Fun and Games in Branson

Downtown Branson Riverwalk

Branson, Missouri, is turning out to be one of my favorite places to visit. We spent a week there this year and we were busy just about every day.

The only caveat is that this place can get expensive. So we picked out one show to see, the "Whodunnit Hoedown," and figured that would be just about all we could afford... until we went to Walmart. Inside the door there was a booth advertising discounted tickets. Who could resist?! Over we went and what a surprise-- there was a catch. We could get tickets for two events--any two events--for $10 each. All we had to do was spend a couple of hours listening to a sales pitch for a vacation program. Again, who could resist? The next day we went to hear the pitch. It was a good pitch. A great pitch. Flawless, even. 

I know what you're thinking. "What do full time RVers need with a vacation program? We're on a full time vacation already." Well, what they offered was the only vacation we would ever be interested in... cruises. Their point system could be spent on either their world-wide vacation properties or we could spend them on a cruise. Every year. Now, a cruise every year was a very tempting prospect. (We love cruising.) Not only that, but they gave us double points plus some. And all our discounted tickets for free. We signed on the dotted line... lines (lots of lines), collected our tickets and went home.

We had a great time at our two events. We saw The Duttons, which we loved. The music was amazing. They are one talented family! The second event was the Wonderworks house (my favorite).

In the meantime, however, doubts began to rise up -- first in Mark, then in me. We got to thinking about the wisdom of putting ourselves in ten years of debt, considering how uncertain and potentially perilous times have become. We asked ourselves whether we could get our money's worth out of this vacation program as we'll be in our 80's by the time we pay it off. Maybe we'll still be healthy and vibrant enough to enjoy cruising and other travel at that time-- maybe not. We called their "cruise specialist" to see what kind of cruise our initial points would buy. Two phone calls over two days and two promises for a return call went by and... well, crickets, as they say. The more we thought about it, the more we wondered how wonderful this vacation program would probably not be. 

And then I did the math and realized that for the same monthly cash outlay we could literally go on one really nice cruise every year and quit when we were ready, without the stress of debt hanging over our heads. In the end (and before our 5-day buyer's remorse window expired), good sense got the better of us and we cancelled the contract.

And booked a cruise with our Capital Vacations down payment refund.

Our Branson adventure is over. We had a lot of fun and learned a few lessons (hopefully), and we look forward to going back again one of these days. 

For the holidays we are parked at Mark's daughter's in Shreveport, Louisiana. We have a nice level concrete pad to park on, 30 amp power, and sewer service. It's very comfortable (during the winter) and we consider ourselves wonderfully blessed to be able to spend so much time with them.

We hope you all have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving celebration. 

Until next time, safe travels and God bless!

The Capital Vacations Branson property.
"Stormy Point." Quite nice.

 Tour of "Stormy Point"

Whodunnit Hoedown is a dinner theater. Don't go 
for the food, though. It's cafeteria quality, but okay.
The show was fun. They use members of the audience
to play the parts of the four murder suspects. 

Whodunnit Hoedown -- List of suspects

Yes, Christmas is already everywhere

Downtown Branson Riverwalk

Wonderworks, a kind of sciency museum (sort of). The 
virtual roller coaster and 3-D movie were fun.

As we enter, we hear the creaking sound of potential disaster

"Flaming Margarita"
(we had to try it)

This was the "medium" size 

Movin' On

We've come to the end of our first "workcamp" experience-- I should say, Mark's first workcamp, since it was pretty much all him. This weekend winds it up for him, and not too soon either.  Iowa is giving us a taste of winter this week with overnight temps in the 20's, so we'll be happy to be heading south in a few days.

It was a profitable venture in two ways. I may have mentioned these things before, but here they are again:  First, we paid off some RV repair debt from the first of the year. And second, we booked a cruise for the first of the new year. Mark and I have always loved cruising, and have missed it over the years since we retired. Now we mostly "land cruise" from one place to another. 

All that thinking about and planning of cruises got us thinking about the food, which is one of our favorite things about cruising. And that got us thinking about the time we spent in Puerto Rico, which got us thinking about one of our favorite dishes from Puerto Rico, which is Mofongo. Mofongo is a dish made from smashed plantain, seasoned with butter and garlic and topped with meat and a delicious red sauce. And so when it came time to celebrate Mark's birthday, we decided to try out a Puerto Rican restaurant in Des Moines that advertised this delicious dish. 

Their version of this dish paled in comparison with
what we enjoyed in Puerto Rico, but it was still pretty tasty.

Some day, we may have another opportunity to visit Puerto Rico. It's probably the only place you can get real authentic mofongo. (On my bucket list, provided the world doesn't crash and burn first.)

Besides the free camping, Mark received a few additional perks for his efforts. Adventureland provided him with some free passes to the Park. I took two of them and we enjoyed riding the roller coasters and other attractions on two different occasions. The "Monster" is one of their newest coasters, and it's a doozy! Mark rode it twice. I rode it once, and never again! Another fun ride is the "Storm Chaser." This one takes you up 250 feet in the air and whirls you around a few times before coming back down to earth. Mark tried to ride this. Twice. The first time the ride got stuck about half way up and left us hanging for what seemed like five minutes before coming down again. The second time, he stood in line until we got up to be loaded, and then changed his mind. His fear of heights got the best of him. 

That twirly thing is the "Monster." The tower at the far
right is the "Storm Chaser." The red section at the bottom
is where the seats hang.

The other perk I enjoyed (but he couldn't because of his dairy intolerance) was the delicious fudge. Working in the food service, he was able to bring home end pieces and "seconds," which I enjoyed immensely. I do love my fudge.

That's all I have for now. Our itinerary is pretty weak, but there's not much to it. We're heading to Branson, MO, first for 7 - 10 days (not sure yet), and then straight to Shreveport to spend the holidays with the Hoffman clan (Mark's daughter). I'll be updating the itinerary shortly (for interested persons).

God bless & safe travels to all!

Daytime view of the Park from our backyard.

Strolling through the Park in the evening.

Mark loves the Ferris Wheel

The Ferris Wheel all lit up

A Different Sort of Summer

Mark in his uniform. You can see the tower from the
theme park in the background.

It has come to my attention that I should probably post something so that you all don't think we've fallen off the edge of the earth...or something.

We are alive and well.

Mark is working his little heart out in Altoona, Iowa, making waffle cones for the Adventureland Amusement Park, and I am playing granny-nanny to Sophie in Nampa, Idaho. 

We are winding up the summer and getting ready to blend back together in a few weeks. 

It's been a different sort of summer for both of us. 

Mark has been working four or five days a week earning some extra money for us. Those funds will pay for the unexpected coach repairs that came up at the beginning of the year, and give us a little left over to do something fun. We're planning a Southern Caribbean cruise -- probably our last one, but you never know. 

I have been enjoying my time hanging out with Katie and Sophie. 

Sophie, Brent, and Katie
at the "Cherry Festival"

Sharing space with a seven year old has been interesting. One never knows when one might be accosted by a stuffed animal, all of which have names and personalities of their own. The life of a child is filled with games. "Pass The Pig" is a favorite game where one rolls two tiny rubber pigs like dice and gains points depending on the position in which the pigs land. "Chutes and Ladders" and "Aggravation" are two favorite board games. And for a while, we were playing "Go Fish" cards just about every day. 

I hit the sack at about 8:30 in the evening, put on my headphones and watch a little TV or YouTube on my tablet while Sophie winds down with two episodes of Bluey on her tablet. 

Hanging out in my room during "off" time.

Like my new glasses??

When I'm not "on duty," I spend my time on a few crochet projects. I have two blankets-- one for Katie...

A Christmas blanket for the sofa

and one for Liz...

Crazy spirals...don't get dizzy

When I'm not crocheting, I'm putting together jigsaw puzzles-- my newest obsession.

I discovered a jigsaw subscription company, called Completing The Puzzle, that rents puzzles to you. It's rather like Netflix used to be when the videos came in the mail. (Welcome to the Great Reset, where you own nothing and rent everything.) Living in a motorhome with limited space, this service is actually kind of nice, though it's a bit more expensive than I'd like. Still, I'll probably keep it up for at least a little while.

With the summer winding down, we'll be working on our travel plan for next year. One of the problem areas we've been working through is what to do about next summer. Katie desperately wants me back for the summer to look after Sophie, but Mark and I don't really want to part company for ten weeks again next year. So that means finding a campground in the Nampa area where we can stay without breaking the bank-- a surprisingly difficult venture. Half of California has decided to move to the Boise/Nampa area, and not only is reasonably priced housing almost impossible to find, but reasonably priced camping as well. There are waiting lists for summer 2024 in every campground in a twenty mile radius of the cities. Nevertheless, God saved us a spot at the Snake River RV Park, which is only about a 35 minute drive to Katie's, in a little town called Homedale. We booked it today.

I've got about two weeks left here in Nampa. Josh (my son) will be picking me up and taking me back to his place in Spokane where I'll spend a week hanging out with him and Liz. Then it's off to the airport and back to Des Moines and home.

That's all for now. Wishing you all the best. Try to stay cool! 

God bless & safe travels!

Hanging Out With The Family

Bowles Creek Store

On the recommendation of some fellow campers, Mark and I decided to give Harvest Hosts another try. It's a little more expensive than the first time we signed up with them (about double), but their program has improved significantly, beginning with their online booking website and also with significantly more options for "free" overnight camping. I say "free," because there's always an expectation to purchase something from the business offering their camping space-- kind of like shopping at the Walmart when we park in their lot overnight. Still, if we find a good place, it's always a lot more pleasant than a Walmart parking lot. So, on our way from Magnolia Beach to Louisiana, we found a place called Bowles Creek Store, in Overton,Texas (a bit south of Tyler). The owners came over from South Africa about five years ago and brought with them a few zebras and some wildebeests. The wildebeests kept  their distance, but the zebras were not in the least disturbed by our presence.

After a stop at Our Alfa Shop for some needed repairs, we've spent most of the month of April in Shreveport, Louisiana, parked in the Hoffman driveway. 

In addition to our annual A/C service, we had Ronnie repair the underside of the big slide, which was suffering from water damage and rotten wood. He replaced all the bad stuff and sealed it up against the rain. And a good thing, too. We've had quite a bit of rain this spring. 

Shortly after arriving in Shreveport, I hopped in the car and made the long drive to Lake, Mississippi, for a weekend visit with my sister, Doreen. It will be the only opportunity until next spring, since we're going north once we leave here.

Our stay at the Hoffman's has been pretty quiet and peaceful. There were a couple movie nights with the kiddies, and one evening around the fire. The only excursion we took was a visit to the American Rose Center, which is about five miles down the road from their house. (Pictures below.) The roses have just barely come into bloom, so it was fairly sparse, but still beautiful.

As many of you know, I am playing "nanny" to my granddaughter, Sophie, in Nampa, Idaho, for the three months or so she is out of school for the summer. While I'm away, Mark was successful in setting up a workcamp arrangement to keep him busy and bring in a little extra money. He'll be working at Adventureland in the Des Moines, Iowa, area from Memorial Day weekend through the end of October. He'll be cooking. 😁

Tomorrow we take off for Minnesota to visit family and friends there before Mark has to be at his post.

That's really all the news I have for now. Until next time, safe travels and God bless you all!

Tiny zoo

Bowles Creek Store

The wildebeests

Pool at the Rose Center

Checking Out Southern Texas

This year we made our first visit to the southernmost part of Texas-- the McAllen area. We found a campground in the little town of Donna, between McAllen and Brownsville. The area is a favorite winter getaway and no wonder why. The weather rivals that of Florida, being on roughly the same latitude as Miami.

Slow-walking across the country (compared to our usual speedy speed), we first stopped at Medina (Used To Be) Lakes RV Park, a little west of San Antonio. The lakes are dry as a bone these days. Apparently they were man-made lakes that man decided to unmake in favor of agricultural watering needs. Understandable in drought conditions, but sad to see. We stayed there a week and then made our way south to the very bottom tip of Texas. 

Madina Lakes
The boat ramp going down into what used to be a lake.

Our campground in Donna, Victoria Palms Resort, was beautiful. It was more like a mobile home park than a campground. Our designated spot was at the very back of the park, but it was spacious and comfortable, with a cement pad, and easy to back into. While we were there, we took a day-trip in the car to South Padre Island, had lunch and sat on the beach a while. We were blessed with a beautiful day--warm and breezy, not too hot.

Victoria Palms RV Resort (Encore)

Our campsite at Victoria Palms

One of our "bucket list" stops was Magnolia Beach, a free public campground on the waterfront. We'd heard a lot about it from other campers who loved it, so we wanted to see for ourselves. I must say it wasn't what I expected. The "beach" is not a sandy beach. It's solid ground, which is why 30,000 pound RVs can park practically right next to the water without worrying about getting stuck. And we did.

Originally, the plan was to stay there for five days. That's about my limit for boondocking. But the weather didn't cooperate. Our first day was pleasant. Then in the wee hours of the morning, a storm rolled in, and boy was it wild. After about an hour of heavy wind and rain, Mark decided to put on the headlights and get a better look at the water. "We have to move the coach!" he declared in a near panic. The water from the sea was lapping at our front tires. So, with car and trailer still attached and both our slides still extended, he carefully backed up and slowly repositioned the RV parallel to the water and about thirty feet away. What an adventure! By morning the rain had stopped, but it was cold and windy and not at all pleasant. 

The weather was showing no improvement over the next few days, so we decided to close up shop and head for our next campground, which was Lake Conroe, north of Houston. I don't know if we'll be interested in returning to Magnolia Beach. After gazing at the beautiful blue-green water of the Gulf at Padre Island, the dirty brown water in the bay was somewhat disappointing. 

Magnolia Beach (before the storm)

Magnolia Beach, the first day

Tomorrow we hit the road again. We'll be stopping at Our Alfa Shop for some service on our A/C, then back to Shreveport (Hoffman driveway) for the month of April.

Until next time, safe travels to all!

More Pics...

Lunch on Padre Island

Gulf of Mexico at Padre Island

Padre Island.
We drove to the end of the road, then took our blanket
and sat on the beach a while

Ocean theme...

A new acquisition-- portable water softener. 
An effort to preserve our water-using
appliances.

View from Magnolia Beach. Port Lavaca is a
fairly busy commercial port.

The famous Texas Buc-ee's. We had to check it out.

Lake Conroe is one of the few Thousand Trails 
campgrounds actively making improvements. The 
roads are smooth blacktop, and they've added two new sections
since the last time we were here-- all with cement pads
and full 50 amp service.

Magnolia Beach