Author: mchazen

We got a late start and after a leisurely breakfast, we headed to Bass Pro Shops.

For those of you wondering what the big deal is, Bass Pro Shops is the largest mail-order catalog dedicated to fishing.  Over the years the company expanded into hunting, camping and other lines and eventually opened retail outlets all over the country.  There was even one close to where we lived in Florida.  Along with Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shops is a one-stop shop for all your outdoor needs.  Whatever you need (and a lot of stuff you don’t need) is under one roof — clothes, boats, camp stoves, rods, ammunition, camouflage bedspreads,  skinning knives, dog collars, tree stands and on and on.  After four hours shopping, we walked out with two pair of shorts, a bag of plastic worms and some homemade fudge.

The original Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, Missouri.

Marty totally unaware of bear in background at Bass Pro Shop.

Stopping at a Walmart Supercenter on the way back to the coach, we stocked up on groceries.

Returning to the coach, we hid out for the rest of the day watching TV and kicking back.

Jeanne was still not 100% and my knees were bothering me a little; this was all the excuse we needed to skip the workout.

After breakfast and a quick trip to Borders to update the computers, we returned to Bass Pro Shop to visit their Wonders of Wildlife display.  Housed in a building on the Bass Pro Shops grounds are displays of live and mounted animals with descriptions of their habitat and conservation efforts.  This is no small facility and seeing it all took the entire afternoon.  There were fish, reptiles, birds, insects, small mammals, amphibians and even a display of cave bats.  We were impressed and came away with an appreciation of habitat and conservation issues.  Especially interesting was how hunting and fishing license fees are the primary funding behind successful conservation efforts.  This facility is a great vehicle to show how regulated hunting and fishing has actually helped to restore wildlife populations.

Marty in rope bridge at Wonders of Wildlife exhibit at Bass Pro Shops in Springfielf, Missouri.

Jeanne crossing on rope bridge just before it was cut by the Indians on the far side.

Jeanne with giant shotgun shell at Bass Pro. The recoil knocked her into the next zip code.

Mountain lion ready to pounce.

Wolves taking down an Elk at Wonder of Wildlife exhibit.

In the early afternoon, we returned to the coach and kicked back for the rest of the day.

We woke early.  Jeanne is still not 100% and decided to skip the workout.  No such excuse for me and I was on the Pilates mat before sunup.

After cleaning up and a quick breakfast, we hurried to get the coach road-ready.  Our destination was Springfield, Missouri, which would be a three hour drive under normal circumstances.  About thirty minutes after leaving, the weather turned ugly and we drove through thunder, lightening and rain for most of the day.  Finally, the weather cleared as we approached Springfield.  The drive took four hours.

The countryside seems to be changing somewhat.  We left the huge corn and soy fields behind.  The geography here is hilly and wooded with oaks.  Also, the air has more of a Southern feel to it — warm and humid, which is about what we expected.

Ground level view of campsite at small town of Ozark, just south of Springfield, Missouri.

Overview of campsite at Ozark. Notice how scenic the campground is.

This was the view out of our front window. The shows run from Thursday through Sunday. Fortunately, we will be moving on before then.

Majestic view of the rest of the campground.

The RV park is not much more than a gravel parking lot with hookups.  Aesthetically it sucks, but its convenient and cheap.  We selected a site and while trying to hook up, I was confronted with yet another retired guy looking for someone to talk to — or at least listen to him.  What is it with these guys?  The stories are disturbingly the same and usually include a long list of physical ailments, bitterness over careers cut short, ungrateful kids that turned out bad, problems with their equipment, etc.  Generally, the guys aren’t mean and usually turn out to be surprisingly nice one you get to know them a little.  I can’t exactly put my finger on the problem, but I think it revolves around self-identity.  There is more emphasis on what they once were than what they are now.  Just too much of their ego was tied up in career.  This is not to say all the retired guys we meet are characters from Grumpy Old Men, but the better adjusted ones seem to have something in their lives to keep them active, creative and looking ahead. 

Here are the lessons: There is more to retirement than financial planning, leave your old life behind and find something creative and personally fulfilling.  An understanding spouse also helps!   

Taking notice of my plight, Jeanne rescued me by asking for help with some imaginary chore.  We eventually hooked up and spent the rest of the afternoon quietly watching the Olympics on DirecTV to avoid any further encounters.

Jeanne was still not feeling well and we spent the morning quietly around the coach watching TV and preparing to leave.

Later in the day, Debbie and Jim invited me over for a few minutes and I very much enjoyed the visit.  We said our goodbyes and hope to see them again soon.  We are very happy to see they made a good life for themselves in St. Louis and seem to be part of the local community.

Before returning to the coach I stopped at one of the local markets and picked up some chocolate for Jeanne.

Our stay in St. Louis was fun and instructive, but it is time to move on and we are looking forward to a few days in Springfield before moving on to Arkansas.

The sunlight poured through the window and Jeanne barely moved.  Several minutes passed and the only sign of life was a few grunts.  Finally, she stirs and announces she is suffering from flu.  For Jeanne, this will be a day committed to rest, aspirin, plenty of fluids and watching the Olympics.  However, I feel fine and get the workout out of the way before the morning heat and humidity begins to take a toll.

Today is a lucky day.  Less than two miles down the road is a trap and skeet range.  I loaded the hardware and shells into the Jeep and headed for the range.  Arriving, there was a big skeet shoot in progress, but the trap ranges were deserted.  The conversation with the range management was somewhat surreal.  In Los Angeles, there is usually a process of checking in, paying first, getting tickets or tokens and being monitored by range employees.  There was none of that here and I was told to go shoot and come back to the office to settle up when I was ready.  The price per round was ridiculously low.  The scores weren’t bad, considering it had been a few months.  However, after 100 rounds, I felt cleansed.

Returning to the coach, the rest of the afternoon was spent very quietly watching the Olympics, making phone calls to friends and kicking back.

We got up later than usual and after a leisurely breakfast, went to Borders to update the computers.

Jeanne has always been interested in the Lewis and Clark expedition and luckily the National Bicentennial Exhibition, organized by the Missouri Historical Society, was currently in St. Louis.  Knowing that we would be at the exhibition all afternoon, we decided to grab something quick for lunch.  Sadly, the only thing immediate was a Kentucky Fried Chicken.  Generally, we avoid KFC for obvious reasons, but this was a moment of weakness.  Hopefully there will be no lingering effects.

Arriving at the exhibition on a gray day, we really didn’t know what to expect.  For $12 each we were supplied with a headset, receiver and time slot for entry.  We ended up spending over four hours viewing the displays and listening to the narrative.  The exhibit was organized along the time line of the expedition, from the point of commission by president Jefferson to the celebrations and research after their return.  Most of the artifacts on display were originals from the expedition, but the exhibits were supplemented with period artifacts.  Overall, the displays and narrative were excellent and you come away with a general understanding of many aspects of the expedition.

Of special note, while waiting to enter the exhibition, we viewed a permanent exhibit of the St. Louis Worlds Fair, which included one of the first modern Olympics.  The pictures and descriptions of the games were interesting — especially the the description of how the distance runners openly used alcohol to improve their performance.  How times have changed.

Returning to the coach, we grilled some steaks and watched the Olympics on TV.

Jeanne was still not 100% and decided to skip the workout.  With the weather warming up again, I got out early while it was still relatively cool.  Running here is a hassle; the campground isn’t big enough and the roads are busy.  Maybe we can scout out a nearby residential area later in the week.

After cleaning up, we headed for the botanical garden and used Debbie’s pass to get in free (thanks Debbie!).  The grounds were beautiful and there has a huge variety of plants and displays.  We especially enjoyed the domed tropical display, the flower gardens and maze.  We walked around for hours and had lunch in the cafe on the grounds.

Jeanne at St. Louis Botanical Gardens in front of water lilies.

Elephant Ears in tropical forest exhibit.

Garden sculpture.

Flower beds with plants commonly used for landscaping in the local area.

We have no idea what this purple flower is, but enjoy the close-up anyway.

Hot peppers used for landscaping.

This is what okra looks like when allowed to bloom.

Later in the day on the way back to the coach, we stopped at a spray-wash to clean up the Jeep, which was covered with a gritty layer of road film, dust and bugs.  We knew it would rain later in the day, but the Jeep was just too dirty to let it go.  One thing we learned on the road: if you get the opportunity to do something, do it.

Back at the coach, we grilled salmon for dinner and watched the Olympic games on TV.  The last of the equipment was stowed minutes before the rain started.

Although Jeanne was feeling much better, we decided this would be a take-it-easy day.

Late in the morning, we went to the local Walmart Supercenter for a few groceries and a map of the area.  Returning to the coach, we spent the afternoon very quietly by reading and sleeping.

Before meeting Jim and Debbie for dinner, we located a Borders and updated the computers and this web site — something that was long overdue.  It had been several days since we had access to a high-speed connection and the e-mails were piling up on the server.  One account had 392 messages, 98% of which was junk.

No problem finding where Debbie and Jim live.  They have a handsome home in a nice part of town and nearby is a casual restaurant with an outstanding menu.  They hosted dinner; the food and conversation were excellent.  Afterwards, we returned to their home and talked way into the night.  They are dear friends and it was good to catch up.  We are happy to find they had comfortably adapted to the community.

Returning to the coach, we read for a few minutes before going to bed.

The morning is perfect for a workout and I was on the Pilates mat by 6:30 AM.  Jeanne was not feeling well and decided to skip a day.

After cleaning up, we broke camp and headed for St. Louis.  The day promises to be long with 260 miles ahead of us, so we got out early.  The drive was as long as we expected and there is not much to see in central Illinois except corn and soy.  The only challenging part of the day was the drive through St. Louis, such as it was.

Approaching St. Louis, see arch in distance.

Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

Marty driving across Mississippi River in St. Louis.

Around 3:30, we pulled into a KOA on the west end of town and set up.  Our ears are still ringing from the blabbermouth camped next to us.

We look forward to the next few days here and hope to spend some time with Jim and Debbie.

Its time to leave Green Bay.  This is one of the few places we stayed that we are sad about leaving.  Our stay here was fun, we made good friends and we’ll be  back someday.

Since most of the get-the-coach-ready things were done the night before, we were preparedto get an early start.

But first, a word about the campsite. . .

This part of the campground is close to the creek that runs through the property and was probably underwater when the old mill was in operation.  Consequently, the ground we camped on was mostly clay sediment covered by grass; not ideal for heavy motorhomes.  During the week the coach was getting lower and lower and by the time we were ready to leave, the wood blocks under the levelers had disappeared.  Obviously, we were concerned about getting out.

Now, back to the story. . .

As usual, Jeanne started the coach to air-up the suspension, retract the levelers and pull in the slides.  It took me a full fifteen minutes to dig out the leveling blocks.  With the levelers up, all the weight was now on the wheels and the coach was leaning dangerously to the right.  We were getting nervous and it was time to leave — now.  I put the coach in gear, engaged the ATC and gave it some throttle.

The engine roared.

Nothing happened.

I desperately tried to remember which section of the manual gave towing instructions.

I thought: Oh No!  Not the Manual!  Quick, think of something else!  Give It More Power!

The engine screamed and the coach heaved forward.  Free at last!

Once on the gravel road, we returned to inspect the campsite.  The deep impressions left by the levelers and wheels could easily be mistaken for an alien landing site.  Jeanne suggested we call the university so they could send a team of scientists to investigate.  Anyway, before long we were on our way south along I-43.

The rest of the day was a long and uneventful drive to the KOA outside of LaSalle, Indiana, where we had stayed before.