3rd Leg: Offutt AFB, Nebraska

3rd Leg: Topeka to Offutt AFB, Nebraska
Distance: 232 miles
Two more toll roads out of Kansas ($6.10) and we’re into Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska. Visible even on the west side of Missouri and Iowa are fields with crops partially and sometimes completely under water. Our navigation system selected the main gate to Offutt AFB instead of the one on the opposite side of the base that was close to the FAM Camp RV Park. As we approached the gate I could see that this was probably not the best decision we could have made. For about a hundred yards just inside the gate were serpentine barricades set up for security purposes. It didn’t look very passable with a 33’ travel trailer following us. I said to the guard “This might not have been a very good idea”. He said “Hey, a big tour bus just came through and he made it OK”. After he checked my ID and told us we were on the wrong side of the base he said if you can get through you can cut through the base to the Bellevue gate and then the RV Camp is right by the lake, etc. So, why not? We towed that 33’ trailer right down the main drag of Offutt AFB, right in front of the Headquarters building and right out the other side, no sweat.
We’re all checked in the RV camp (run by the AF) and it is a really nice place. Linda said “Well that takes care of the base tour for tomorrow”.
Tomorrow we will still visit the memorials here at Offutt and see what else we can find.

First Leg: Oklahoma City!

First Leg: Fort Worth to Oklahoma City
Distance = 204 miles,
Thoughts From The Road:
Leaving Texas and entering into Oklahoma you see highway and medians and parkways the way they ought to be. The road is great and the grass is managed beautifully and each time I’ve been this way it looks like it was just mowed. I can remember when I was a kid growing up along the Gulf Coast in Texas we thought Texas had the best highways anywhere. A lot has changed since then of course, but all one has to do is just get out on the road and you can see that the massive amount of traffic streaming up from the Rio Grande Valley along I-45 and I-35 northward, plus population growth in the State, places a huge strain on highway maintenance. Almost all of the main roads traveled today are 4 and 6 lane highways. Back in the old days most roads were 2 lane roads and passing the car in front of you with oncoming traffic, was a learned skill, one that is almost lost with the multi-lane highways of today.
We pulled into the Twin Fountains RV Park under darkening skies and the immediate threat of heavy rain. I hurried with the hook up before it came with the thoughts of Iowa running through my head. I finished just as it started to rain, harder, so I ducked inside to wait for the satellite dish to align (no cable here). Since the last it was on was in Fort Worth it will take a few minutes to find the satellite. Ah, success! We will have TV tonight. This is a very nice RV park…nicely laid out but like so many others it is close to a busy street and there may be some road noise tonight. We need to get to bed early tonight though because we are going to try to make it to Topeka early enough to run over to Kansas City for some of Arthur Bryant’s famous Bar-B-Que. Well, just as suddenly it started to rain, it now has stopped and the sun is shining. Hey, let’s grab the doggies and go for a walk.

If it's Houston.....it's James Coney Island

When my brother and I were growing up in Houston, one of the best memories in my life was eating at James Coney Island downtown. I remember we use to cut through our neighbor's backyard to the bus stop, catch a bus to downtown Houston and head over to James Coney Island on Walker Street. We would sit there and consume at least 3 or 4 chili dogs and a 6oz coke then skip around the corner to a movie theater. After that we'd head back for more chili dogs. I think the secret was how finely those onions were chopped. Anyway, by the time that was over we could barely make it to a bus stop much less climb on board for the 20 minute ride back home.

This coming weekend I will try to re-enact that scene I remember from days long ago. We're going to visit by brother for a couple of days there and fortunately we won't have to go downtown (there are several James Coney Island places near him now) and we won't eat as many (maybe) but no trip to Houston is a good one without at least one trip for chili dogs.