WESTWARD HO - MISSOURI, TEXAS, NEW MEXICO visiting FRIENDS AND RELATIVES

After fifteen hours waiting for Anderson Indiana's Freightliner to finish with the motor home, we drove to a casino parking lot to sleep.  Early the next morning we hit the road again and stopped in the early afternoon at Edwardsville IL.  The following day we drove the car in to St. Louis MO to go up in the Gateway Arch and drive about the city a little.

St. Louis MO and Gateway Arch

Looking out the windows in the arch
down on St. Louis and the river below.

On our way back to Red Barn Rendezvous RV Park we stopped at a fifties restaurant, Millie's Cafe'.  Awesome burgers and fair fries!!

Saturday, on Gary's birthday, we drove on to Joplin, Missouri's Coachlight RV Park.  We loafed the rest of the day and went to dinner at Sirloin Stockade.  Great steaks and trimmings with plenty to take home for another day, we left very satisfied!!  Hope that we don't start putting on the pounds!!
On Sunday we went to First Baptist Church in Carthage MO and met and fellowshipped and worshiped with some very friendly people. Leaving there we went to (new to us) Braum's Ice Cream store for burgers.  Haven't had that good a burger in a long time.  Too full to try the ice cream, so went back another evening for that.
In the afternoon we contacted Gary's niece, Karen, and made plans to visit them.  What a great afternoon of catching up!!  She said that it has been at least 25 years.

Bridgette

Karen and Andy

Karen, it was great to spend time with you and Andy and Bridget!!  We promise to stop back when we are in that area again.  Sorry I had to improvise for the pictures.

The next day we drove down to Branson and spent the day there, finishing with a dinner show on the Branson Belle Showboat.

Good food and great show!!  Yes, Bridget, it is ALL worth seeing, so we will come back to spend at least a week in Branson in the future!

On Tuesday we drove on to Oklahoma City to the Oklahoma Casino parking lot for an overnight stop.  Those parking lots are always so level and nice.
Many things to see as we continued to travel Route 66!!

1948 Flxible Bus used in the Robin Williams movie "RV"/
It was modified for the movie.

Then Wednesday we continued on Highway 40 (Route 66) to the Route 66 RV Park in Amarillo TX.  It was also time to catch up on laundry and then had Mexican food at the Plaza Restaurant.

On Thursday we took the car and drove south about two hours to visit with my great nephew, Matthew, and his family.

Jessica and Sierra

Gracia and Mattthew

Had a wonderful visit, and promised to stop back.  This is the second time in recent years that we have visited them in TX as well as other visits in Port Charlotte FL. They had been having a lot of rain and flooding in this part of Texas, so Matt had the day off from his job on a big-time farm of that area.  He says that his boss owns 6000 acres.  Some operation!! Matt and Jessica it was great to see you and the little ones, Gracia and Sierra.  Take care now.

On Friday we drove on to Ute State Park in NM to meet up with fellow RVers from Salem Ohio, Bob and Donna.

Audrey, Gary, Bob and Donna, I would dub you in
if I knew how!!

What a sunset!!

Bigger view of the lake at Ute State Park

Closer view of the flowers in the above picture.

We went out to eat as well as enjoying their scenery at the lake there.  We usually keep in touch and when nearing a location where we can both be together, we contact and connect.  Had a good visit for three days and then on to Las Cruses to connect with Gary's cousin, Mildred, to visit over family genealogy and do some sight seeing.

Gary and  cousin, Mildred

That was a wonderful visit and hope to do it again while we are in the west over the next year. So glad that she got her move completed from Alamagordo to Las Cruses to be near her family.  It is best that way since she lost her husband shortly after the move.   Hopefully, we can see her family again also.

We are still taking pictures, but have not downloaded them to my photo program.  I am hoping to have the help of a friend in Ohio via phone and also meet up with a computer group at our western home park in Mesa.  We have well over 500 shots on the camera and it will be a chore, but I will manage.  Then hopefully I can drop some in to this Blog as well as the last one.

We have seen some unusual rain water standing in New Mexico.  We also expect to see it in Arizona. They are having the spin-off from the hurricane off the coast of Mexico.  Hope that your weather is nice. Check back and look for the pictures and some more adventures.

January 9, 2015 update - I have tried getting help from several people to find a way to use the photos taken on this trip.  None of them were able to solve my problem.  As time went on I would try anything that would come to mind, but everything failed me until now.
The original problem when downloading the pictures to my photo program may have been caused when I stopped the download in mid process.  I lost the pictures (files) but the thumbnails were showing in the program.  At that time I did not even know the difference between thumbnails and files!!  I still don't really, except to know that they are different entities.  Just a few nights ago, I had a brainstorm in the night about taking pictures of those thumbnails and download them as new pictures. This was the end result of that brainstorm.  They are very grainy because of the size change when exporting them to the Blog. However, I have some records and not all is lost.  They will be in my Blog hardback book when I have it printed this month for 2014.