U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs

As we traveled south on I-25, we saw the sign for the U.S. Air Force Academy, and decided to stop. We are so glad we did. The grounds are impressive, and include a large Visitor's Center. We learned that we were just in time for a guided tour of the Chapel, the most visited building on the campus.

The chaplain gave a very interesting tour. The chapel, built in the 50's is a beautiful work of art, both inside and out. So many features of the building and it's furnishings contain symbols relating to the Air Force, even down to the shape of the pew backs (that of a plane's wing).

The government funded the construction of the building, but the inside has been furnished solely by contributions and gifts.

I was impressed to find religious worship playing such a large part in a military establishment. You don't expect that in an age of separation and state. In doing a little research later, I found this quote:

In the 1950s, while the United States engaged in the Cold War, American civil religion stood in contrast with “godless Communism.” Historian Sydney Ahlstrom remarked of the decade, “There seemed to be a consensus that personal religious faith was an essential element in proper patriotic commitment.” President Dwight Eisenhower summarized the non-sectarian attitude, stating, “Our government makes no sense unless it is founded on a deeply felt religious faith--and I don’t care what it is.” The Academy carefully embraced three major beliefs with distinct worship spaces in the chapel for Catholics, Protestants, and Jews, expanding in recent years to include Muslim, Buddhist and other faiths.

The chaplain did tell us that cadets are no longer required to attend the services as they were when the chapel was first built.

For a slideshow of more photos, including some from the interior of the chapel, click anywhere on this sentence.

Rocky Mountain National Park

As we entered Colorado, the way became more scenic the farther we went. We enjoyed the roadside displays of wildflowers in bloom.

We camped in Loveland, CO, about 30 miles from the Rocky Mountain National Park entrance.











As we drove to the park the next morning, we were glad we had chosen Loveland to stay in, versus Estes Park, the nearest community to the park. The drive from Loveland up wound through the Big Thompson River Canyon, and was breathtaking.





We spent two days in the Rockie's. Our only complaint would have to be the cool weather. The first night got down to 40 degrees, and there was quite a bit of cold wind in the mountains.
The first day we drove "Trail Ridge Road" the highest paved continuous road in the U.S.
We actually saw snowflakes swirling in the air on the higher elevations. (A ranger told us two weeks before we were there, a 2 foot snowfall closed the road for a few days. The poles you see on each side of the highway are there for road crews as indicators of the road edge when they are obscured by snow.)
The second day, we returned to the park to hike. The weather warmed up as the day went on. We only hiked a little over 2 miles, but due to the altitude, found the hike more strenous than we had anticipated.
For more pictures of our visit to the park, view our slideshow:

Running from Gustaf

We awoke to light rain in Utica, IL. With a forecast for heavy rains in the afternoon, we decided to try to get west before they arrived.
We were in light rain most of the day, but finally found clearing skies near Des Moines, IA. We found a nice C.O.E. campground on Lake Saylorville, just north of the city. Having been in rain for two days, we decided it might be nice to lay over for a day, and just enjoy the peace and quiet of the park.


The night was our coolest of the season, in the high 40's, but the day warmed quickly to 70. We enjoyed a walk along an old spillway from the dam.

The drive through Iowa has been a pleasant surprise. Never having been in the state before, I had a preconceived idea that it was made of flat fields of seemingly unending corn. The cornfields are there, but lie amid gently rolling hills, on picturesque farms.






We spotted this huge sculpture, apparently of copper, near one of the small towns.











We crossed the state line into Nebraska shortly after lunch. Nebraska is more what I expected of the plains, much flatter.

We are not finding many campgrounds along I-80 through Nebraska. Most are located several miles from the interstate. We prefer the Corps of Engineers parks, but Nebraska has only 2, neither of which are on our route.

We are spending the night at the Prairie Oasis RV Park, just east of Grand Island. We will not be spending much time in either Iowa or Nebraska this trip, as we have several places we want to visit in NM, CO, and AZ.

Heading West

We left McCormick's Creek on Labor Day, September 1, at dawn. We've had a good stay this summer camphosting at the park, and enjoyable trips with the grandchildren, but it's good to get our "itchy feet" back on the road.

Monday, we traveled north toward Topeka, IN to the Crossroads factory for some repairs to the 5th wheel on Tuesday. The drive up the back roads was relaxing, through farmlands for a large portion of the morning.

Son, Tom, and wife, Liesel, were to meet us for lunch. After two detours and a mix-up on restaurants, we finally reached each other in Middlebury for lunch at the Amish Essenhaus restaurant.
The food was served family style, Fried Chicken with all the trimmings. By the time dessert came, we weren't sure if we could hold it or not, but we each managed to eat a piece of their delicious homemade pies.
















The complex also offers shops, walking areas, carriage rides and even a garden planted in the pattern of a quilt.














This whole area of Indiana is Amish country. At times, we felt we were seeing more horse drawn vehicles than cars and trucks on the roads.




Tuesday morning, the Crossroads repair manager was at our door at 6 a.m. as promised. The repair needed was more extensive than we had thought it might be, and took all day Tuesday. We were so impressed by the Crossroads staff's service, expertise, and hospitality towards us. The whole experience from beginning to end could not have been better.

The manager offered us a tour through one of the five production plants, and took us from the conception of a fifth wheel through to a look inside a finished ready for sale model. We came away with even more of an appreciation for the Crossroads RV construction than before.




















While the repairs were being made, we visited with family in nearby Milford.

We left Topeka this morning, and are camped in the rain at Utica, IL. The remnants of Hurricane Gustaf are headed this way, and the forecast is for 2-4" of rain, lasting through Friday morning. We'll decide in the morning whether to try to move on, or to wait till the rain ends.

Summer Trips with the Grandchildren

July was a busy month for us, as we traveled with each of our four grandchildren. The first week was spent in Gatlinburg with Cameron, then we drove up to Ron’s brother Gary’s cabin in the hills of Kentucky for our
"Christmas in July"

The view from his cabin almost makes you feel as if you’re still in the Smokies.

Seventeen family members were able to attend.

Gary had planned the event well, right down to a “Charlie Brown” Christmas tree and animated Santa.

Everyone spent the night, then we, along with granddaughters Chelsey and Alyssa, returned to Gatlinburg.

"Our Time with the Kids"

The two weeks in the Smokies with the kids followed the same pattern with the exception of the first day with Cameron, when we took a side trip through the Cumberland Gap area. We spent some time there hiking up to the original gap through the mountains that Daniel Boone used when first crossing the Appalachians.

Our pictures here on the blog page and in the slideshow (accessible at end of this post) are a combination of both weeks, the first with Cameron, and the second with the girls. Our first day each week in the Smokies was spent driving over the mountains from Gatlinburg to Cherokee, NC.

Cameron’s week held lots of rain showers, and the views really pointed out how the mountains earned their name.

However during the next week, the views were much different.

Of course, the highlight of a drive in the mountains is the hike up to Clingman’s Dome, the highest point in the Smokies.

Although the dome was partially enshrouded in clouds both times, the clouds still parted enough for us to get some great photo opportunities.

Everyone enjoyed the stops along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, but perhaps Cameron most of all, as we spotted a mother bear and two cubs.

A seven mile road winds through the Artisan community. We stopped to watch a potter “throw” a dish, and really enjoyed the demonstration by a dulcimer builder.

The day we hiked to Laurel Falls was the exciting day for the girls when they had their chance to spot bears. A mother and her triplets crossed the trail while we were at the falls.

One of the little ones became alarmed and scampered up a tree. We got lots of photos before Mama decided to return for him.

Ron and I made a trip to the Smokies around 1980. One of the few attractions in Gatlinburg that looks familiar still is the Ober Gatlinburg Tram and chairlift, so we wanted the grandchildren to experience it with us again.

The tram travels about halfway up the mountain...

Then the chairlift takes you to the top...

Where a trio performs mountain music all day.

After the trip to the Smokies, we picked up our oldest granddaughter, Cassandra. Her choice of destination was much different from the others. Last year, one of her college classes was in anthropology. After reading of the Cahokia Indian Mounds in western Illinois, she wanted to see them.

We spent two mornings exploring the large area.

We were intrigued by a large “sundial” that has been recreated. It is believed that the Indians used this as their annual calendar, marking the seasons by the shadows cast from the poles.

A scenic drive along the Mississippi River

Took us to Grafton. We found the portions at a local fish market to be almost overwhelming. The catfish (one of Grandpa’s favorite choices) and the buffalo fish, lower left in picture, (Cassie and I were brave enough to try it) are caught from the river each morning, and served for lunch that day.

Along the drive a painting on the bluff caught our eye. We learned the painting is of Piasa, a legendary creature . In 1673, when Marquette and Joliet explored the area, they found such a painting, and were told by the Indians it was a “bird that devours men”. The Indians were very superstitious of the area.

We stopped for a tour atop a lock and dam on the river, although we were not fortunate enough to catch a barge making it’s way through the locks.

Our last stop of the trip was New Harmony, IN.

After viewing the exhibits and film in the Interpretive center, we walked the streets of the village. Cassie was intrigued by the two labyrinths, one of stone, and one of hedge.

It’s been a great month, traveling with the kids, and we’re glad we had the opportunity.

We are now back at McCormick’s Creek, and as soon as I can get Grandpa to wake up, we’ll be back on the job camp-hosting.

For a slide show of more photos from the trips, click here.