What A Day !!

First stop today was to the Dept of Treasury Engraving and Printing Currency Facility...there are only two in the US, one in Washington and one in Fort Worth.  These are the facilities that make the paper money that the Federal Reserve Banks (12 of those) order...to the tune of 1.5 Billion bills being made per day to fill this years order.  75% of the bills made are replacement bills...so out with the old, in with the new !  We learned all kinds of little tidbits about money...here's one more: The largest bill made now is a $100.00, because of the ability to transfer funds through technology their is no need for larger denominations of cash.  Anyway, don't challenge any of us four to a trivia contest about money, we could probably win that one!

No pictures allowed inside the facility, you would not believe the security around this place ! 

Next stop was to the Cowboy Stadium, in Arlington which is halfway between Dallas and Ft Worth.  We were trying to make up for the fabulous (and expensive) dinner we had last night and decided to do a picnic lunch today.  Well, we found a tree at the stadium and tailgated ! It was very cool.  Here is the statue of Tom Landry, legendary coach for the Cowboys and someone Joe and I just knew would have a statue !  

Our day was concluded with a trip into downtown Dallas to see the JFK Assassination sight.  We didn't do the tour because we all pretty much felt like we knew all we needed to know about that historic event.  We did get to go down the on-ramp by the grassy knoll (remember that?) and see the marker that is now placed where he was assassinated.  They also have a gift shop there now which is all about JFK...we had to hit that of course ! 

So, we have a few more places to see in Dallas and some nice weather to explore in !  Dallas is pretty awesome and we are really enjoying it ! xxoo TML

Ft.Worth Stockyards

We spent our day at the Ft.Worth Stockyards and we had a ball.  In the book they are described as the historic part of livestock industry of Texas and I can show you better than describe it but Ill start by explaining that it is like being in a western town, brick roads and people on horses too.  Okay here goes:

Main Street...lots of shopping, steak houses, etc.

This statue is outside the colliseum, where rodeo's are held each Friday night.  The colliseum was built in 88 days back in 1907.  On one end of the colliseum is a Rodeo Hall Of Fame Wall !

This was sooooo cool.  Made out of iron and I took pictures of the boots but on the top they had cowboy hats hanging.  Very clever and photo worthy !

They just let us roam around the colliseum and Hall of Fame without charge or escort.  My kind of tour !

Billy Bob's is the largest honky tonk in Texas and a hip-hoppin place on Friday Night.  It includes an indoor rodeo too and this is where a lot of big name country singers perform.

We were there at 4PM so we got to see the Cattle Drive.  Joe took these pictures !

We topped our day of at Catleman's Steak House with a BIG OLE STEAK !  xxoo TML

Texas Two Steppin' !

We arrived in Texas, at Cedar Hill State Park which is 16 miles from Dallas.  It's noticeably hotter here than anywhere we have been so far and it feels wonderful.  We are on a lake but our campsites are not lake front.  This is a 5-night stop so we have lots to see and do in the Dallas Fort Worth area. 

Had a little incident today with Chastine's tow car, when the tow bar snapped.  We noticed it right away when the car swayed and Joe and Henry were able to take it to a welder down the road and get it re-welded.  This happened back in Oklahoma and the weld is very secure now so all is good again. These little set backs are unnerving but we are so grateful that each one that we have had has been an easy fix. 

So, here we are in Texas and all four of us are looking forward to a Texas Size Steak at some point ! xxoo TML

Grab a cup of coffee...long blog today !

Today we really saw the sights, starting with the University of Oklahoma Football Stadium, which is as big if not bigger than Alabama's stadium.  What was most cool about it was the statues that are in the park at Gate 9.  These are the Heisman Trophy winners that have come from UO.  Here is one of the statues:

Next we headed to the Oklahoma City Memorial, from the bombing at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995.  I had been to the memorial with my mom a few years back but now they have a museum and it is very well done.  The way it is presented is graphic and really puts you into the moment..painful at times.  We all could not stop thinking about what we saw and learned there.  The lawn of the area where the building once stood has a chair for each of the 168 people that died there...and there is a chain link fence along 5th Avenue with mementos people have left over the years.  Its very moving and a place we will not soon forget ! 

Next we went to the National Cowboy and Heritage Museum.  Yee Haw !  We saw all kinds of cowboys, rodeo guys, ranchers, shoot-em' ups and everything in between.  I took some pictures of the statues, which were really neat..bronze mostly and huge !  John Wayne had a huge presence here !  Do not ask me why Abraham Lincoln was there but he looked really good !  Anyway, enjoy these:

John Wayne

Ronald Reagan

Route 66 was next, we just had to get our kicks while we were so close by ! 

And to top all this off, we just happened to be driving by and noticed this little sign !  Who'd a thunk ! Moore, Oklahoma is a small town and we didn't get to scout around to see if he had a statue !

Hope you enjoyed our day as much as we did !  Tomorrow we head for Dallas to see what Texas brings us !  xxoo TML

Rockford Files !!

Hey, guess who comes from Norman, Oklahoma ! 

Yep, its James Garner !  We stumbled across this statue on our way home from our day in Norman.  It's amazing to me what you can run across just roaming around the U.S.A.  Imagine what Charles Kuralt has seen in his travels years ago....remember the road show he had?

This is Lake Thunderbird taken from our campsite...and these are our campsites...with flags out today in celebration of Osama Bin Laden being offed !  Our campground is really nice but we learned that in 2010 they had a tornado come through here and it took out 2 campgrounds.  We drove over to that area and its leveled...not even a tree left behind.  We are glad that the forecast for the remainder of this week is excellent, we expect 70 plus degrees and clear skies !  Tomorrow we head into Oklahoma City !  xxoo TML

Joe's Planning...our greatest road tool !!

I just wanted to give a little insight into how we structure our days.  First I want to say that for the last 2 years, Joe has built us a trip plan that resulted in our itinerary but what you see on the blog is just the tip of the iceberg.  The Chastines and us both have a binder that includes places to see in the surrounding areas of each city we will be camped at...this includes descriptions of what they are, how much they cost and address etc.  This has become our biggest tool for the trip because every time we set up camp in a new city, we immediately start planning what we will do and when. 

Today, for example, is windy and breezy but tomorrow and the rest of the week will be in the 70s and sunny.  So today we will do laundry and visit a few museums and maybe the local farmers market here in Norman.  Tomorrow we will head into Oklahoma City to see the Alfred Murrah Bombing Memorial, the Cowboy Museum and also take a drive down Route 66. 

We are trying to eat at the RV's as much as we can but sometimes we grab a bite while we are out and about.  We also like to play cards when the weather is good and we can sit outside on our picnic table.  We are having so much fun on this trip and I think having planned it out in advance has been a real time saver for us.  We are also sending postcards everyday to our moms and a good friend, so that is a lot of fun for us too.  This is definitely a trip of a lifetime !  Have a good day....TML

OOOOOOOklahoma !!

We arrived at Lake Eufaula state park in Checotah, Oklahoma yesterday but I had no WiFi there, so could not blog.  Linda and I went into the town of Checotah to pick up a few things and guess what we discovered !!

Right now we are camped at Lake Thunderbird State Park, outside of Oklahoma City.  Its windy and rainy and a good day for Spaghetti !  We have WiFi here, so I will blog next tomorrow.  Moose Lodge is running great, we are all doing well and looking forward to going into Oklahoma City and onto Route 66. xxoo TML