Warm Springs in 1924 hoping to find a cure for polio that had struck him in 1921.  The warm waters didn’t provide a cure, but it did help some.  After visiting the Little White House, we fueled up the truck and went back to our park.  Tomorrow we leave for Nashville for a couple of days.  73 today.

This is an overlook near the Little White House where FDR liked to come and sit quietly and maybe have a picnic.  A picnic to him was linen-draped tables with silver service.
Picture by Mike

FDR had this grill built on this spot to make picnics easier.  The view is of the Pine Mt. valley.  A beautiful spot.
Picture by Mike

The Little White House.  All the furniture was built at Val Kil, the furniture factory that Eleanor Roosevelt started to help employ people who were out of work.  The house has a big deck in back that looks out over a forested area.  He loved sitting out there.  He suffered a stroke in this house while posing for a portrait which was never finished.  He died a couple of days after.  

This picture was taken from the porch of the Little White house.  The building on the left was the garage and servant quarters.  The building on the right was the guest house.