Turning Stone RV Park, and Utica & Ithaca NY visits.

We arrived at this Casino connected RV Park on the Oneida Nation land outside of Utica located just a mile down the road from the main casino and hotel location. We got a nice long site in the very pleasant park that had many sites for campers, trailers as well as motorhomes. Rain followed us here and made the site very wet and damp. We had plans to see our friend Greg from our Ameriprise days while here but also just relax a bit. Our first day was spent scouting out the large Casino and its numerous restaurants. We sampled one for lunch and were pleased with our choice. We are not gamblers but have found several nice RV Parks colocated with the casinos.

The next afternoon, we visited with our friend – showing off the motor coach to him for the first time – the next afternoon followed by dinner in the Casino’s Harvest Buffet. The following day we had a fabulous tour of the Adirondack Distillery – a small downtown Utica distillery making an array of liquors but with bourbon production as their primary focus. Our tour guide was a staff member since the distillery began about five years ago. His breathe of knowledge and commitment to quality and excellent products was obvious. One of the co owners arrived while we were there and I realized we had previously crossed paths in our former lives in politics. We both agreed it was great to be on the sidelines these days.

Dinner that evening was at a Greek restaurant with a long history of community involvement and commitment as well as delicious traditional Greek delicacies. On Friday we had a fabulous brewery tour at Utica Club or Saranac as it is also known. The brewery is still owned and operated by the original Matt family founders and has survived numerous economic situations but continues to make quality beer and soda products.

That evening we spent relaxing and enjoying dinner at home. Our older Yorkie, Lenny seemed out of sorts and began throwing up that night. He never does that so we wanted to keep an eye on him. We retired for the night with him still not doing well and agreed to take him to the vet in the morning. Around 5am he woke us up very sick – vomiting and diarreha with bright red blood visible. We now had an emergency to deal with called the local vet who directed us to the East Syracuse Veterinary Hospital. We arrived and after examining Lenny they recommended we take him to Cornell University Veterinary Animal Companion Hospital in Ithaca as he needed an ultrasound and serious emergent care. With an IV for fluids to prevent dehydration we bundled him off to the world renown animal hospital. They greeted us at the door, they admitted him immediately. It was obvious he was a very sick baby. We were told quickly they wanted to keep him until the vomiting stopped and his digestive tract calmed down. After three days Lenny was on the road to recovery, diagnosed with severe Hemorrhagic Gastro Enteritis – a sometimes fatal condition if not diagnosed properly. We are eternally grateful to both veterinary facilities for their superior care of Lenny, our dear family member. Sent home with antibiotics and detailed report on his illness we were hopeful of his return to normal soon. We will do a follow up visit at the Banfield Pet Hospital in Newburgh in a week. This experience highlights an important aspect of traveling with your dogs – finding and getting good medical when necessary. We have hadVPI Nationwide insurance and now have the Banfield Optima Wellness plans for them so we can get care at any Banfield. We think this has worked out well although we are considering a catastrophic coverage plan after the expense of Lenny’s illness. Taking good care of your pets is just as important as caring for each other and we make it a priority. We made a few itinerary adjustments so he could have some quiet time to recover and headed to Saugerties/Woodstock KOA.

We visit Graceland – Elvis has not left this building!

You can’t be a music lover without respecting or appreciating Elvis Presley and his music. Our visit to Graceland in Memphis followed our Nashville stop and was so illuminating about his life, family history and his accomplishments in music during such a short life.

We were reminded about his good looks, his easy smile and amazing poetic talent while waltzing through his home – his music in the background – viewing the eclectic furniture he loved and thousands of mementoes that are shared with his millions of fans. There was a certain reverence among the visitors like us – Graceland feels like a temple to his music and memory. We always wanted to visit here and were more impressed than we expected to be. We did the VIP tour with audio complement and saw the house, stables, awards rooms as well as costume and car collection.

We particularly enjoyed the early years exhibits and the movie displays – he appeared in more movies than we remembered and his musical talent as well as acting skills were remarkable.

Elvis and his family members are buried at Graceland in a respectful elegant setting. He was a dedicated family man who loved his family dearly and cared for all of them as they aged. His charitable works were amazing and his daughter Lisa continues them in his name today.

The mansion is well preserved and although somewhat grandiose, it still gives you a sense of his warmth and dedication to his family.

His concert costumes are beyond comparison – in my opinion, only Michael Jackson came close. It was cool to see so many of them and remember the songs you associated with that appearance.

I had forgotten how handsome he was and how vital his male sexuality was to his persona – you’d need to be a robot not to be affected by the smile, the lyrics and the hip swivel. He was an avid reader of everything but especially philosophy and religious works. You can see those influences in his poetry.

I took this picture of one of the news photographs taken while he served in Germany – even with the glare you can appreciate his composure and sweetness at a young 18 years old.

Oh yes the famous Pink Cadillac and it’s even cooler in person. Elvis loved cars deeply and has a fabulous collection from classics to Corvettes but this is my favorite.

More gold records than you can imagine……….

Loved this quote – it explains his determination early on to be the best he could be. Before illness and injuries that caused him constant pain, he was a force of nature in his efforts to succeed.

I couldn’t resist the Purple Caddy…..where do I get one?

The museum is staffed by a very diverse group of people – all local Memphis residents according to ones who we met – and it is clear that these Memphis residents still hold Elvis deeply in their hearts. He was a true son of this rural environment who came from very poor beginnings and proved that success was possible with hard work and a stunning talent.

This was a terrific museum and tour – we stayed in the RV Park adjacent to Graceland for a very reasonable amount – nothing elegant but very convenient especially because it was raining off and on while we were there. We thought it was so interesting and engaging – we were delighted that we had it on our 2019 itinerary.

We followed this visit with our stop in Little Rock, Arkansas and the Clinton Presidential Library, where another Son of rural roots is celebrated for his extraordinary achievements.

Craters of the Moon National Monument & EBR 1 – Arco ID

We departed Yellowstone after a wonderful visit and headed southwest to Arco Idaho to visit a unique national monument park, and the sight of the first breeder reactor built in the USA.

We were welcomed to Craters of the Moon National Monument by these orange and pink flowers demanding to be seen amidst abundant evidence of great devastation.

Craters of the Moon is a national monument park made up of the largest group of lava fields and volcanic cones outside of Hawaii. Although not active presently like the Yellowstone Caldera it is due to erupt in about 2200 AD. Historically it has erupted on schedule every 2000 yrs for the last 15,000 yrs.

Note the tiny white patches of wildflowers in front of the lava rocks – spreading phylox or stickseed. Dwarf Monkeyflower, Dwarf Buckwheat and Silver leafed Phacelia make up the bulk of the blossoming plants in the park.

It is a place you must see in person to really appreciate its beauty – all shapes of lava and cinder formations dotted with white, yellow and pink spring wildflowers bursting forth in full bloom and deftly twisted deciduous and pine trees – defying low nutrient volcanic soil and flourishing. We were very lucky to witness the annual wildflower bloom and reveled in the tiny blasts of color as we toured the park.

Above is another close up of some wildflowers that seemed quite at home in the bed of multicolored cinder soil. all the plants seemed very resilient and able to thrive throughout the park.

Given that Kilauea was still erupting in Hawaii at this time – it was cool to see the similar types of lava formations that resulted when magma became lava as it poured through both ground crevices and volcanic cones during eruptions thousands of years ago.

We got to walk up alongside several old volcanic cones and look down into them – pretty weird to think they were capable of such destructive force and fireworks. The landscape is covered with cinder and ash from these previous explosions, allowing a firsthand look at what happens when this fiery material cools over a period of time.

The National Park Visitor Center has a great display portraying the park’s relationship to the surrounding volcanic activity – past and present in both Idaho and Wyoming and it does a great job explaining all the different types of rocks, plants and animals that call this extraordinary place home. Be sure to stop before you go into the park in order to be better informed when touring the Park’s interior. Remember to stay on the walkways and do not walk on the lava or cinder areas as you could be destroying new growth or habitat.

There is also a campground near the entrance – only RVs, campers and tent enthusiasts may use it as it is relatively compact. Funny to imagine staying overnight within a dormant volcano field – there is likely little or no ambient light so the night sky and its stars would be magnificent! It is one of the official Dark Sky Park’s with special programming by rangers for visitors after dark.

The old gray trees – some of which continue to grow – were the result of a fungi parasite the doesn’t actually kill the tree but causes the twists in its branches – early ranger intercession was to kill and cut many of them down but it was later determined there was no harm by the parasite. We found these shapes remarkable and stunning – we took a lot of pictures of them. We loved the contrast of the gray and silver entwined trunks against the cinder fields and smaller green growth.

Below another view of a cinder field coming alive with wildflowers in their spring colors.

Craters of the Moon Park was also used as an training area for the astronauts preparing for Apollo 13 moon walks – because the terrain resembles the landscape on the Moon it helped scientists prepare the men for what to expect.

Don’t miss this amazing stop along Highway 20 just outside of the tiny city of Arco ID.

EBR 1

This remarkable first breeder reactor is a national historic monument and a great stop along the same highway 20. Take the time to have a guided tour – the guides do a great job explaining how a breeder reactor works to produce energy as well as the history of this particular project.

Although there are none currently operating in the USA, many scientists (including my father)believed that this form of nuclear energy production is safer, cleaner and more efficient than the currently operating reactors. Once you understand that the process used to make energy actually breeds new fuel you appreciate the rationale for the “breeder” type process. Both France and Germany have built these breeder reactor plants and they have reported no problems.

above is the first generator power by nuclear power and capable of lighting four incandescent bulbs for its first effort. The reactor remained active and safe until it was taken off line in the early 70s. America lost its appetite for nuclear power after the accidents like Three Mile Island and Chernobyl in the late twentieth century and by the 21st their fate was sealed. Energy politics may have played a part as well – big oil and coal fought hard to stop their future development too.

Above is the center part of the reactor’s control room.

The area where this breeder reactor is located is within the expansive Idaho National Laboratories – scientific research facilities which continues to conduct important nuclear research and development. More nuclear reactors have been built there than anywhere in the world. Not all remain productive – most are for specific experiments and research rather than energy production.

This was one of the nuclear fuel rods transport systems.

Opened in the late 1940s the INL or the Laboratories occupy almost two million acres in Southwestern Idaho and are the area’s major employer, offering good jobs at their facilities. The decision to locate the huge facility in this part of Idaho was based on the low numbers of humans – farming was abandoned decades ago – and little wildlife as well as its remoteness.

In addition to the nuclear research an area of almost 1000 acres was set aside as a important sagebrush preserve – scientific studies are conducted there help us understand the impact of climate change on our environment. At a rest stop along interstate 20 you can check the current weather – temperature, humidity as well as the area’s atmospheric radiation content. A first for us!!

Pronghorn (a deer /antelope type mammal that runs up to 35 mph and eats sagebrush) are seen frequently in the preserve as are rabbits and smaller rodents – although very forbidding in appearance there is life in this desolate sagebrush prairie.

Following this visit, we stopped at the world famous “Pickle Place” for a lunch of Atomic Burgers and fried pickles – good food at the only place decent stop in town.

We departed Arco for a short stay in the oil town of Billings, Montana followed by the coal town named Butte.

Kansas City, Missouri Visits

We visited Kansa City Missouri prior to joining the Fantasy RV Rivers West/Lewis & Clark Expedition Tour so we have much to report on about this city.  The weather has been interesting – hot, thunderstorms galore and several tornado watches, but we did fine and will ultimately be happy to leave “Tornado Alley”!

 

Goodbye Riverbend – and hello to Mt Pleasant before our 2017 Tours begin. 

We had a wonderful month In LaBelle,  Florida seeing old friends and making new ones – but we left for Mt Pleasant following  a stop in Atlanta at NIRV to drop off  the Taj for some work prior to our big 6 months West Coast trip. 

We visited Sanibel, Captiva and Venice FL.  during our Riverbend stay and love these special places – we will return to them next year definitely!  The weather was fabulous and we enjoyed our second  no snow & no sleet winter!

Our Riverbend site is getting more work done – we bought stone edging to improve the gardens and add some sparkle. Our landscaper has done a great job with the shrubs and palms – we added the bouganviella  – they bring color to the gardens. But now we have stored our site’s  lawn furniture & decor – all is packed away until our return early November 2017. 

We are home in Mt Pleasant for two weeks catching up with friends and family and enjoying our lovely home. Also enjoying some crazy thunder & lightening weather!  But we are very excited about our forthcoming western USA trip including three Fantasy RV Tours/Rallies and we can’t wait to get started in May. 

But our adventures really begin with a NIRV Rally in Thackerville, Oklahoma in the end of April.   There we will spend several days with fellow Entegra Coach owners and snooze with NIRV folks.  On the way we stop in Meridian, Mississippi and Shreveport, Louisiana and travel thru eastern Texas – adding more states to our USA map! 

After the NIRV rally, we have planned visits to Oklahoma City, OK, northern Kansas – to see the “world’s largest ball of twine” and then to Kansas City, Missouri before beginning The Lewis & Clark (Rivers West) Fantasy RV Tour on May 22nd.  We begin the tour in St Charles MO north of St Louis and end in Warrenton, Oregon where Lewis first views the Pacific Ocean thus completing his assignment from President Jefferson.  

Following this first tour we have six weeks to visit friends and family in Washington, Oregon and California before beginning the National Parks West Tour in late August.   Following this amazing visit to the seven beautiful national parks around the Grand Canyon, we will join hundreds of RVers to attend the International Balloon Festival in Albuquerque NM – checking a big item on my bucket list!   

We will return to Florida in the fall via stops in Dallas, Houston and New Orleans.  Wow!  It really sounds amazing when you write it all down!  Also exhausting too – but in a good way! 

Let’s get this party started!!!

Recent photographs from Mount Pleasant & Ashley River before we evacuated. 

This was Sunday evening from our front yard. 


And this was from the bridge over the Ashley River on our way to Oaks Plantation to get onboard the Taj. Gorgeous sunset – one of hundreds we’ve seen but we hoped it was a good omen. 

Our first evacuation!

Being from the Northeast means we get the instruction – “shelter in place” and – stay indoors to be safe – so getting an evacuation order on Tuesday was pretty weird. Leaving our new home was hard – although we done it before – leaving not knowing what palm trees will be standing was nerve wracking. But we also heard that the Oaks Plantation campground on Johns Island was closing so we had to move the motor coach somewhere safe. 

So we packed up some food, clothes & the dogs and headed to the Taj. We planned to leave early Wednesday AM and after many try’s we found a camp site north of Charlotte NC  – a KOA in Statesville some 250 miles away. And because our new car is coming in mid October the C-RV can’t be towed anymore.  I would drive the car with dogs & Rick would drive coach. 

It was a long day – 700 am to 200 pm was exhausting – with lots of traffic and three dog stops  but we arrived and are happy we evacuated. The Motorcoach was safe & so were we. We would head back home on Monday & do the return trip over 2 days. 

Meantime it’s fall here in midland/western NC and a bit cooler than we are comfortable with. It takes getting used to 50 degree temps at night. 

 The Dogs were freaked out by the drive and very nervous resulting from the quick trip  but they should relax by tomorrow. There isn’t much to do here but watch weather news & movies – it’s not a big tourist spot although there is a Nascar Speedway 25 miles away.  We will however add this unusual experience to our adventure list.

 Matthew is a Cat 4 hurricane and making land fall Mid East Florida coast now. She’ll be close to Charleston in less than 24 hrs. – Saturday & Sunday. Our fingers are crossed that she weakens and we just had a nice four day visit to NC. But either way we are glad we evacuated – especially since our insurance would not like it if we stayed & had damage. 

So we will update everyone when we see the full impact of the storm  – pray  it is safe for all. 
 

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