Roadrunner Rerun: Camp River Dubois - More Lewis and Clark

The idea of 'Rerun' is more of my attempt at "taking a another run at this ("blog" as I will call them from this point forward although it is technically a post and not a blog...)."  I have started and not completed a lot of different ones over the years but want to go back and finish some.  For example, I've completed and published 1128 since 2008 and have 174 "in draft".  Here is one I wanted to complete:
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Lewis and Clark at Camp Dubois

We passed Oregon and and Washington in July and August of this year (2016).  We are fascinated by the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1803-1806) and have learned a lot more about it since we started RVing in 2009. This summer, after seeing the Oregon Coast, we made it a point to visit the site where Lewis and Clark actually first saw the Pacific Ocean.  Also about that time, I had a chance to complete Stephen Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage" while recuperating from retina detachment surgery.  It was an excellent read/listen (via Audible.com) and helped me learn more about their expedition.

The Lewis and Clark entourage ("Journey of Discovery") left the St. Louis area in May 1804. They began their expedition after training and getting outfitted for the journey at Camp Dubois (Camp Woods) which is not far from St. Louis and what is today Hartford, Illinois.  It was astonishing to me on a number of levels.  To me, this whole effort including the planning, preparation and execution of it (1803-1806) was like sending a man like sending a man to the moon in 1969.

The insight and education of Lewis was amazing.  He did a crash course in botany, medicine, politics,  Indian relations, hunting, fishing, survival, etc.  Additionally, he knew how to select and train men of a certain character and skill set that would serve the group well.  Above all, he had leadership skills that postured him for the arduous and unbelievable hardships he and his men faced.

Toward the end of our summer travels and the closer we got to the St. Louis area, the more we realized we wanted to find out about Camp Dubois.  We found an excellent place to do just that at the Lewis and Clark State Historic State Park.  This place is not far from the actual Camp Dubois site which was along the Missouri River.  The precise location of the camp is thought to be now in the middle of the river.  Over time, the course of the river has changed and now flows over the original encampment location.

When we arrived it was in the early afternoon and the Park was almost empty.  There were three volunteers (that we saw) running the place and the only other visitors were a couple plus Pam and me.

The small visitor center was deceiving - it has lots of great displays and information.

One thing the docent mentioned was how many places in America claim "to be the starting point of the "Journey of Discovery".  They themselves were as quoted as saying Camp Dubois was their departure point.

Lewis served with Clark at one time and when asked by President Jefferson to undertake the task, he picked his friend and former commander.  History records them to be one of the all-time most
effective duos in our nation's history.  They both worked very well together and complimented each other's strengths.

The visitor center did a good job of showing the different trades that the men needed for their journey. Both Clark and Lewis took part in selecting the men.  Of the 30+ that comprised the total, only about 20 ended up completing the entire expedition.  One man, Sergeant Floyd was lost due to illness with what was thought to be a ruptured appendix in the first year (1804) after they left Camp Dubois.

The second winter they stayed near what is present day Washburn ND.  They built was was known as Fort Mandan, named after the friendly and hospital Indians of the area who were helpful to them during the cold and brutal season.  The winter was harsh and they built the fort for protection from the elements and Indians.  This was the second of three forts(Camp Dubois, Fort Mandan and Fort Clatsop - near Astoria, Oregon.)

Here at the Historic Site, the building itself is unique.  This angle gives the idea of the bow of a boat.  Lewis and Clark made good use of a keelboat (also shown in pictures below) moving their supplies up down the Missouri River.

Also on the property is an old cabin that provides a little insight into what they might have looked like back in the early 1800s.

From a distance on the property, you can see a replica of Camp Dubois and the layout.

When we arrived we began going through the displays inside the Visitor's Center, but then got the offer of an outside tour with a docent which we did that.  Then we returned inside to see the rest of the museum. I thought the displays were well done.  They provide context and some chronology of what happen to whom and when.  I like that.

Surprising to me but, there are more than a dozen Lewis and Clark sites.  Way more -- in fact 53 to be exact as listed here.

I liked this map that gives a good idea of where they left Camp Dubois heading northwest to Fort Mandan and on to the Missouri River, over the Cascade Mountains and onto the Columbia River and out to the Pacific Ocean.  On the return trip, Lewis and Clark divided the men and split up for a time before joining back together and completing the journey.

The keelboat was very important to them and the museum had a cutaway replica of it.

This is a replica of a dugout canoe they used.

There was a lot to see and to absorb, but our stop at Camp Dubois (Lewis and Clark State Historic Park) was a good one.  Makes me want to see the other 50+ museums and sites.
Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Roadrunner Financials - August 2016

Roadrunner Recap
In August, we left Portland, OR and headed estate and then south from Sioux Falls to Memphis TN,.  The big event was recovering from my retina detachment surgery in Portland where we stayed from the last week of July into the middle of August.  

We also stopped along the way at:

• Portland Fairview RV Park, Portland OR
• Four Seasons RV Park, Walla Walla WA
• Cummins Spokane Jim and Mary's - Missoula MT
• Mountain Range RV Park - Columbus MT
• Peter D - Sheridan WY
• Sleepy Hollow Campground - Wall, SD
• WH Lyons Fairgrounds - Sioux Falls SD
• Griff's Valley View RV Park, Altoona IA
• HWH Parking Lot, Moscow IA
• Galesburg East Campground, Knoxville IL
• Cahokia RV Parque, East St Louis MO
• Scott AFB IL FamCamp, MO
• Hinton RV Park, Sikeston MO
• Mid South Navy RV Park Millington TN

Here's an interactive map of our travels:

Or, if you prefer and find this easier to navigate, here is a static map:

We spent the month leaving Portland and taking a route east through Montana and into Wyoming.  We were able to see the beautiful Columbia River Gorge, the spacious and scenic Montana vistas and we stopped at the Custer / Little Big Horn Memorial Historic Site.  We ended up in Memphis were we took in the fun Graceland home and museum.  It was a busy month!

Good News Areas We Are Under Budget

Biggest Expenses
Our most expensive categories included:

• Fuel
• Maintenance
• Campgrounds and 
• Eating Out

Large One Time Cost Item
In August, we had work done at Cummins Spokane ($212) and then we had the slideout fixed at HWH in Moscow Iowa ($885).

Monthly Average

Our monthly average  is still sadly way above what we were hoping for.  The RV Maintenance and paying for high season campground sites also were factors in our overage.

That's a snapshot of how we're feeling about the cost of things on this Full-Time Journey.  We are in month 87 of "Living the Dream".

Hopefully, some of the thoughts and figures are of some interest/value/curiosity.  If you'd like a blank spreadsheet of what I use I'd be glad to send you it at no charge to do with what you wish.  

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

More Throwed Rolls on the Road

This is a look at our itinerary for the next few days.  We left Scott AFB FamCamp yesterday morning and are slowly making our way to Red Bay Alabama for some work on the Roadrunner.  We are arriving at Red Bay for the Labor Day Weekend and have some time to get there.

Last night we stayed at Hinton RV Park which is a great overnight stop in Sikeston, MO.  It was only about 3 hours from Scott AFB and right along our route.  Next, we'll spend a couple of days outside of Memphis and see some sights there before heading into Red Bay.

We got into our open, flat and level campsite about noon.  It was hot outside and a chance for me to wash the Roadrunner.

It was really hot so I put up some shade in the form or our new REI canopy.  I am really going to like this one!

It's been a while since I had a chance to scrub the coach down and clean it up.  I really need to wax it too, but that will probably come next week at Red Bay.

In our research to find a decent campground I came across a review of someone who mentioned Lambert's Cafe - home of the Throwed Rolls.  Once I saw the reviews of the campground and mention of Lambert's - I knew this is where we wanted to overnight.

We first heard of Lambert's while in Pensacola a few years ago.  We drove over to Foley AL with some friends and had lunch.  It was a hoot!  If you have never been to Lambert's at one of their three locations (Foley AL, Ozark MO near Springfield, the the original-first-one here in Sikeston MO.)  

Lambert's started as a cafe in 1942 when things were pretty tough.  Earl and Agnes started the cafe after borrowing $1500 to get started.  After Earl died, his brother and wife joined Agnes running the place.

It was crowded one day at lunch time and a customer said, "just toss me a roll" and that's how the now famous "Throwed Rolls" began.  They also have "pass arounds" which are on the house and include:

• hot rolls, (with apple butter and/or sorghum),
• macaroni and tomatoes,
• fried okra, 
• black eyed peas,
• fried potatoes and onions

Different folks walk around and ask if you want one of the pass arounds and serve it up right there.  

 If you look real hard you can see the guy cocking his arm to toss Pam and me each a roll.  

 We were two for two!  Both of us caught one from clear across the room.  Next, a young lady stopped by with the apple butter and sorghum, both of which were good.  I also had some fried okra which was pretty good.

We opted for the catfish and shared one plate.  There was plenty of food there for both of us.  It came with an additional two sides.  We had the baked beans and coleslaw.

Yikes!  One doesn't go to Lambert's to watch their weight!  But it is a unique place and a lot of fun.

We went to dinner early in case there might be a tour bus at Lambert's or a lot of people.  There were neither but the result was we had plenty of time for an early evening drive around town.  Low and behold we saw a small sign for the outlet stores.

Apparently there were a couple of dozen stores there at one time, but this shopping center had clearly seen a better day.  But they had a few stores worth stopping in and looking around.  One was Carter's Kids -  that was trouble!  We picked up a couple of shirts and pants for our fast growing little grandson Brooks.  At 18 months he is wearing 2 size clothes.

We also stopped by Bass Clothing store.  We didn't find anything there but had some time to chat with a couple of young ladies at the store on a slow evening.  They asked where we were from and we got into a brief discussion of our lifestyle.  I gave them a contact card and encouraged them to take a look at the blog here.

I asked if I could take a picture and they were more than glad to do so.  Antrava is on the left, Autumn is on the right.  It was nice to talk a little with them.  And nice to see more young people working.  Just like at Lambert's -- we saw a lot of young people working there too.

That's about it -- one overnight stop along our way from St. Louis to Red Bay.  We set up some shade, washed the Roadrunner, had dinner and fun at Lambert's and had time to meet some locals while picking up something we couldn't do without for our favorite grandson.

It was another great day as a full-timer.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Roadrunner Financials - July 2015

Roadrunner Recap
In July, we began the month at a great campground at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.  We were surprised there to meet up with a number of friends including some we didn't know had moved their from San Diego.

After a couple of weeks in the Colorado Springs / Denver area we moved on down the road heading east to see the Eisenhower Presidential Museum and Library and the Kansas State Capitol in Salina.

We met up with long time friends in Branson MO for a some golf and a couple of great shows.  Next we made our way over to Pam's sister and brother-in-law's place in Maynardville TN where we have an RV pad and hook ups with a sewer dump.  It was another busy month on the road!

• Peregrine Pines FamCamp USAFA, Colorado CO
• Buckley AFB, FamCamp- Denver CO                                                                       
• Salina KOA, Salina KS                       
• Osage Prairie RV Park, Nevada MO           
• America's Best Campground, Branson, MO                       
• Lady Luck Casino CG, Caruthersville, MO           
• Nashville East KOA, Lebanon TN           
• Roadrunner RV Resort and Campground, Maynardville, TN            

Good News Areas We Are Under Budget

We were under budget in RV Maintenance Repairs and Campgrounds as well as Household Items

Biggest Expenses
Our biggest expenses this month were in diesel and gas.  We also were way over in Computer Accessories and Entertainment.

Large One Time Cost Item
We had more than one high cost item with a hard drive upgrade on my aging MacBook laptop an iPad Bluetooth keyboard, and training classes ($309) at the Mac Super Store in Colorado Springs.
We added an expensive round of golf and two shows in Branson MO that while 'worth it' were $200. 

Monthly Average

At $304 over the monthly average, we are not on a very good glidepath to keep to our budget for the year.  We will have to have a few lean months to get back near our target numbers.

As always, if you think this spreadsheet might be useful I'd be glad to pass it along at no cost.  Just let me know.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Making Our Way to Wisconsin

We stayed at a couple of pretty good campgrounds on our way here to Wisconsin.  During our time in Independence, we stayed at Blue Springs County RV Campground (a Corps of Engineers) park run by the county in Independence, MO.

This had very nice campsites with plenty of space and it was well maintained.  We were only a few minutes off the freeway but it seemed as if we were way out in the country which we enjoyed.  

There were not a lot of trees near the campsite we reserved but there was one that was obscuring our satellite dish.  Sometimes we set up and check things out as if it might the first time we have ever done this.  Have you done that lately?  We normally turn on the satellite before we get in place just to make sure we can get a good signal.  Not this time.  We got all set up, then check out the TV.  Oops.  No TV.

The campground was mostly empty so we decided to see if we could get another site nearby.  We had to go back to the campground host and see how things looked.  It worked out well and we got the site right next to the one we had reserved.  We unhooked everything, stowed stuff, took in the slides were packed up in 15 minutes for our relocation 30 feet away.  Ugh… it was really hot and we wished we had checked out the TV before we got all set up.  Every done that?

And the new site was great.  So it was worth the effort and we were glad we move.  We were there Monday through Thursday and it was a quiet, peaceful, very enjoyable campground.

From Independence, we traveled 350 miles to Mason City, Iowa.  We picked out the MacNider Mason City Campground and it was another good choice.  

The campsites were closer together but it worked out fine.  

A couple of pluses for the campground is the laundry/toilet/shelter building

It can accommodate the whole campground in case of a tornado which is good to know.

And across the way about 150 yards, is the local community pool.

And a good looking pool at that with plenty of lanes for laps.

We enjoyed these two campgrounds and like the idea of staying at something that was a little different than the 'standard' commercial campgrounds along the way.  It was a nice change of pace for us and we recommend them both.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time...

KC Royals Baseball Game

It was only a 20 minute drive from our campground into Kansas City to Kaufman Stadium which is the home of the Kansas City Royals.  They were playing the Atlanta Braves so we decided to go see the game.

It was a perfect and warm summer evening.  We arrived a little early to the game and we could smell the barbecue among the tailgaters.

 We entered at the far corner near right field and strolled around the displays.  George Brett had a long and brilliant career here.

 They have a small but excellent baseball museum over near left field so we took a look there.

Kansas City has three Hall of Famer's including George Brett.

I liked the stadium.  It is another great one.  The grass and field were immaculate.

 The huge scoreboard in center field was well done too.  Not so huge it was gaudy or out of place.  During the game they had it organized with a lot of information which made it easy to track the players and their position in the line up.

 Our view was a good one, between home and the third base dugout.

 They started at 7:10 PM and we left before the game was over.  It went extra innings with the Braves pulling it out.

Fun night and a new MLB stadium.  We are glad we went!

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles today.  And thanks for the comments!

Until next time...