Amy's Rear View Mirror
Austin, TX then to OZ V in KansasMay - June 2002
Austin, TX then to OZ V in KansasMay - June 2002
5/18 - 6/10 Georgetown, TX
Georgetown, the county seat of Williamson County, is on Interstate Highway 35 and the San Gabriel River in the center of the county. When you first arrive on the square in Georgetown, it only takes a moment to realize that the Williamson County Courthouse along with all of the other buildings around the square have stories to tell. Stories about Native Americans, cattle drives, settlers from all over the world, and industrial growth and development.
It all started in 1845 when Texas became a state. Austin, the new capital, was a sparsely settled area. The 40 miles or so into Austin was a long way to go for a marriage license, to pay taxes or attend court. So, sometime in February of 1848, about 100 settlers living along the San Gabriel River petitioned the Legislature for their own Central Texas county. The county which was created on March 13, 1848, consisted of 1,197 total square miles of land. It was named after Major Robert Williams, a lawyer, soldier, newspaper editor, teacher, preacher, and a judge better known as “three-legged Willie.”
Washington Anderson and four men who were assigned the task of locating a county seat were enjoying a brief respite under a large oak tree when Anderson’s cousin and large landowner, George Washington Glasscock, Sr., rode up on his mule. Sensing a quick solution to their task, Anderson spoke up, “George, if you’ll give us all the land between here and the San Gabriel River, we’ll make this the county seat and name it after you.” George agreed, promptly donating 173 acres, along with his partner Thomas B. Huling. It was founded in 1848 and named for George Washington Glasscock.
Pioneers were attracted by the abundance of timber and good, clear water, as were the Tonkawa Indians, who had a village there. In addition, the land was inexpensive and extremely fertile. The first wave of settlers was from Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Arkansas, Illinois, and other states. Swedish settlers came by the 1850s; after 1870 German, Austrian, and Swiss settlers began arriving and after 1880 Moravian and Czech. A few blacks came with early Anglo families, and migration from Mexico began about 1910.
The establishment of Southwestern University in 1873 and construction of a railroad in 1878 contributed to the town's growth and importance. A stable, healthy economy was based largely on agriculture, and a major tributary cattle trail led through the heart of Georgetown to the Western, Chisholm, Dodge City, and Shawnee trails. The Williamson County Sun, founded in 1877, continued publication in the 1990s. Industry prior to 1900 included limestone quarries; grist, flour, planing, and woodworking mills; cotton gins; brick, flue, chair, and mattress factories; tin, pewter, blacksmith, saddlery, and shoe shops; a knitting mill, bakeries, and confectioneries; the Texas Chautauqua Assembly, a bottling works, and an old mill. Between 1891 and 1960 master builder Charles Sanford Belford (1857-1929) and his heirs operated a lumberyard and built many fine homes and other structures that are still in use. Well known among cattlemen of Texas and the nation were Dudley Hiram Snyder, John Wesley Snyder, and John Sparks, residents of Georgetown in the cattle-drive years.
Cotton production became dominant in the area from the 1880s to the 1920s, after which crop diversification was practiced. The Georgetown and Granger Railroad was completed to Austin in 1904. Extensive loss from a 1921 flood led Georgetown to seek flood control, an effort that culminated in the building of a dam to impound Lake Georgetown, which opened officially on October 5, 1979. An unlicensed radio station appeared briefly in the 1930s, and Radio Station KGTN opened in 1962. Population growth and industrial expansion continued modestly in the twentieth century until about 1960, when residential, commercial, and industrial development greatly accelerated. Since then adaptive restoration has been widely practiced, with special emphasis on a Main Street program and private restoration of older homes. Also since then Georgetown has added several heavy manufacturing plants, light and cottage industry, and crushed-stone quarries; parks at Lake Georgetown and in the center of town; retirement and nursing homes; a new hospital; low-cost housing that has been a model for similar projects over Texas; Mood-Heritage Museum; a public library; and Inner Space Cavern. The population in 1980 was 9,468, and 4,500 more lived in the area. In 1990 the population was 14,842.
Thus, Georgetown has become one of the most carefully preserved historical downtown areas in the country. You’ll stroll past Victorian-era storefronts, under antique streetlights, and along brick sidewalks shaded by centuries-old oak and pecan trees. The Chisholm Trail, famous for the movement of cattle to auction, ran through downtown Georgetown. Like most communities, homes were located just a few blocks away from the square. Not only has Georgetown succeeded in preserving the downtown area but residents of Georgetown have done an excellent job of preserving the area neighborhoods by promoting open spaces and preserving its history. There are more than 180 National Register Historic homes and buildings showcasing Georgetown’s history. In 1997, Georgetown gained recognition for the successful effort of its citizens to preserve the historic character and charm of the city when it won the Great American Main Street Award.
San Gabriel Park
Meandering right through the very heart of Georgetown is the San Gabriel River. The park is covered with 200 year-old oak trees and the park grounds are used for picnics, games of touch football or Frisbee, concerts, festivals, canoeing, swimming and fishing. There's a wooded 1-mile hike and bike trail that wanders along the North Fork of the San Gabriel River from San Gabriel Park to the new Rivery Park west of I-35. And there's a 3-mile hike and bike trail following the South Fork of the San Gabriel from San Gabriel Park to Blue Hole. Blue Hole is a scenic lagoon on the San Gabriel River. It’s a favorite "swimming hole" for the locals.
For the more serious angler or water enthusiast, this 1200 acre U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lake is located off Williams Drive/Andice Rd and offers boating, skiing, fishing, four separate camping areas, a wildlife preserve and 16 miles of hiking trails. Cedar Breaks Park and Jim Hogg Park have boat ramps and camping facilities with RV hook-ups and restrooms with showers. Russell Park has both a camping and swimming area in addition to a boat ramp and restrooms with showers. Tejas Park offers primitive camping and picnic areas. Fishing is some of the best in the region, with small and largemouth bass, white bass, flathead and channel cat.
Lake Georgetown
Memorial Day WeekendSaturday I hung out with the guys here in the campground. Randy is in the site next to me. He's from NC and works for Abbott Labs. His wife and daughter are back in NC trying to sell their house so they can move here. On the other side of him is Danny. He works for Sysco (the food distributor). His girlfriend, Debbie, is up from San Antonio for the weekend with her schnauzer 'Sweetie'. So even Lady has had a new friend to hang out with. We fed the horses my bag of carrots, sat around telling a bunch of lies, and even took our evening walk around the campground (3 laps is a mile according to Randy).
Sunday, after breakfast, I went shopping for a new coffee pot. Last night (11 PM) when I was doing dishes I broke the coffee pot to the coffee maker. So no coffee this morning :^( Then I spent the day under the awning lost in the book I'm reading but I finished it just before bedtime.
Monday I spent the afternoon and into the evening at the cookout we had in the campground. We had baked beans, salad, smoked sausages and BBQ chicken. Some of the stories that were told were hysterical. There's really a great group of people in here.
Monday 5/27 - Our Stormy NightWell ya'll ... that was the most terrifying storm I've ever been in. Everyone in the campground is ok and believe it or not there's no damage except for a few satellite dish stands. It only lasted about 20 minutes long, but it was a loooonnnngggg 20 minutes.
Around 7:30 PM I got a weather alert from Weatherbug (thank you Elita) on my computer that there is a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until midnight with potential 3 inch hail and up to 70 mph winds. So I put up my big awning, put the folding porch chairs in the back of my car, and went and told all the neighbors.
Although I prepared for it, I really didn't think much of it since most of the time these things don't turn into anything significant. I finished getting my email and got a chicken ready to cook (it had been thawed out yesterday so it needs to get cooked before it goes bad even if I'm not gonna eat it until tomorrow). A few minutes after 9 PM I put the bird in the oven. I was gonna cook it on the grill but it had started raining.
At 9:30 PM it hit us ... I scrambled to bring in the 2 slideouts and the small window awnings, we had 2 inch hail which was so loud hitting the roof it sounded like it was gonna come through the roof, the power went out, the winds were so strong the motorhome was rockin' and rollin' like I've never felt before, Lady was so terrified she was shaking. We were huddled on the floor in the bedroom between the bed and the wall. That was the only place I thought the something might not hit us if stuff started flying off the walls, out of cabinets, etc. since it felt like the motorhome was being lifted off the ground.
We haven't heard about any tornadoes, but the winds were reported to be between 79 mph on the local news. We had no hail damage which really shocked me. No one lost anything that was outside including potted tomato plants which still have the tomatoes on them! Randy had a few jacks under his trailer moved but not so much it was a problem. A few couples got in their car and left the campground to go to a hotel for the rest of the night. The people on both sides of the campground property have been out looking for their horses and cows.
We fixed Randy's jacks, dumped the water off the cover on Danny's boat, turned my grill and Danny's grill back upright, collected the pieces to Danny's swing (it wasn't broken, just came apart), made sure everyone was setup properly incase we have no power all night long, and I got the chicken out of the oven (half cooked) and put it back in the frig. I'll have to finish cooking it when the power is back on.
And now while waiting for the power to be restored I get another weather alert that the Severe Thunderstorm Watch is being extended until 5 AM. There's another cell about 4 hours away and moving in this direction. I sure hope it's lost it's punch by the time it gets here. So I guess I'm going to bring the slideouts back in and get as much sleep as I can.
The second cell was no where near as bad as the first. I wasn't really sleeping, just sorta dozin', at about 12:30 AM the hard rain woke me up. Luckily that's all we got ... hard rain. Lady sure was scared though. I couldn't get her to stay still on the bed. I think now she's got a fear of rain storms.
I woke up in the morning with the power restored. I opened the slides, reset the satellite dish ... got everything back to normal. Boy am I glad it's over!!
Canyon of the EaglesI took a ride out to Canyon of the Eagles on Lake Buchanan to take the Vanishing Texas River Cruise ...
The story of the formation of the land that makes up the Canyon of the Eagles starts more than 200 Million years ago. The volcanic period formed the canyons. The area was originally inhabited by the Comanche and Tonkawa Indians. The Spanish hunted for gold and silver on the lands but the Indians ran them off. The Mexicans befriended the Comanche which squashed all hopes for the Spanish to overtake the Comanche to rule the land.
In the 1840's Sam Houston came to a boundary agreement with the various Indian tribes in the area. Farming and ranching was started. There was fighting between the Indians and the whitemen for the next 20 years. By this point the Civil War had ended. More whitemen moved into the area taking more land from the Indians.
For the next 10 years there was more fighting between the Indians and the whitemen. The next 10 years were riddled with 'Wild West' stories ... gun fights, cattle stealing, family feuds, towns burned down.
In the early 1900's there were torrential rains which rose the Colorado River above its banks and flooded Austin several times. By the late 1930's, the Lower Colorado River Authority had been formed. LCRA built the Buchanan Dam on the Colorado River creating Lake Buchanan to manage the flooding. The dam created electrical power for the surrounding area.
The hunting of wildlife had become very poor ... the buffalo were killed off first, then the bears, antelope, javalina, jaguars, ocelots, grey wolf, wild cattle, wild horses, lions and other big cats. In the 1940's was the first attempt to restore the lost wildlife. With all the mining that had been done over the years, gold was found in the 1980's on the
Lemons Ranch.
Today Fall Creek Winery makes wines from descendants of indigenous wild grapes. The Colorado River canyons are sanctuaries for wildlife. Every winter the Bald Eagles migrate south to the canyon to stay in a more moderate temperature, hence the name Canyon of the Eagles.
Most of the 940 acres at Canyon of the Eagles have been set aside as a nature preserve for wildlife such as the Bald Eagle, Black-capped Vireo, and Golden-cheeked Warbler. There are rolling hills and scenic views, 12 miles of trails, and a five-mile beach. The park has camping, RV sites, a lodge and a general store.
Vanishing Texas River Cruise goes 12 miles up the Colorado River at 12 knots for a 2 1/2 hr round-trip to see the scenery and wildlife. Most of the lands are still untouched and as wild as they ever were. We saw wild goats, wild cattle, deer, and various birds including herons and egrets.
Marble FallsLady & I drove over to the city of Marble Falls. This quaint little town had a very interesting history ...
The view of Marble Falls from the hillside before reaching the river inspired the world famous composer Oscar J. Fox. The composer, was a Burnet County native. He had studied and lived in Europe and New York, and became the favorite composer of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Although Fox gained world fame with his collection of western tunes such as Home On The Range and Get Along Little Doggie, his greatest musical inspiration came from the hillside overlooking the City of Marble Falls. His most famous tune, The Hills of Home was written with this view in mind.
This same sight filled Adam R. Johnson with the dream of some day turning the area into a beautiful city and manufacturing complex. When Adam R. Johnson first saw this area in 1854, he began dreaming of a great manufacturing city powered from the force of the "Great Falls." At that time the "Great Falls", which are now covered by Lake Marble Falls, poured over a series of marble ledges measuring up to 22-feet high.
And the scenery inspired a group of Mormons who believed they had finally found Zion.
Traveling North on US 281, immediately after crossing the river, the former site of a factory Johnson finally built in the 1890's is to the left. The years between his first visit and the construction of the factory saw Johnson suffer victories and terrible tragedies.
Johnson began acquiring title to as much land as possible around the falls, and was ready to settle here with his new bride in 1861 when he discovered the certificates were worthless. He settled his wife in Burnet instead, and when the Civil War broke out, Johnson joined the Confederate Army.
Johnson used all his cunning and skills he had acquired as an Indian fighter and surveyor to establish quite a name for himself during the Civil War, rising to the rank of General. During a battle in his home state of Kentucky, he was hit by a rifle and blinded permanently in both eyes. After being held captive by the union for six months, he was released and headed home still planning, with broad vision, his City of Marble Falls. He secured outside capital, became wealthy himself operating a land office in Burnet, donated land for a railroad, and gained title and/or control of land upon which to build the city.
For the next 13 years, he lived and worked out of Burnet. His young son drove a carriage with Johnson giving him directions from memory. He pursued his real estate dealings, acquiring vast acreage in Burnet County, and planning the birth of his city. Finally, in 1886, Johnson began plotting his town from memory, beginning from a spot on the riverbank near the northwest corner of the present US 281 bridge. In 1887 the first lots went on sale in Marble Falls. Soon the town was a thriving cotton center. As Johnson worked for the town's growth and for subscriptions to build a cotton factory here, the community became known as The Blind Man's Town.
The falls are actually made of granite. Sometimes called the "Great Falls", the name "Marble Falls" stuck and a town was named. Beside the falls, another natural phenomenon brought growth to Marble Falls. Granite Mountain, the 866 foot dome of solid pink granite located on the western edge of town, was the site chosen to provide the granite for the Texas capitol in Austin. The owners of Granite Mountain offered their stone free of charge, but transportation loomed as a major problem which threatened to halt the deal.
Immediately, Johnson went to Austin and announced to the State Legislature that he would give seven miles of right-of-way for a railroad from Burnet to Granite Mountain and assured the state that his fellow land owners would follow. The land contributions came in and a narrow gauge railroad was completed in 1885, using convict labor.
With the coming of the railroad, business picked up, and in 1888 George and Elizabeth Roper built the Roper Hotel (located on the corner of US 281 and Third Street). As one of the earliest hotels in the area, the Roper became a regular stop for innumerable drummers, of traveling salesmen, and vacationing Texas politicians, as well as tourists. The Roper
was completely renovated in 1981, and the exterior looks almost as it did in 1888.
One block west of US 281 down Third Street is Main Street, the old Business District. This area was alive with freight wagons hauling cotton and produce in the 1890's. Michel's Drugs, 216 main, a three-story structure was erected by the Michel family in 1891. The Michel family has been operating Michel's Drug Store on the same site since 1891. The original drug store was destroyed by fire in 1905, and a three-story building was erected in its place. the drug store and soda fountain were on the first floor, an opera house seating 300 persons was on the second floor, and the Michel family lived on the third. The structure burned again in 1927, and was replaced by the present building.
On the corner of Main and Seventh is the cottage of Oran M. Roberts. After serving as Governor of Texas, Roberts taught from 1883 to 1893 at the University of Texas, which had opened during his administration. Upon his retirement from the University, he moved to Marble Falls and lived here until his death.
At the intersection of US 281 and Broadway (Eight Street) is the old railroad depot, which now houses The Chamber of Commerce Building. This depot served as a social gathering center of Marble Falls as townspeople came to watch the
trains come in. Excursions were also offered by the railroad and groups traveled to Burnet or Austin for circuses, or revivals, or all day shopping.
Granite Mountain is a little over a mile west of town on RR 1431 which intersect US 281 one block north of the Chamber of Commerce building. The stone from this site has been used in buildings all over the state, the nation and the world, including the state capitol building in Austin and the Galveston Seawall. Although quarrying has continued for almost 100 years, the size of this huge mass has changed very little. There are centuries worth of granite left in this quarry, which is the largest of its kind in the United States.
The Mormons, who were flooded out of their mill outside Fredericksburg came to this area in 1851 and settled about 5 miles northeast of present Marble Falls. Their leader, Lyman Wight, found beautiful falls on Hamilton Creek where they built a dam and mill, shops, homes, and barns. This area was to become known as Mormon Mills, hence the name of the road leading out of town to their settlement became Mormon Mill road. Even with their hard work and frugality, the Mormons fell into heavy debt and in 1893 sold the mill to Noah Smithwick, who had moved to the area after living in several areas of central Texas. Smithwick's book entitled Evolution Of A State-Recollections Of Old Texas Days provides a great deal of insight into pioneer life in Texas during the years 1827-1861. Smithwick kept the mill on the Colorado River about ten miles east of Marble Falls off RR 1431, in the area that still bears his name. All that remains of this mill is an old stone building, which is now a Masonic Lodge Building.
During the early years of the City of Marble Falls, hundreds of people were drawn to The Manufacturing Center of the Southwest, but many were also drawn on the promise of a happier and healthier life. One land company's brochure claimed: "No location in the world surpasses this for benefiting those afflicted with those dreaded diseases so common at this day and time in the crowded cities and harsher climates elsewhere."
The "little dam" built atop the falls that gave the city its name, offered itself quietly and traded its life for progress. What was left of the "marble falls" disappeared beneath the rising Lake Marble Falls.
Taking the place of the Great Falls and Colorado River, was the creation of more electric power for Central Texas, more flood control, and tourist and water recreation playground that meant even greater economic growth and prosperity to the area. The 27 mile stretch of the Highland Lakes became the mecca for year-round residents and vacationers alike.
Today, the falls can only be seen when Lake Marble Falls is lowered for work on the dam or maintenance of the retaining walls and/or other repairs. A post card is available at the Chamber showing the last lowering of the lake (and the reappearance of the falls) in 1996.
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I found the old RR Depot, Michels Drugs, Post Office, and Oran Roberts cottage. Main Street has been revitalized and is a great place to browse the shops and eat. I missed seeing the 'hangin' tree', so if we go back I'll check it out.
After checking out the town, Lady & I hung out down by the river at Marble Falls Lakeside Park where she got to go swimming. The park is along side the river where they've built up the bank with a granite wall including steps into the water. So Lady walked right into the river, played, and was able to walk right back out ... how cool ... mama wasn't using all her strength to haul up a big heavy wet limp doggie! This park is a wonderful place for us to spend an afternoon ... blanket in the grass, picnic lunch, and swim in the river.
Pedernales Falls State ParkPedernales Falls State Park, 5211.7 acres, in Blanco County east of Johnson City TX, was acquired from private owners in 1970 and was opened to the public in 1971. It is located along the banks of the Pedernales River and is the former Circle Bar Ranch.
The Pedernales River running through the park can flash flood with little or no warning. The water in the river can rise from a placid stream to a raging torrent in a few minutes. The park officials advise, that if you are in the river area and notice the water beginning to rise, you should leave the river area IMMEDIATELY. Flash flooding is a common phenomenon in the Texas Hill Country, and you need to be alert to weather conditions.
The park amenities include camping (water & electric or primitive sites); picnicking; hiking; river swimming; tubing; wading; mountain biking; fishing; bird watching (checklist available); and horseback riding. River recreation is in a limited area.
The park has a covered bird viewing station with feeders and a drip bath. Food is provided November through March and the bath is maintained all year. The station can accommodate about 15 people. There is no charge to use the viewing station other than standard park entrance fees ($4/adult for the day). This is ADA accessible.
There are 19.8 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails, 10 miles of equestrian trails, and 14 miles of backpacking trails. The trails are well-marked and pass through hills with oak and juniper woodlands, more heavily wooded areas of pecan, elm, sycamore, walnut, and hackberry and next to the river grow Ash, buttonbush, and cypress.
Fish commonly caught in the Pedernales River include catfish (predominantly), bass, perch, and carp. The park is not really known as a "fishing" park.
Wildlife in the park includes white-tailed deer, coyotes, rabbits, armadillos, skunks, opossums, raccoons and over 150 species of birds. Commonly seen birds include hawks, buzzards, herons, quail, doves, owls, roadrunners, and wild turkeys. The endangered golden-cheeked warbler nests in the park.
Pedernales Falls is the park's main attraction and may be viewed from a scenic overlook at the north end of the park. The elevation of the river drops about 50 feet over a distance of 3000 feet, and the falls are formed by the flow of water over the tilted, stair-step effect of layered limestone. These river limestones belong to the 300-million-year-old Marble Falls formation and are part of the southwestern flank of the Llano uplift. These layers of limestone were tilted by the uplift, then eroded long before early Cretaceous seas of the 100-to-120 million years ago covered this part of Texas and deposited sands, gravels, younger limestones, and marine fossils.
Colorado Bend State Park
I got up early and headed for Bend, TX to see Gorman Falls in Colorado Bend State Park. Once you leave the TX county road to head for the state park, you drive through private property. You're actually driving through some rancher's cattle lands. There are 'Private Property' signs up that say you must stay in your car and no stopping for any reason until you get to your destination. Anyhow, the road crosses a low bridge and this was the view.
Colorado Bend State Park is located at the former sites of the Gorman and Lemons Ranches above Lake Buchanan.
The park offers access to primitive camping, hiking, fishing, swimming, mountain biking, birding, nature watching, and guided tours. When Lake Buchanan's water level is near normal, the river is navigable from the park's boat ramp all the way to the lake, approximately 10 miles. This is a trip on slow moving water through the canyon lands of the Colorado.
The park provides guided tours to Gorman Falls and guided wild cave tours, both walking and crawling. Due to various hazards in the caves such as low oxygen levels and poisonous gases, all caves in the park are closed except through guided tours. Substantial footwear is recommended for all tours since the trails are rocky and steep at times.
The main camping area has drive-up sites (with picnic tables, fire rings with cooking grills, a lantern post, potable water
in the area); riverbank tent sites (with picnic tables, fire rings with cooking grills, a lantern post, and potable water in the area); chemical toilets, a fish-cleaning table, and a boat ramp.
There are also 2 backpack areas where you must carry everything you need and pack out absolutely everything you don't use. You need to bring containerized fuel to cook; the nearest gas station is 35 miles away. The River Back Pack Area is about 2 miles from a chemical toilet and water faucet. The Windmill Back Pack Area is about 6 miles from a chemical toilet and water faucet. Ground fires are also prohibited everywhere in the park except in designated fire rings in the main camping area.
There are also two group camping areas. You can drive up to the sites at the Live Oak Group Area which are equipped with picnic tables, a lantern holder, a large fire ring, water in area, and a chemical toilet in area. You can drive to within 75 yards of the sites at the River Group Area which are equipped with picnic tables, a lantern holder, a large fire ring, water 1/4 mile away, and chemical toilet 1/4 mile away.
The park has 12.3 miles of hiking trails and 10.6 miles of mountain bike trails. 155 species of birds can be found in the park, including specialties such as golden-cheeked warblers, black-capped vireos, and bald eagles.
Gorman Falls is located on the western bank of the Colorado River, approximately 10 miles above Lake Buchanan and includes a portion of Gorman Creek which feeds Gorman Falls. Gorman Falls is an impressive, 60-foot-high waterfall. The falls' travertine formations and associated lush vegetation are very scenic. Small travertine dams have formed quiet pools of clear water which support a variety of aquatic communities including the rare Guadalupe Bass. Due to the protection of the fragile environment of the Gorman Falls, the area currently can only be visited through guided tours. While the land was owned by the Lemons (they bought it in the 1940's), the ranch hands (cowboys) lived in a bunk house near the top of the falls. Their living and playing in the area caused enormous damage to the vegetation. Colorado Bend State Park bought the land in the mid '80s and has been protecting it to allow the vegetation to return. Now, 15 years later, the falls area has made significant progress in regrowth. The tours are their attempt to continue to protect the land while sharing it with us.
6/10 - 6/22 Junction City, KS - OZ V GTGThe drive from Georgetown TX to Junction City KS was uneventful ... just the way I like it. On Tuesday I drove as far as Oklahoma City OK. It was a very pleasant, calm day. I pulled into the Flying J truck stop for the night, had supper in their restaurant while I got my email, and even got to see some fireworks before bedtime. I hit the sack around 10 PM, woke up at 12:30 am for several hours and finally went back to sleep until 5:30 am. I never sleep well when I'm on the road ... I don't know why. Maybe it's the anticipation of getting there.
Anyhow, I was showered and dressed by 7 am, went back into the restaurant for breakfast and to do email one last time before getting to the campground. I pulled out of the Flying J around 8 am and within a few miles drove through a horrible rain storm. The sky looked that awful dark, greenish, eerie color you see when there's a tornado watch. I changed the CB to the weather channels, but didn't hear anything. The truckers weren't talking about anything either, so I just high tailed it to brighter skies. I drove through all the rain and on the other side of the storm were winds. These winds weren't too bad, just enough to keep you on your toes. About an hour from the campground everything was calm, sunny and just wonderful.
I pulled into the campground around 3 pm, found my site and got setup. These sites are right on the water of Milford Lake. What a beautiful view I'll have for the next week.
We spent the afternoon sitting under the trees visiting, catching up, and chatting away. Lady had a great time visiting everyone. Then we all went our own separate ways for supper, but got back together afterwards for more visiting and chatting.
Almost everyone arrived early ... by Thursday we were just waiting for Det & Judy to arrive. We had 17 rigs ... Jane
Young, Charlie & Annette Barker, Doris Fletcher, Gordon & Susan Church, me, Bill Houston, Ed & Maria Jones, Jurhee Ivy, Judy & Wayne Biddle, Det & Judy Abel, Adrien & Ivan Hart, Lynn & Tom Holberton, Arlene & Dave Baker, Gert & Johanna Zander, Shari Haywood & Buzz Bruce, J & Carol Bruce, and Robyn & Harry Melah.
Mr Ed is telling everyone about my rash, his medical recommendation, and swears that he knows what cured it. He refuses to believe that the face cream I was using had anything to do with it. This all started last winter in Bushnell FL. I had a terrible itchy rash all over my face and the front of my neck. I was going to a dermatologist to figure out what
caused it so I could get rid of it. Mr Ed kept telling me that it was from lack of sex. Well, he continued this little joke in front of everybody here everytime he saw me. So now everyone knows about it. He especially enjoyed the teasing at the potlucks when everyone was around. He's trying so hard to embarrass me ... but it's not working. I'm so glad I don't embarrass easily now that everyone has heard about it. His wife just shakes her head, says she's got a dirty old man and not to listen to him. I just kept laughing. LL took a picture of him checking out my face.
Friday we had a 'Finger Foods' Potluck. Two picnic tables covered with food. It was all really wonderful. Then we spent the rest of the evening sitting around chatting.
On Saturday we attended the local Elks celebration for Flag Day. It was a really nice ceremony. The rain late in the afternoon caused us to reschedule our potluck supper for Sunday evening and we went out to eat tonight.
On a previous trip Tom had forgotten to put the locking pins back on their towbar, drove 90 miles back home, and when pulling in to park, the car detached itself from the motorhome. But when he posted it to the RV Club email list he said WE giving some of the blame to his wife, LL. He also made a comment that LL was learning how to drive their motorhome but couldn't go off by herself since she didn't know how to dump the tanks. We know he was posting this
stuff to see who he would get a rise out of. Well, being some of LL's best buds, Jane & I couldn't let him get away with that. LL & Jane spent a few hours over at my place visiting while we completed the last few necklaces each with a locking pin for Tom's payback for his posts on the RV Club's email list. Sunday we hung around the campground all day getting in our last few visits since some people are leaving on Monday morning. We had our big potluck tonight for supper ... another round of two picnic tables covered in food. After supper Lynn & Tom played their Dulcimer for everyone. Jurhee & Lynn also played a song for us. Then we had our ceremony where all 16 women presented a lei to Tom (like in Hawaii). I can't wait to see the pictures! And even funnier than getting Tom back infront of everyone was the reaction of the other guys ... they were the first to jump up with their cameras to film it all. We had Tom wear all the necklaces most of the evening. Then we took the locking pins off to be sure they got returned to Tom and returned the necklaces to the lady who had worn it.
Monday morning 5 rigs pulled out ... Jane Young, Det & Judy, Doris Fletcher, Bill Houston, and Gert & Johanna. We will miss them the rest of the week. We had another potluck tonight with the leftovers from last night. It worked out well ... there was nothing left.
Late Tuesday afternoon Karen & Galen Ballentine arrived at Horizon's factory here to get some work done on their new rig. So they came on over to the campground to visit with us. Karen brought her Dulcimer and Galen had his Guitar. So we had another musical evening with LL, Tom, Jurhee, Karen & Galen. It was a very pleasant evening. We told some of the GTG stories to Karen & Galen.
Wednesday we were going to rent a pontoon boat, but it was so windy that the marina wasn't renting any of their boats. So we had a hen fest (all ladies) down at the beach area on the lake for a few hours. Tom came down and kept us company for a little while. We went out to the Brookville Hotel for supper. They serve fried chicken, cole slaw, mashed potatoes with cream gravy, baking powder biscuits, creamed corn and ice cream ... all you can eat Family Style ... for $11 and change per person. It was wonderful!!! A place to remember.
Thursday Ed & Maria and Jurhee are leaving ... that will leave just a few of us through the weekend. Everyone will be
gone by Monday morning.
It's really great how this GTG has grown from a few days to a few weeks with people arriving early and staying late. The majority of us will be here about 10 days. We decided that the OZ GTG can't end just because Shari will be moving to Hondo TX when she retires later this year. So it's going to continue. Yeah!!!!!
I don't know what it is about Milford Lake, but there are the most colorful sunsets every evening that I've ever seen. Every evening several of us spent time taking pictures trying to capture the gorgeous view.
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