Fun in Branson

Yesterday (or whenever it was I posted last) I said I'd tell you about out special treat today (well actually it WAS yesterday).  Several of us went to have lunch at The College of the Ozarks, also known as Hard Work University.  I'd had never heard of it but it consistently is ranked as one of the 10 ten conservative colleges or as one of the top 5 "choosiest" in the nation.  The students pay no tuition and graduate with no debt.  They offer 44 different majors but each student must work 15 hrs/wk on campus and may work the summer term to pay off their room & board fees.  The campus is gorgeous and this Keeter Center, which is a resturant and lodge is magnificent!  I think the statistic was that it was 70% built by the students.  Anyway, the lunch was raved about by everyone.  Another group went for dinner and a third group is going for brunch on Sunday.  They have a dairy making their own dairy products, grass-fed beef, grow their own veggies, etc.  Well, have you heard enough - anyway, a real treat.

All natural stone fireplace and a
tree pulled out from the bottom
of a lake which they
petrified

Our group in front of the
Keeter Center

"Smallest" of their rooms
$199/night

  

My lunch - mac & cheeses with
their own smoked ham & bacon
cooked in a cast iron skillet

Then last night we went to a show:  "Best of the 60s".  It was fun, lively, and reminiscent and guess what - just about everyone in the audience was about my age - go figure.

Unfortunately, most of the big shows are dark right now as they're getting ready for the big Christmas season so we haven't had much to choose from but that's ok, there are enough of us here to keep each other occupied with stories, hints, tips, food & troubleshooting our Roadtreks.

Later I'll try to keep back up-to-date with another surprise:)

Heading to Branson

     Heading to Branson, MO to meet up with about 37 other "solo-trekkers".  We are calling our gathering "Meet in the Middle" because solos are coming from all corners of the US to meet in the middle of the US.
     There'll be lots of chit-chat, eating, sharing, shows, and wanderings.
     The gathering begins Thurs. afternoon and I'll leave on Monday to go to Eureka Springs, AR with a few other "solos" to explore this "Swiss Alps of the Ozarks" - a Victorian town with lots of Painted Ladies, shops, mountains, forests and supposedly one of the most architecturally beautiful churches in N. America, set in the woods.
     On my way home I'm hoping to swing by Florence, AL to see a Frank Lloyd Wright house - the only one in AL

So, I got an earlier than expected start today which was a good thing:

• before I got to Orlando there was an accident so had to detour out of my way to stop at Lorraine's to get some of Buzz's famous pasta fazool, Lorraine's famous banana bread and to help her get rid of some over-done (for them, not me) chocolate chip cookies - dinner tonight!!

YUM!!

• "check engine" light came on while on the detour so after hugging Antonia & getting my goodies, I had to go to the Roadtrek dealer:  Leisure Time RV in Winter Park to see what was going on.  The NICEST young tech gave me a lesson in filling my gas tank, turned off the light and we're hoping that's the issue.  So an hour later I'm on the road again.
• and you know how annoying it is when your smoke detector's battery dies and it starts chirping?  Well, try that in a vehicle driving down a highway & there's nothing you can do about it until you stop.  I got a new battery from Lorraine but was going to wait until I got to Leisure Time to put it in but of course it then didn't chirp anymore - probably in the middle of the night tonight.
• So, that's my 3 strikes for today and that better be the end of it.

I'm at Deer Run RV Park tonight in Troy, AL after passing Malone, FL when I got off I-10 to get on Rt. 231.  Only stopped 3 quick times - gas (cheapest it's been since last presidential election) at Loves which I loved, loved, loved because they had long-handled windshield cleaners so I could actually get all the way to Rhoda's middle, then once for lunch and once for you know what.  Gained an hour - Central Time (the hour I lost at Leisure Time) so was able to get to my planned-to-stop-at place.

BTW - if you need a typewriter repaired, there's a shop in Cottondale, FL that can do that for you.  Can't miss the little town - right in the middle of many cotton fields.

BTW - what do you think they do at a "Bull Testing" place?

Ah Ha Moment after Moment After Moment!

Friday, June 15th

     Woke to heavy fog again but it started to lift by the time we were ready to take off to find coffee:)

     

      Continued on our way north with again lots of "pull-offs" for gorgeous views:

     The thing again that was so beautiful, in addition to the ocean and marveling at homes perched so close to the edge, were the multiple colored plants growing on the roadside and up the craggy mountain sides.  Bright oranges, yellows, reds, white, all shades of green.  A landscape designer couldn't have done better.  A bench would have been nice to sit and soak it all up!

Notice the colors on the hills going right down to the ocean

Low Tide and a little pool left behind

Would you want to be sleeping in this house during a down-pour
knowing that there have been many earth-slides that have
taken entire sides of mountains down.
Ahhh . . . not me!
No matter how nice a view or how cheap.

OK, enough beauty (can there ever be enough)

     We continued up to the big expectation of BIG SUR --  BIG disappointment.  It was the only stretch of highway that was inland, couldn't even see the ocean.  There were a couple of cute little Inn/gift/grocery/gas shops but they were far apart and no warning of their impending appearance so we didn't stop at any of them thinking that the best was yet to come but . . . nope.  Everything south of and north of Big Sur was magnificent but not Big Sur itself unless we missed the turn-off.

     We did some house shopping in Carmel and found our dream vacation home right on the ocean with enough land so that if some got washed away we'd still have some to spare.  It'd be affordable if we could find 52 other people to go in on it with us and we'd each get 1 week.  I get first dibs on 1st week of July and I get first dibs on any other cancellations.  AND this house has a guest house so we could make it more affordable by renting this out to those on the waiting list.  Be the first to sign up and you can have your pick of any week except the 1st week of July.  Fed. Ex to me a deposit of $50,000 and I'll see if I can get us a deal if we get 50 others because there were a couple of other houses for sale in the neighborhood.  And don't worry, I'll only take 1/2 of the brokerage fee.
     The other thing to keep in mind to budget for would be the monthly fee we'd have to collect from everyone for taxes, maintenance, upkeep, and maid service but I think we could hold that to about $1000 per month per person but I'll have to confirm that figure.

Look at that view!
Look at those windows looking out at the view!
Sunsets every night!

       Rest of the trip was congestion, fast, impatient drivers, and a few more brown CA hills with 1000s of strawberries growing at their base.  Not a bad introduction back into civilization.
      We arrived at my son and daughter-in-law's house early afternoon and have been catching up on more space than we are familiar with, soft couches, big kitchens, full baths and you know what, it feels good.
      Sally flies home tomorrow to more of the same and I'll reacquaint myself with the CA lifestyle and a couple of friends from high school, college, and maybe even people I've never met but corresponded with who also love their Roadtreks.  Then Rhoda & I will turn ourselves north up the coast of CA, OR, & WA and enjoy our tiny space again.

     Stay-tuned.

DATA:

Which map visual do you like better?
Full view of route or close-up of most recent portion of trip?

mileage:  104                             gas:  $60                          lodging:  unknown

P.S.  I was just kidding about the house - sorta - unless you can find 50 other people with money to 

         spare but who can put a price on a week of splendor.