Monday, October 15 through Saturday, October 27: Family, Tennessee, Indiana, and Back to the West

Monday morning was exploration in the area. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is very close by. Richard and I went to the park in 2010, but we were on the Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg side. Walland and Townsend are the "quiet side." Of course, the three Ebbert girls had to have a photo taken!

We took an eleven mile loop to Cades Cove. There were still remnants of early settlers to the area.

It was a beautiful morning in a beautiful place.

Later in the afternoon, we dropped by Stephanie and Josh's home. The "coolant low" idiot light on the truck has been activated. Yesterday, Tom bought several antifreeze containers and had to use them to feed the reservoir. There is leak residue and coolant smell. Josh took a look under the hood. He could not see where the leak was, but he could hear a small "hissing" sound.

When we got back to the trailer, Tom called several auto mechanics to see if they could help us. One asked that we bring the truck to their shop the next day at 9:00 a.m. Later on, Stephanie and Josh met us for dinner at Calhoun's Restaurant in Alcoa.

I had a delicious filet mignon!

The next morning, Tom and I took the truck into JRJ Auto Service. There was a high percentage of rain in the weather forecast, so I left the dogs at home.

The good news is that a small pinhole size leak was found in a hose. The hose was replaced, the antifreeze was topped off, and we were good to go --- all within 30 minutes. We decided to take advantage of quick fix and drive to Knoxville and Clinton and Oak Ridge. Tom lived in Clinton with his family from 1981 to 2006. Stephanie, Tom's daughter-in-law is from Oak Ridge.

Knoxville was the sight of the 1982 World's Fair. The Sun Sphere still stands proudly in the city skyline.

The little road trip was about 120 miles. At about 3:00 p.m., Stephanie and Josh stopped by our RV park to say hello and meet the dogs.

That night, we had dinner at Stephanie and Josh's home. Josh, like his dad, is a great cook. We had chicken enchiladas. Yummy!

The "coolant low" idiot light came on again. Arghhh! Wednesday morning, I called JRJ Auto Service. They said that a bubble must have developed and it sucked out all of the coolant. They asked that we bring the truck by and they would check it out and refill the antifreeze reservoir. Done! Tom and I then went to Josh's home. Before Tom and I left Williams, we told Jon that we would be happy to bring some of his possessions back with us. For three years, Jon has had a 5th wheel trailer parked in his brother's side yard.

In the afternoon, I went on a 25 mile drive to visit several antique shops and the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center.

In the evening, Tom and I met Stephanie and Josh at Hot Rods 50's Diner in Alcoa. Our final time together was fun.

The next morning, we headed north to the Indianapolis area. Tom's 92 year old mother moved back to Indiana earlier in the year. It was time to see her and visit some of the places where Tom grew up. We had reservations to stay at Lake Haven Retreat RV Park --- centrally located. It was a long commute
--- over 370 miles. We made the decision to make-up for the extra days spent in Slidell, Louisiana. The RV park was very nice!

It was also decided that we needed to head back to Williams. So, we cancelled our trip's "dip" back into Tennessee. We had hoped to visit Ellen and Mark Burson in Oxford.

Friday morning, we spent some time seeing Indianapolis. I had never been there before. A highlight was seeing the Indianapolis Motor Speedway --- where the Indy 500 takes place each Memorial Day weekend.

We also scheduled a visit with Mary O'Dell. She was so happy to see her eldest son!

The assisted living home where Mary lives is very nice. Tom's mom is getting great care!

That evening, we had dinner at BJ's Brewhouse with Tom's nephew, Nate O'Dell. Nate's pretty wife, Kim, and her 8 year old son Isaiah joined us too.

Saturday morning was a 35 mile drive to Martinsville. This is where Tom was born and where he spent most of his youth. Martinsville is where famed UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden, grew up. I couldn't resist a photo opportunity at a school named after Coach Wooden.

Unfortunately, Martinsville is not a bustling town. But, the Martinsville Candy Kitchen is celebrating 100 years next week. We wanted to take some homemade candy back to Tom's mother. The owner of the Candy Kitchen, John Badger, was related by marriage to Tom's sister, Pat.

We had lunch at White Castle in Martinsville. I haven't had a White Castle hamburger in over 40 years!

Sunday morning was a travel day to St. Louis. Next to the Lake Haven Retreat RV Park, is a fire station. The dogs had been eyeing a Dalmatian statue in the front yard. So, before we headed out, a photo opportunity was mandatory!

Our next stop is Cahokia RV Parque, east of St. Louis. It was an easy 242 mile drive. Since it was an early arrival, we decided to take a loop drive --- over one bridge over the Mississippi River --- east to west --- and another bridge over the Mississippi River --- west to east. There were portions of the old Route 66, the downtown skyline, and we parked along the river front by the Gateway Arch.

Gateway Arch is the newest national park. So, we will head over there in the morning. I brought my National Park Passport Book!

The RV park is in the town of Cahokia. It is a fairly black neighborhood, but the park is tidy and large.

Jerry Smith, who worked with me at the El Tovar Hotel at the Grand Canyon, lives in St. Louis. We have kept in touch over the past ten years. So, I contacted him and he will join us for dinner Monday night.

The next morning, we left for St. Louis at about 10:00 a.m. It is only ten minutes away. We found excellent parking right next to the park. We decided to buy tickets for the Visitor Center's movie about building the arch in the 1960s. We had to wait about 40 minutes for the movie. So, did you know that they have a gift shop???

The movie was about 35 minutes in length and it was excellent. I had know idea how complicated an architectural and a structural feat it was!

After the movie, I lined up for the tram ride to the top of the arch. Tom is claustrophobic and declined the opportunity. The tram pod is very small.

It took four minutes to go up the 36 story arch. The observation deck is enclosed and the windows are are 27 inches wide and 7 inches tall.

We were at the Visitor Center a total of 2 1/2 hours. So glad we decided to leave the dogs at home! We left St. Louis and crossed back to the east side of the Mississippi. We stopped at a local grocery store for some staples.

Located next to the RV Park was a highly rated restaurant, Sawmill BBQ. That is where we were going meet up with Jerry. Promptly at 6:30 pm, we were all together! Each of us ordered the beef brisket. I had it in salad form, but Jerry and Tom had platters.  It was fun reuniting with Jerry!

The next morning, we headed west. Carthage, Missouri, was our next stop. It was a 281 miles drive. The Big "Red" Barn RV Park is a quiet park located in the country. The funny thing is that our RV site was right next to our very same trailer. I mean THE VERY SAME!!! Same year, same model.

We never had the chance to talk to the neighbors. They are residents of the park.

Wednesday morning, we left for Oklahoma City. The normal commute is 220 miles, but we decided to avoid toll roads. This added about 20 miles. It isn't the expense of the tolls, it is the difficulty of paying the tolls when there are no toll booths. A lot of the road touches on the old Route 66.

In Clairmore, Oklahoma, we had an issue. One of the weight distribution bars on our hitch separated. It was dragging on the street. Fortunately, a nice motorist signified that there was a problem. We stopped at an RV store. They directed us to Camperland RV in nearby Tulsa.

The Camperland service team said that it would cost less to buy a whole new hitch unit. It came the the hitch and the weight distribution bars. So, 30 minutes later, we had the new set-up. It was great that we had a low mileage day to Oklahoma City!

It was a rainy evening in Oklahoma City. We stayed at a very nice park, Twin Fountains RV Resort. Fortunately, we arrived before sundown!

On Thursday morning, we headed to Amarillo, Texas. It was a 268 mile day. Before arriving at the Fort Amarillo RV Park, we stopped at a Walmart for some groceries and a fuel fill-up. We passed by the Big Texan Steak Ranch which sells a 72 ounce steak dinner. If you eat the complete meal, it is free!

The park where we stayed was comfortable. The appearance was a little rundown --- but you could visualize what it looked like in its glory days.

At Safeway, we bought two nice looking filet mignon steaks. Tom cooked them in the iron skillet. Delicious!

The next morning, west of Amarillo, we passed by Cadillac Ranch. In 1974, ten Cadillac cars --- with fins --- were buried along the highway. It is a living art structure, as visitors are allowed to add their artistic touches!

Friday was a 288 mile day. Our next stop was Albuquerque. That day, we talked about just heading home on Saturday. We were ready to pick-up Ramsey at Cinder Hills Kennel and limp home. It had been a great vacation, but we were ready for home. We checked into the American RV Park, located west of downtown Albuquerque.

That afternoon, I cancelled a park in Hollbrook, Arizona, and contacted the kennel that we would be picking Ramsey up a day early.

Albuquerque is on Mountain time. So, we gained an hour in Arizona. We picked Ramsey up around 2:30pm.

We arrived home around 4:00 pm. Tom backed in the trailer. The sun was right in his line of vision, so it took several attempts. But, success arrived! The dogs, Tom, and I were happy to be home after four weeks.