Oklahoma, Missouri and Route 66

Oklahoma, Missouri and Route 66


We departed the KOA outside Amarillo after a bitter cold and extremely windy night. The winds were in the 25 mph range and the temps were in the 20's! It was so windy, I pulled in the sides that night to reduce the rocking and possible damage to the slide awnings. As we were heading out, Cindy noticed a propane smell outside and now our propane tank was almost empty. We had needed propane for heat the last 3 nights and thought we drained it, but decided to keep a tab on the odor (our fridge runs on propane while travelling). We drove a few hours on I40 East towards the Texas/Oklahoma Border, where we planned on switching over to old Route 66. We got on at Texola, OK and two miles later pulled in at the Tumbleweed Grill and General Store.  Before going inside to order lunch, (grilled onion burgers) we again detected a propane odor. I retrieved a bowl of soapy water and proceeded to test the various connections I could get to. All the joints for the tank,  water heater and fridge tested OK. Could it  be because the tank is low or ? We ate our lunch and looked around at other buildings in the area.

yummy and fun! Tumbleweed Grill

what once was - Rt 66 The Mother Road

Trying to solve the odor puzzle, we continued on. We drove a few miles to a Loves and filled the gas and propane. The smell persisted. Calling ahead we found an RV dealer, McClains in Oklahoma City that coud squeeze us in if we could get there before 5:30. It was 150 miles away and 2:30 pm! Back on I40 and up to the 70 mph speed limit and 2 hours later we were pulling into McClains RV! They were expecting us and quickly pulled Winnie in to the shop. 15 Minutes later, Lance Tate, the Service Advisor came out to me with the scoop. The flexible line feeding the propane stove/oven had cracked (age combined with moving the slide in the extreme cold temps? the night before?) They didn't have the part nor could they cap off the line so we could use the there propane accessories. He advised we keep the propane tank valve closed and only use electric heat and fridge until we got home and got Winnie to the dealer here. Not a big issue, we would be sure to book sites with electric for the remainder of the homeward trip. Lance recommended a Good Sam RV Park only a mile away and after informing us there would be no fee, we were on our way to our home for the night!

Saturday morning we hit the road before 7am. The overnight temps put a hurt on our heat pump to keep up and we fired up the RV, disconnected, stopped at the Valero on the corner and after fueling up were on our way East on I40 heading towards I 44. We traveled past Oklahoma City then hopped off to travel more of RT 66, specifically the town of Chandler. Chandler was well worth the visit - a lot of vintage buildings including a 1920's Phillips 66 cottage gas station and numerous 1920's buildings now housing modern businesses. We visited the coffee shop, Manvel Ave Coffee and had a good latte, a breakfast panini and a street waffle. Yummy! then after discovering we couldn't continue East with the RV due to construction, we returned to I44. Oklahoma has a very different approach to toll roads (44 is one of the) You pay the full amount and get a refund if you exit early? Weird -BTW: EZPass not welcome.

late 1920's gas station. Island for pumps in foreground. lift to the left

downtown Chandler, OK -part of old Rt 66

Manvel Ave Coffee breakfast

Nice Latte to start the day!

We caught a few more miles of Rt 66 before Tulsa and then veered off due East towards Arkansas and our eventual stop for the night in Southwest Missouri - Stagestop Campground, near Neosho. We have now RV'd in 48 out of the 50 state!  Only Hawaii and..... Rhode Island remain. To us that means camped and/or driven through in with a camper or motorhome.

Arriving at Stagestop was a pleasant experience. We had called ahead and the last site (there are only 16) was waiting for us. We pulled in, hooked up the power, ate dinner and ran a few loads of wash in their laundry. The entire campground was spotless, with a nice area for CJ. We would recommend a one night stay, the size and general lack of attractions in the area being taken into consideration.

We had a short driving day planned, mainly consisting of crossing southern Missouri on RT 60. Looking for attractions en route that may be of interest, we decided on stopping in Mansfield, Mo and visiting the  home of author Laura Ingalls Wilder of "Little House on the Prairie" fame. this is where she spent the majority of her adult life and where she wrote her books. An interesting house, almost perfectly preserved as it was turned into a museum within 3 months of her death. There is also the stone cottage she lived in briefly nearby. We were able to navigate in to the parking lot and park  (taking multiple spaces sideways) and the tour last 1 hr. A nice stop and a good way to break up the driving if you are in the area.

Laura Ingalls Wilder House - remarkably intact

well known author lived in Mansfield Missouri many years

Then back out to Rt 60 and our home for the evening, Camelot RV Park in Popular Bluff, MO. Again, this was just for an overnight, and with our dependence on electricity due to our broken propane line, the electric hookups were most welcome. (temps were staying in the lower 20's overnight this entire time). Kind of hilly, the RV leveled up ok, but Jeep was hanging on a rather steep grade. (I made sure Jeep's parking brake was on and the RV wheel chocks secure). While I setup, Cindy walked CJ over to the dog exercise area. (VERY SPECIFIC RULES ON DOGS) and we settled in for the night while watching TV! - American Pickers! We hadn't turned on the TV since leaving Home.

The next morning, clean the windshield, check tire pressures and oil level, disconnect, close up and down the road to Kentucky. Pennyrile State Resort Park, touching base with cousin Casey and a little genealogy research awaited. The drive took 4-5 hours and there really wasn't anything to pull over to see. We motored along, crossing the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers before pulling into PSRP mid afternoon. The road back to PSRP gets smaller and more twisted as you approach the park. At times, with the abrupt drop off on both sides, we were very glad to not meet a lot of on coming traffic. The park is very nice, well maintained and includes a lodge, mini golf course, lake, laundry facilities and other amenities. However, as was our experience with My Old Kentucky Home State Park, they really need to learn how to use a level! We backed in to our site and considered getting a different one. We stayed after checking out several that were available, but similar. We used 4 rows of leveler blocks on the passenger side and it was still not quite level, including the hydraulic leveler system on the RV. It was usable, but the first steep up was over a foot in height!  All in all though, a nice place. Great Showers!!!

take care - CJ

Santa Fe

Santa Fe

After the excitement of Balloon Fiesta, we headed up to Santa Fe and the off grid quiet of Black Canyon Campground in the Santa Fe National Forrest. A small (30+ sites), no water or power campground, Black Canyon is in stark contrast to what we had experienced at Albuquerque. Set in a small, steep walled canyon 7 miles and a thousand feet in elevation above the capital city of New Mexico, Black Canyon is a beautiful spot to spend a few days in nature. Note: BC is immediately next to Hyde Memorial State Park. There are tall pines and cool breezes and the campsites are widely spaced from each other. The entire facility appears to have been refurbished just recently and all the facilities including the vault toilets were in excellent condition. We backed in, leveled up and put the slides out. This was to be our home for almost a week. However an approaching cold front with temps in the teens and 25-30 mph winds would initiate our early departure.

Black Canyon Campground

Winnie at Black Canyon

We went into Santa Fe mid afternoon to shop for groceries (an event that happens every 3-4 days with a small RV fridge). We got some ready assembled meals as well as the basics, then cruised around Santa Fe briefly to check out the architecture. ( very cool, lots of old  buildings in various styles) then climbed back up the canyon to camp by late afternoon. A walk around the campsite with CJ, then dinner and settling in for the night. Heat was going to be needed as you could see your breath when I took CJ for his last walk. That meant running the propane furnace. No problem, however the blower motor will pull quite a few amps and necessitate charging either by solar panels or generator in the morning to maintain a full charge. (solar in BC is sketchy with the large pines). We stayed warm enough, but I felt sorry for the tent dwellers in the morning. Temps were in the low 30's and those outside when I walked CJ at first light were in heavy coats and hats. One camper, having a motorcycle for transportation,  didn't have the option of climbing in the car and turning on the heat for warmth. A campfire would have to suffice.

large selection of second hand boots at Encore

nice walking/bike trail near light rail line

We made breakfast, headed down again to Santa Fe, this time to visit the Library and publish a BLOG entry, then over to a local eater for some southwest cuisine in a dog friendly environment (check Bring Fido). La Choza provided us with a tasty lunch, fine service and CJ would go there again if the opportunity presents itself. It is located near the light rail line and a walking/bike path. After lunch, we headed into old town and the Governors' Palace. There, under a centuries old portico, Pueblo Artisans sell authenticated crafts such as jewelry, baskets and drums. CJ and I , after parking only a short distance away, did a quick look at the various wares, then headed across the street to the park. Cindy did some shopping and decided on a silver ring engraved with Native symbols (bison, sun, arrow and bear). While Cindy was shopping, CJ and I snagged an empty park bench. We were only seated a minute or two when an older couple approached and asked if they could sit there as well. Of course. We got to talking, and the woman asked where I was from. Pennsylvania. Where in Pa? Lancaster County. " I graduated from Lancaster General Hospital School of Nursing"! Again a small world. They live in Texas for the last 60 years! Cindy returned with her purchase, we bid safe travels to our new acquaintances and returned to camp.

Light Rail nicely done in Santa Fe

Turquoise Trail attraction - pretty desolate

Lunch time! - nice place, great food!

After another chilly night, we headed out to travel the Turquoise Trail. An older road, just East of I25, that runs through the area where they mined a lot of turquoise. It's pretty rugged country and the part that we explored was pretty forlorn. My hat is off to those who attempted to make a living there. Upon returning, we were monitoring the weather and decided that we would pack up and get headed East. The forecast was calling for lows in the 20's over night and 25-30 mph winds. I could see no sense sitting in the RV through that. So By dusk, everything was packed up for an early departure.

Native Craftsmen display their wares at Governors'' Mansion - Santa Fe

The next morning, we were closed up and I pulled the wheel chocks while Cindy started the RV. I gave here the go ahead and she move forward off the leveling blocks and as she did, there was a loud scraping noise! In my haste (not a good thing with RVs) I forgot we had put down the rear levelers!) They survived and passed a function test as well as did not show any error codes on the panel. WHEW!

With that situation in hopefully under control, we headed East onto I 25 for our last New Mexico destination - Las Vegas and the small museum there. During the Spanish American Was in 1898, a few of Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders had come from that area and the town's museum had a small display of artifacts. We arrived right at the 10 am opening, I entered and got a brief tour (the entire space is only about 600 sq ft)  and returned to the RV. The high winds I mentioned above were coming and due to hit Las Vegas around 11 am. Time to make tracks! We experienced a bit of buffeting, but in a manner of 10-15 miles, we were pulling ahead of them and the rest of the day, until we reached our stop for the night, the KOA in Amarillo,  they were behind us. Once we got there, things changed dramatically!

my favorite President!

Our stay at Black Canyon was enjoyable and Santa Fe is worth a visit. If the weather was a bit more cooperative, we might have taken in a few of the museums. Mid September would be a better time for camping at those higher elevations (over 8000 ft)

take care - CJ