Since leaving North Carolina in April, we have traveled through Tennessee (visiting friends) to Branson (beware of visitor centers) and across Kansas (beautiful locations, angry skies) into Colorado (high altitude).
May 22 marked our fifth anniversary as full-time RV travelers. We have yet to enter every state (about 10 left to go), but I am always devising new ways and routes to get us into the remaining ones. Our “rule” to get a state officially on our map is to stay at least one night in that state with our Airstream (except for Hawaii – I’d like to return there for a visit while we still consider ourselves full-time RVers).
We have been fortunate to meet some fabulous people along the way, and we spent the end of April and the beginning of May visiting with some of them. First, we met up with Mickey and Dennis at Thousand Trails Natchez Trace in Tennessee, enjoying the opportunity to reconnect with them, canoe on the Buffalo River, and hike to some nearby waterfalls. Carl and I also spent some time riding his motorcycle on quiet back roads, exploring the area. We then visited our friends Kelli and Bobby near Milan (not like Italy – it’s pronounced MyLynn). Kelli and Bobby were full-time RVers until the end of 2024 and have now settled in the western part of Tennessee. Bobby cooked us some delicious meals, we played some games, and we just enjoyed spending some quality time with them.
We then found our way to a Corps of Engineers campground, Old 86, on Table Rock Lake just outside of Branson, Missouri. We loved the campground, but the drive to it was adventurous. The area around Branson is very hilly, and there was a long, steep decline right down to the entrance of the campground. We were not in the area long, but we visited a fish hatchery, explored the historic downtown area, and went on a dinner cruise on the Branson Belle – it was very entertaining, and the food was delicious. But BEWARE if you visit Branson! There are visitor centers in various parts of Branson that are literally TIMESHARE TRAPS! We happened to go into one, and I let Carl get me sucked into a timeshare “tour.” The downside… a waste of 2 hours of my precious time, and the salesman getting upset because we said no, implying that we could “get someone fired.” Give me a break! The upside… they gave us a $200 AmEx card that we have already used. If you go to Branson, don’t even bother going into a visitor center — they aren’t what you would expect.
We spent a couple of weeks in Kansas – one week at Corps of Engineers campgrounds on Clinton Lake near Lawrence, Kansas, outside of Kansas City, and another several days boondocking on Antelope Lake in the upper middle-western part of the state. Kansas always has “angry skies” – lots of scary-looking clouds that look like they want to wreak havoc with major storms. We did get rain on and off while there, but nothing torrential or intimidating. The cloud cover was “all bark and no bite,” at least while we were there. Unfortunately, while we were in Lawrence, tornadoes created some devastation just over the border in Missouri. We were finally graced with clear blue skies the day we left Kansas, making our way to our next boondocking spot.
Highlights of Kansas included enjoying a street festival in downtown Lawrence, visiting Eisenhower’s Presidential Library location, and exploring Nicodemus, a National Historic Site – “the first western town built and settled by black settlers in 1877.
And into Colorado we went. We were not sure if the weather would permit us to boondock in the mountains outside of Colorado Springs. Rain was forecast for the entire week. However, we arrived at the Rampart Range boondocking area without any problems and found a spot that offered a spectacular view of Pikes Peak. Carl rode his motorcycle around various dirt roads in the Rampart Range area, and he created some videos (check out his “guy” channel at https://www.youtube.com/@carl2591). We also ventured into Manitou Springs to ride the cograil to the top of Pikes Peak, and we hiked the Rainbow Gulch trail to the Rampart Reservoir, a popular spot for anglers. It is the first hike we’ve gone on where we were caught in the rain. Luckily, we had rain ponchos in our backpack. It was a light yet steady downpour for the last 3/4 of our hike! We weren’t the only ones on the trail. Anglers are dedicated to their hobby. As we neared the end of our hike, feeling soaked, we passed people heading to the reservoir to fish.
We are now in Fort Collins visiting our daughter, Rachel, and catching up on some minor tasks while the sun is shining.
Next up… Wyoming, the Tetons, Yellowstone (revisit our blog from 2020 – Yellowstone National Park…Four Days Not Enough/ and 2024 – Summer 2024 Recap), and more!
Enjoy your days, and keep them riveting!
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