Carlsbad Caverns National Park

We visited Carlsbad Caverns and spent about three and a half hours 800 feet underground. The pictures here don't do the sights justice. The cave is amazing in it's sheer magnitude. The rooms are gigantic with the biggest being the "big room". We spent about a hour to walk around the perimeter of that cavern. The ceiling was as much as 90 feet from the bottom in one room.










The formations in the Kings Palace were spectacular with stalactits and stalagmites everywhere.






The colors were not as bright as Blanchard Springs due to the lack of minerals found there. The cave is also carved out of Gypsum rather than Limestone and is etched away by Sulfuric
Acid found in a natural state when water combines with Gypsum.

Tomorrow it's off to Tijaras, New Mexico to visit friends for the weekend. We hope to see the area and maybe get to Santa Fe. More from there.

Houston

We arrived in Kingswood.... just north of Houston on Thursday afternoon after a short drive from Carthage.

We nestled the trailer into the driveway at Fred and Janes Kingwood RV park. A tight fit but a great spot to spend a few days. After some great food and lots of talking we got some sleep and headed for Galveston the next morning.

We took the ferry from Galveston to the Bolivar pensinula. There we saw the devestation that Ike left in it's wake. No pictures..... I was too busy looking at the houses that we not there and the piles of debris.

On Saturday we found a garden and took a walk. Here's Fred and Jane beside the flowers...... What a great couple. We also went to Old Town Spring to see the crawdad festival. Fred and I sat on the"husband benches" while the girls looked at the shops.

Sunday was a day for church and rest for the guys... the girls went to another festival..... party time.!! Monday was a day of cousin stuff. Tuesday morning found us saying farwell for now and heading to Junction, Texas where we are now. Thanks to Fred and Jane for a great visit! Tomorrow the plan is Carlsbad, New Mexico. More from there,

Bald Knob take two

On Monday Mary took us to Little Rock to do some sight seeing. It's a pretty town on the Arkansas River with a lot of history.

We visited Central High, the site of the 1957 integration activity. Here the Little Rock 9, as they were to become known, Attended classes with the national Guard called in to protect them.

There is a great visitor center which tells the story complete with newspaper accounts from that time.

We then visited the Bill Clinton presidential library. It's a interesting place with lots of artifacts and pictures of the 8 years. Of particular interest to me was the pictures of Dr Bill Perry, Clinton's Sec of Defense during his first term. Dr Perry was the president of ESL when I worked there and I still consider him a friend.

On Tuesday we attended a lecture on Falling in the elderly presented by Mary. I am convinced that I am not going to age as it leads to falling and falling leads to bad things. We then went to the Parkin Archaeological state park where we read of the history of the Mississippian Indians who liver here from 1000 to 1550AD.

It's now Wednesday and we headed down the road reluctantly after bidding Buddy and Mary farewell. What a great time...... what interesting things we saw..... but best of all...... what great friends who went out of their way to show us around. Thanks, Buddy and Mary!!!

We're in Carthage, Texas for the night and then on to Houston tomorrow. More from there.

Bald Knob Arkansas

On Saturday we headed south through the Ozarks to Bald Knob. We ended up at Buddy and Mary's lakeside RV park and tour company. The park is complete with electricity and water as well as trained catfish that come when a few pellets of cat food are thrown in the water. It was a great Reunion as Sharleen and Mary went to nursing school together and hadn't seen each other in many years. It was also a chance for me to make new friends.

The view from the trailer is great!

Standing on the dock was a treat.

On Sunday Buddy and Mary showed us the Ozarks with a stop outside of Mountain View. Blanchard Springs caverns have to be one of the most beautiful caves I have ever seen.

The formations in the cave are spectacular.

Beautiful Branson

We did some touring today and saw Table Rock Lake as well as the river. The scenery is great but will be better in a month when the leaves are out and all is green. The Ozarks really are pretty with the rolling hills and the lakes.

We've only been here a day but Jack and

Gail have "gone native". Jack is the pretty one on the left. Click on the picture for a better look.

And..... as you can see I have added a few "Minnesota pounds" while Sharleen has slimed down a bit. gonna have to do a little more exercising before I get home.

We saw two shows yesterday, did some touring today and will see two more shows tomorrow. We're sampling the different types of shows.... from a Christian show.... Noah to a country variety show.... to a Irish dance show.... to a war between the states dinner show.

Saturday it's off to Bald Knob, Arkansas More from there.

Headin South to warmer weather. The rigs are ready to leave the farm on Monday morning




The trip to Eagleville, Mo was dreary and rainy but at least not snow









The day was warm and sunny when we arrived in Branson so we did what all good Minnesotans do on such a day..... we had a picnic!






Branson's "strip" is about three miles long with any and all kinds of shows. We selected four we will see over the next three days.

This is the venue for the Noah's arc show we'll see this afternoon. The weather is now great(Wed afternoon) so all is well.

Tomorrow we tour the area. Branson is in the northern Ozarks and it's pretty now with rolling hills and streams and lakes. When the leaves come out in another two weeks it will be spectacular.

More before we leave here and head South.

So long from the farm

It's time to head south and leave Minnesota behind in search of warmer weather. Before we go here's some final views of the farm

Not the farm but the three Millerings and their wives. Dad, of course, is in the middle

This is the farm house where I grew up.

The "farm boy" has to have some fun

A view south from the barn. Dad and Don have 160 acres of farm land

We leave tomorrow morning for Branson..... More from there.