The Katy Trail - said to be the longest rails-to-trails multi-use trail in the US. Every photo, every discussion, every blog entry leads one to believe that this is an awesome ride for those from beginners to advanced riders wanting a taste of the trail. We had discussed this before leaving for Peace Corps and here we are in one of the end cities of the trail and in beautiful Indian Summer. A perfect time to do it.
After watching the forecasted weather patterns, discussing the various options and obstacles, reading the official Katy Trail website, and buying the guide book we decided to ride the Katy Trail from east to west. Yes, we know, everyone says to do it from west to east mainly because of the climbs and the prevailing westerly winds. Well, from the forecasted weather patterns, the winds are said to be out of the SE and you are going to be climbing either way as far as we could see. Indian Summer should stay around for another two weeks with perfect riding and camping weather. So we booked our shuttle to take us to St. Charles, MO and start to pack the camping gear. Of course, we already have the tandem and the B-o-b, so here goes ...
Danny has offered to write this blog so I will add photos and comments as he publishes.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Sedalia, MO
What a busy week we had here in Sedalia, MO while attending the Escapees RV rally. 
This is ours, and for as far as the eye can see, all sizes, shapes and makes ... 
This is ours, and for as far as the eye can see, all sizes, shapes and makes ... 
Add to this the newer section of town and what do you find - Wally World and Starbucks alongside various fast food restaurants that offer all manner of foods. 
a good ol' fashion drive-in that adapted to the modern ways... served a peanut butter hamburger of all things. We found a fabulous little mediterranean restaurant where we could get awesome gyros and hummus. But most of all, a welcoming, warm, fuzzy feeling wherever you go. 
The rally offered up many different venues for volunteering as well. 
We chose to drive the golf carts around offering rides to whomever needed one. The campground was a fair ways away from the vendors and various seminars being offered and for many these rides were the only way that they could go from one to another. We met a lot of great people driving these things. We even met a couple who are from Perth, Australia. 
They are here in the US for 10 months then go home for 6 months and then come back again. They will do this for 3 years and then go home permanently before heading to Europe to do the same thing. They bought a truck and 5th wheel which they will sell in year 3.Towards the end of the rally Danny got out the BoB trailer and we took it out for a spin on the Katy Trail to see how it pulled and how we managed with it on the tandem. The trail is made of chipped limestone and is sharp. We wanted to ensure that our tires were ok for it. All worked out well and the trail is very nice to ride. We actually rode out in both directions so got in a few miles (i.e. 20 miles both ways). At the end of the training classes and a day of rest, we moved over to Clinton which will be the end of the trail for us, where the rv will take a small holiday while we ride the trail. A highlight of these rides was Sunday afternoon finding what we thought was a bike shop - you never know when you will need something.
Surprise surprise - a person came running out to us and asked if we wanted some breakfast. Yes, for free. Seems that the young couple were feeding their community members (i.e. those in need I am sure and we sure don't look like we are in need) as their "give back a little something to the community". Pancakes, scrambled eggs, juice and coffee was on the menu. Of course, we partook and with much conversation had an enjoyable interlude from riding. And then we found out that it was no longer a bike shop, it had moved to another location and the owner was allowing them to offer there service for freeAnd so another adventure was about to begin...
Friday, September 14, 2012
Fort Scott, KS
After leaving The Washington Carver National Monument we drove on towards Ft. Scott, KS. Here we would add another stamp to our National Parks Discovery binder. The tourism pamphlets regarding Ft Scott show an interesting historical town that has made much of it's history as a fort in the 1840's.
We decide to park in the fairgrounds and when we arrive we are the only ones there. Thank goodness there were not any activities planned for the next couple of days and we would have peace and quiet. We had hookups albeit in the grass. When the custodian came around to collect the money however, he told us we could move out onto the road as it was supposed to rain that night and the next day and if we were on the grass, we just might not get out for awhile. That would never do as we were scheduled in Sedalia in a couple of days.
Taking a driving tour around Ft Scott we were taken by the gorgeous late 1800's homes that have been restored and reinvented.
Of course there are those that haven't been but they are definitely in the minority. As one passes down the various street, very often one sees signs of renovations. Of course, there are places where the old have been torn down to make room for the new. I too would want ac and tight, non-drafty walls with adequate plumbing. To give credit where credit is due, many of the rebuilt homes were built in the prevailing style of the late 1800's early 1900's. There was one standout however,
...art deco with the typical art deco colors of Florida - pepto bismol pink and sunflower hello. The icing on the cake however, just had to be the pvc rendition of palm trees swaying in the winds. Too bad the vivid colors aren't given justice in the late afternoon sun.
We decide to park in the fairgrounds and when we arrive we are the only ones there. Thank goodness there were not any activities planned for the next couple of days and we would have peace and quiet. We had hookups albeit in the grass. When the custodian came around to collect the money however, he told us we could move out onto the road as it was supposed to rain that night and the next day and if we were on the grass, we just might not get out for awhile. That would never do as we were scheduled in Sedalia in a couple of days.
Taking a driving tour around Ft Scott we were taken by the gorgeous late 1800's homes that have been restored and reinvented.
Of course there are those that haven't been but they are definitely in the minority. As one passes down the various street, very often one sees signs of renovations. Of course, there are places where the old have been torn down to make room for the new. I too would want ac and tight, non-drafty walls with adequate plumbing. To give credit where credit is due, many of the rebuilt homes were built in the prevailing style of the late 1800's early 1900's. There was one standout however,
...art deco with the typical art deco colors of Florida - pepto bismol pink and sunflower hello. The icing on the cake however, just had to be the pvc rendition of palm trees swaying in the winds. Too bad the vivid colors aren't given justice in the late afternoon sun.
The next morning we took a trolley tour given by the Chamber of Commerce. A fast and furious tour of the various personalities and homes of Sedalia. Seems like every town has their homegrown heroes and Ft Scott is no different. Ft Scott was named after General Scott of the era and it is said that he replied "I'm not and don't expect me to go out there either." when asked if he was thrilled to have all these [frontier] places named after him. The fort was actually built along the Permanent Indian Boundary line that supposedly protected the Indian lands from being encroached by the White Settlers and to protect and prevent the inter-Indian conflicts. This fell by the way side before the fort could be completed but during it's heyday it was a major intersection. After the fort was sold off in the 1850's to the town and the town folks, the town continued to prosper as a the jumping off point for the new land openings in the west. Fortunes were made here and the housing of the late 1800's attests to this fact. Then it started a slow downward spiral until we come to today where it is a hustling refurbished town, proud of it's past, and making the most of it.
One of the houses that we had a very brief introduction to was a house of normal appearance where an avid quilted lives. She is so into quilt making that she has apparently decorated her house inside and out with quilts. To attest to the fact, I offer a couple of photos of the outside of her house, courtesy of the owner herself.
She was thrilled to be asked for photos of her house.
We enjoyed an afternoon at the national historical park where we partook of the type of cache that we particularly like - a multi-staged cache that takes you through the area making you read and learn the history. Then end is the satisfaction of finding the end correctly, learning all about the area and putting your name in the log book. Sometimes you can collect a travel bug and leave one, but this one was not big enough for anything other than the log book.
We could have spent far more time here but alas, Sedalia is calling and the storm clouds are a brewing. So off we go, farther to the NE ...
Thursday, September 13, 2012
on the road to ...
... Sedalia and the Escapees RV rally starting the 15th. For us however, "on the road" can mean a multitude of things. For now it means just that a couple of days here, a day there, and perhaps a couple days that leads to a couple of weeks in other places - our typical mode of travel.
We stayed in Big Cedar a couple of weeks and enjoyed exploring SE Oklahoma and SW Arkansas. Oh what a beautiful area of fields, valleys, mountains and above all, green. I do get so tired of the browns and beiges of the drought and SW summer normal colors.
I am now back in saddle of my bicycle, extending my riding more each time I hop on. It is a hard slog after being off for so long and getting so out of shape with having a car and driving everywhere. While in Peace Corps I walked and road public transportation (which means walking even more). I did ride in Panama but it was only to go into town, a ride of no more than 3 miles when I did it. As I often had to carry things, my bike was out of the question. But now I am back into it ... oh my aching legs, shoulders, arms, wrists, and butt.
As a sickly young boy he spent many hours becoming one with nature and nurturing his love for botany, a love that would guide him for the rest of his life.
We stayed in Big Cedar a couple of weeks and enjoyed exploring SE Oklahoma and SW Arkansas. Oh what a beautiful area of fields, valleys, mountains and above all, green. I do get so tired of the browns and beiges of the drought and SW summer normal colors.
I am now back in saddle of my bicycle, extending my riding more each time I hop on. It is a hard slog after being off for so long and getting so out of shape with having a car and driving everywhere. While in Peace Corps I walked and road public transportation (which means walking even more). I did ride in Panama but it was only to go into town, a ride of no more than 3 miles when I did it. As I often had to carry things, my bike was out of the question. But now I am back into it ... oh my aching legs, shoulders, arms, wrists, and butt.
We also got the tandem up and running - that is another story. It felt so good to get back on that one. Once on it I quickly recalled one of the downfalls of riding the "Rear Admiral" position, NO cooling draft comes my way until Danny gets down onto his aero bars.
Thanks to a friend on one of the quilting blogs that I belong to, and the fact that we are going to be in Missouri, Danny and I have decided to initiate ourselves back into touring on the tandem. We are going to ride the Katy Trail after we attend the rally and classes. We still have planning to do and make a decision on the week that we will do it in, but hey, the main decision to do it has been made. http://www.bikekatytrail.com/ We are hoping to post as we ride by using the MiFi but as we will be camping some days, that might not happen.
On to Tulsa where we visited Alf, Stacey and the Boys. All are doing well and enjoying life. The drive up from Big Cedar, although only 200 miles give or take, was breathtaking. i think that I could actually live here if we could find something on a lake. The green and trees are my undoing along with the mountains. Oh they aren't at all like the Rockies or the Alps or the Andes, but still they are as beautiful as any of them. Of course having the ticks is a big worry and the mosquitoes do drive me batty when I am out, but other than that, it is great. While in Tulsa we managed to visit a wonderful bike shop where I replace my disintegrating helmet and gloves. So now I am in top form, safety-wise.
Our next leg took us into the far SE corner of Missouri where we stopped at the George Washington Carver National Monument: Another stamp for my book. Here we learned so much more than the "discoverer of almost 300 uses for the peanut". He was a scientist, educator, humanitarian, and above all he had a deep sense of purpose that his Creator led him by. He only patented three discoveries of which one was for pigments that are now found in the basic Crayola as he didn't want his discoveries to be "held by a minority" but available to those on the lowest part of humanity. His Agricultural Pamphlets were translated into many languages and became the Bible of Ag in many developing Third World companies, used by many NGO's. A truly humble, gentle man, but a man with a stubborn streak that led him to great things. He was born a slave, managed to educate himself when it was denied to him, and spent man years teaching at Booker T. Washington's Tuskagee Institute in Alabama as head of the Ag department. He was also a renown painter having earned Honorable Mention at the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair.
As a sickly young boy he spent many hours becoming one with nature and nurturing his love for botany, a love that would guide him for the rest of his life.
There are many sayings posted around the world regarding education that are his quotes - we saw them in Nepal in the schools, in Panama, and in Colombia, to name just a few.
A truly great man ...
Feeling humbled and thoughtful, we continued on to Fort Scott, KS.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Labour Day Weekend ...
Labour Day Weekend, 2012 ... we are stopped in a small place called Big Cedar, in SE OK where our landlord suggested that we attend the big Choctaw Nation celebrations (PowWow). So on Saturday over we went, after our visiting friends from DFW left to return home. Driving over to Tuskahoma the traffic was sparse, not suggestive in any way of the immensity of what is supposed to be a HUGE celebration.
As we drew into Tuskahoma, we had no idea where to go but I was sure that there would be signage of some sort to follow. No sooner had I said this than we saw a roadway sign with large orange blinking lights (you know the kind, the "road repair up ahead" type of sign powered by solar panels) telling us to turn at the next right. Two cars ahead and three cars coming in the opposite direction all turn the same way. Yes, we must be in the right place.
As we slowly drive onto the the Choctaw Nation's land, all we can say is, "We are late!" There are cars parked everywhere. Parking signs say "Parking Lot 13, 14, 15, 10, etc" with attendants at every corner for all 4 ways. With temperatures soaring into the 100's, there are huge cooling units at each corner offering water and a cool-down to one and all. There is even a huge water tank that one can douse oneself in. We follow directions that are given before we can stick our head out the window to ask - we end up parked a very long ways from the festivities that can be seen as we drove through the area.
Loading up with water, sunscreen and bug repellent, we lock up the car and head for the road. Wow, along comes a golf cart and asks if we want a ride. Asking where we want to go, we say the exhibition hall. As the women drives, she gives a very pride-ful history of the Nation (3rd largest in the "nation") and explains the workings of the festival. Everything is free except food and midway activities and rides, including the concert with Martina McBride and Ricky Scaggs that evening. Turns out, we were being transported but the "elder" car - a system set up to transport all the seniors. Everywhere we looked, they were there, whistling people around. There was also the usual tractor-pulled hay wagons with seats ferrying people from the parking lots to the main events.
Us, along with the anticipated 125,000 attendees jostled and weaved from ac place to ac place. (Temps over 100F) We saw the craft hall - lovely traditional Indian crafts, quilts, leatherwork, beadwork, furniture, paintings, textiles, and ... you pushed and shoved your way through the crowds to just see let alone buy anything. It was air-conditioned and many people were there for that reason alone. Imagine, if you will, coming in when the gates opened in the am to set up your chairs or claim your seats for the evening concert and sitting there all day in soaring temps. You too would head for the ac buildings as often as you could leave your space safely. Then to the midway looking for corn - not to be found but we did find deep-fried pickles, a favorite of mine, and an ac building with health exhibits and booths. The most amazing thing however, was the big sign in front listing the calorie count of fair foods and the entrance booth giving away free ice cold oranges and apples as a healthy alternative. AND the building has AC and we also run across a real neat bicycle tour for next May (2013). Could not sign up but they were taking names to send info to on how to sign up and when.
Then over to the museum, another ac building. It is a new, very modern but historic looking building 
with a wonderful statue in front of it. 
They are indeed a very proud nation, having overcome adversity and looking to the future while learning from the past, which is established within the museum.
As the heat beats down and I become hotter and hotter even with the wonderful interludes in the ac buildings, we finally have to leave. It was a wonderful experience, one that I wouldn't have missed for anything, if only from the historical part. The festival was very well organized and one that they enjoyed offering to the community at large. Can we find anything more to enhance this? Only time will tell.
As we drew into Tuskahoma, we had no idea where to go but I was sure that there would be signage of some sort to follow. No sooner had I said this than we saw a roadway sign with large orange blinking lights (you know the kind, the "road repair up ahead" type of sign powered by solar panels) telling us to turn at the next right. Two cars ahead and three cars coming in the opposite direction all turn the same way. Yes, we must be in the right place.
As we slowly drive onto the the Choctaw Nation's land, all we can say is, "We are late!" There are cars parked everywhere. Parking signs say "Parking Lot 13, 14, 15, 10, etc" with attendants at every corner for all 4 ways. With temperatures soaring into the 100's, there are huge cooling units at each corner offering water and a cool-down to one and all. There is even a huge water tank that one can douse oneself in. We follow directions that are given before we can stick our head out the window to ask - we end up parked a very long ways from the festivities that can be seen as we drove through the area.
Loading up with water, sunscreen and bug repellent, we lock up the car and head for the road. Wow, along comes a golf cart and asks if we want a ride. Asking where we want to go, we say the exhibition hall. As the women drives, she gives a very pride-ful history of the Nation (3rd largest in the "nation") and explains the workings of the festival. Everything is free except food and midway activities and rides, including the concert with Martina McBride and Ricky Scaggs that evening. Turns out, we were being transported but the "elder" car - a system set up to transport all the seniors. Everywhere we looked, they were there, whistling people around. There was also the usual tractor-pulled hay wagons with seats ferrying people from the parking lots to the main events.
Us, along with the anticipated 125,000 attendees jostled and weaved from ac place to ac place. (Temps over 100F) We saw the craft hall - lovely traditional Indian crafts, quilts, leatherwork, beadwork, furniture, paintings, textiles, and ... you pushed and shoved your way through the crowds to just see let alone buy anything. It was air-conditioned and many people were there for that reason alone. Imagine, if you will, coming in when the gates opened in the am to set up your chairs or claim your seats for the evening concert and sitting there all day in soaring temps. You too would head for the ac buildings as often as you could leave your space safely. Then to the midway looking for corn - not to be found but we did find deep-fried pickles, a favorite of mine, and an ac building with health exhibits and booths. The most amazing thing however, was the big sign in front listing the calorie count of fair foods and the entrance booth giving away free ice cold oranges and apples as a healthy alternative. AND the building has AC and we also run across a real neat bicycle tour for next May (2013). Could not sign up but they were taking names to send info to on how to sign up and when.
with a wonderful statue in front of it. 
They are indeed a very proud nation, having overcome adversity and looking to the future while learning from the past, which is established within the museum.As the heat beats down and I become hotter and hotter even with the wonderful interludes in the ac buildings, we finally have to leave. It was a wonderful experience, one that I wouldn't have missed for anything, if only from the historical part. The festival was very well organized and one that they enjoyed offering to the community at large. Can we find anything more to enhance this? Only time will tell.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Oklahoma
It is hard to reconcile the picture that one has f Steinbeck's Oklahoma "Dustbowl" with it's swirling red dust blowing over the forlorn landmass, with the rarity found as own travels through Eastern Oklahoma today. (from http://www.weru.ksu.edu/new_weru/mutimedia/dustbowl/big/usda19.jpg )
as well as grazing livestock. 
The speed limits were decreased but you were well compensated by the vistas.
One thinks of flat landmasses of red dirt, which are still definitely found, and not the rolling green hills and mountains with winding picturesque highways and country roads that we have found. 
Traveling north out of Nacogdoches, TX we traversed the whole of Highway 259, up into Oklahoma. We had reservations at Big Cedar RV Park with no preconceived ideas as to what the area looked like other than the "lovely green rv slots with full hook-ups" as seen on their website. As we crossed into Pklahoma, it didn't look much different from the piney wooded areas that we had come through in NE Texas. The deeper we traveled however, the more the vistas changed. The route took us into an area of mountains with landscapes covered in beautiful large green trees, interspersed with the ocassional burned out field, green fields with buildings that could have been, and probably were, built 50+ years ago and in full need of paint and possibly even renovations. 
as well as grazing livestock. 
The speed limits were decreased but you were well compensated by the vistas.
The area is in the Quachita National Forest, which is home to many hiking, mountain biking and ATV trails; the main one being the Ouachita Trail, possibly the longest trail in Arkansas and starting in Oklahoma. The main downfall of all of this is the heat, humidity and ticks found in abundance at this time of year. The roads are not flat by any means but they will be good training as I get back on the bike again. Danny is enamored with the hiking and mountain bike possibilities.
Reading the many roadside signs, we discovered that this area indeed probably was a "dustbowl". in the 1920's it had been completely denuded by logging operations and abandoned. In the 1930's the federal government bought all the land back, putting it into national forest. It was during this time also that the homesteaders failed, leading to the mass migration of the Depression.
Our RV pad is quiet and set amidst the natural beauty of the valley between two distinct mountain ranges. We are close to the Talimina Scenic Drive (and we all know what that means - hills!) and Queen Wilhelmina State Park on the ridgecrest of the drive. There is also Runestone State Park where we revisited yesterday. This is an interesting place as it links early scandinavian explorers/settlers here in the USA to earlier times before Columbus. In fact, recent archeological findings based on language - runes" - place the time of occupation somewhere between 600 and 800 a. d. If interested, look up
http://www.exploresothernhistory.com/heavener1.html and http://news.nationalgeogaphic.com/news/2010/11/101123-native-american-indian-vikings-iceland-genetic-dna-science-europe/%5D . We stopped for lunch at what looked like a dive, an old railway passenger car, but turned out to have excellent service, fantastic food, and no greasy food smells - "Southern Belle" restaurant. 
"But wait, there is more ..." we were planning on leaving Tuesday after Labour Day (who wants to be on the road Labour Day weekend?) but we discovered a State Fair and an upcoming craft exhibition and sale. Definitely worth a visit. The craft exhibition not until the week after the Ladbour Day weekend so we extended our stay. This area no doubt has a good cross section of many crafts, not that I am buying, but definitely worth it for ideas and the pure enjoyment of the experience.
Did you know that Hwy 259 was inaugurated by President Kennedy in October, 1961? Heck, I am sure that he did many things like that, but this is just up the road from us: all with plaque, monument and green space on the highway. 
This represents things that one finds all over America and Canada that are worth more than a cursory glance as we speed by. We love to stop at them as we pass them by and increase our trivia knowledge. Someone, somewhere said that this is a good way the lessen the chance of Alzheimers; that and learning another language.
We came for a few days and we are staying for a couple of weeks. Now that is a true definition for "taken by surprise!" The area is full of surprises and we are enjoying all of them and our time here.
If anyone is even slightly close in the area, come and visit. It is a great place to be.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
continuing saga of Texas State Parks ...
Aaaah, finally, hopefully a break in the weather. It has rained off and on with burst of radiant sunshine and increasing temperatures for the last three days. Tonight the temperature was 71 deg F with a humidity of 91%. The humidity more than makes up for the temperature with results that it is still unbearable when outside for long periods of time. Long range forecast? More of the same? We shall find out as the days progress.
We are still roaming around the Texas State Park system, experiencing and comparing them. Amongst other things, they all offer at least one geocache and more in surrounding areas. The lakes a beautiful, if a bit lower than normal. The water temperatures are a bit higher which results in what? More mosquitoes? hmmm not sure but there is a general regional warning out for West Nile Disease (mosquitoes that come out during the day). The areas have been exceedingly dry but hopefully this rain that we have had will allow for a good soaking and reduce the fire hazard. The park is full this weekend, but not many out and about, I guess because of the rain and thunderstorms.
If the temperatures and weather continue like today (and how likely is that? After all, this is Texas!) we will head north towards Sedalia, MS where we are scheduled to attend another RV rally. This time we are registered to gain some of our required classes for the Red Cross Disaster Volunteer certifying system as well as enjoying the fun associated with a rally. Hoping to meet up with some friends there as well. Anyone else going? If so, drop us a line ...
We are still roaming around the Texas State Park system, experiencing and comparing them. Amongst other things, they all offer at least one geocache and more in surrounding areas. The lakes a beautiful, if a bit lower than normal. The water temperatures are a bit higher which results in what? More mosquitoes? hmmm not sure but there is a general regional warning out for West Nile Disease (mosquitoes that come out during the day). The areas have been exceedingly dry but hopefully this rain that we have had will allow for a good soaking and reduce the fire hazard. The park is full this weekend, but not many out and about, I guess because of the rain and thunderstorms.
If the temperatures and weather continue like today (and how likely is that? After all, this is Texas!) we will head north towards Sedalia, MS where we are scheduled to attend another RV rally. This time we are registered to gain some of our required classes for the Red Cross Disaster Volunteer certifying system as well as enjoying the fun associated with a rally. Hoping to meet up with some friends there as well. Anyone else going? If so, drop us a line ...
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