Jen and Pete RVing USA

I am in catch up mode here at the moment. Jen and Peter arrived a week ago today, and I am still trying to catch up on the blog. So this will be a composite of the week to date...

After we took Kim to the Dallas Fort Worth airport in Texas on Saturday, and Jen checked out one of the large Hobby Lobby craft chain stores over here, the four of us headed south to the historic Fort Worth Stockyards. After wandering the streets and getting a feel for the place, we had dinner in Billy Bob's Texas - the largest Honky Tonk in the world - and stayed for the live bull riding. See earlier blog for a few more details. The next day we attended the long-horned steer cattle drive in the stockyard area, and Jen and I both got up on one of them. We then spent several hours on a ranch - see earlier blog for details - and afterwards drove into Dallas to check out the city. We took the opportunity to visit the scene were President Kennedy was shot, and it is amazing to see the young people (who were born after Kennedy died) visiting the area and taking photos. His memory lives on.

Jen and Peter checking out a gift shop complete with long horned steer 

Jen and I enjoying downtown Fort Worth Stockyards

A panorama of the Stockyards Station - click to get full effect of panorama -Jen and Pete are sitting to left of photo

Great to see these cattle just off the main street!

Glad he was tied up! 

We left Texas and drove north to Oklahoma City (OKC), passing the tornado-devastated city of Moore en route. The damage could be seen right from the highway. See previous blog for photos. While that tornado was only 15 miles to the south of our RV park in Oklahoma City, today another tornado touched down in El Reno, which is 20 miles East of our RV park. Well, I guess it is in Tornado Alley! While we were in OKC we visited the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and also the Oklahoma Bombing Memorial - see earlier blog entry. After two nights in Oklahoma city we went north to Wichita, and spent a few hours touring through the Cowtown Museum - an authentic village of yesteryear. We spoke to the blacksmith and the bar keeper, watched a gun fight in the main street, and took a ride in a horse and buggy. All very educational!

Jen and Murray crank up the old railway dolly while Peter supervises in Cowtown, Wichita

Watching the blacksmith at work

Taking a buggy ride in Cowtown

We left Wichita, Kansas and made our way to Omaha, Nebraska and dodged a nasty storm that packed lots of thunder, lightning, rain and hail. We could see the dark clouds line the sky, but thankfully we drove a bit further East and escaped the wrath. The next morning we could still see lots of water lying around, so there must have been a lot of rain. In Omaha we had dinner in a brewery and were surprised to see two beer taps on each table, one for light and one for heavy beer. It was self-serve, and a digital read-out built into the table top kept tabs on how much we had poured. 

The Mormon Historic Trail Center in Omaha

In the morning as we were leaving Omaha, we saw that we passed close by a Historic Mormon Trail Center, so we called in to get an idea of the trials the Mormon's had getting from Indiana to Salt Lake City, Utah back in the late 1800's. I think the 'Sisters' hoped to evangelise the four of us during our visit, but it wasn't to be. 

With our Mormon 'Sisters' in Omaha

Brewery in downtown Omaha had beer taps on each table - 29 cents per ounce

We stopped for morning tea and ended up having brunch instead. No, I didn't eat all the pancakes

Jen is supposed to be navigating but is happily taking photos of the Missouri River instead

Although Jen and Peter have only been here for one week, they have already visited 6 US states including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri. Only 44 to go! Pity they only have 1.5 days left with us before flying to Seattle to board their cruise for Alaska.

 Jen and Pete in Iowa just before we crossed into Missouri, and only an hour after we left Nebraska

Tornado in Moore, Oklahoma - Click on photos to get the full impact of the devastation.

TV stations around the world showed shocking video footage of the devastation following the Category EF5, 2 mile (3.2 km) wide tornado that touched down in Moore, Oklahoma just after 3pm on Monday 20th May. Winds briefly reached around 210 mph (340kph) killing 24 people (10 of them children). It also killed 75 - 100 horses on one farm alone. Around 380 people were injured and approximately 12,000 homes were destroyed or damaged. 

When we left Dallas on Monday this week, we drove north on Interstate Hwy 35 heading to our destination of Oklahoma City. Fifteen miles south of our RV campground we passed through Moore, which is a part of Oklahoma City's metropolitan area. We couldn't believe the devastation that we saw right alongside the highway, never mind where the worst damage was done a few streets back. The tornado had actually cut across the highway we were travelling on, but thankfully it had occurred a week (to the day) before we were driving through the same area. 

Photo of towering heavy steel sign - as it would have looked before the tornado

After the tornado - a twisted wreck. The power of nature

I took these photos to give you some idea of what we saw. The scary thing is that you don't get much warning - I believe the first tornado warning was issued at 2.40pm. The tornado first touched down at 2.56pm at a low intensity (EF0) and within 10 minutes had developed to an EF4. At 3.01pm the tornado warning was re-issued using a more strongly worded message and then... all hell broke loose. By 3.35pm the tornado had run its course - finishing 17 miles (27 km) from where it began. All that pandemonium in just 39 minutes on the ground! 

National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City

Jen at entrance in front of the 'End of the Trail' sculpture

As it was Jen and Peter's first visit to USA, we thought it fitting that they should pay a visit to Oklahoma City's National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum to see how the Wild West was back in the days of the early cowboys. It is advertised as a 220,000 sq ft (5 acres) facility (includes gardens) that is a 'living memorial to the indomitable spirit of the West'. We spent several hours in the museum, and also enjoyed the smorgasbord lunch in the Persimmon Hill restaurant within the museum building. 

Jen with Monument Valley Triptych a long way behind her

As we left the restaurant, we wandered into a large room used for special events that holds 1,200 people. On the walls were five different panoramic triptychs (each single section measured 18 feet wide by 46 feet high). They were paintings of the 'American West' by by Wilson Hurley - I really liked the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley ones. Unbelievable. My photos don't do them justice - I only have posted one of them here. The grounds outside are worth a visit too. Murray and I had never been to that particular museum before, and we really enjoyed it.

There is one section that holds a re-created, authentic early Western prairie town - showing how it would have looked back at the end of the 1800's. When you enter the 'town', it is 'twilight' and the lamps are on in the schoolhouse, businesses, hotel etc. From the stables you can hear cowboys talking about their day. In the schoolroom you can hear the teacher asking a child to read out aloud, and asking him to spell a word, and you hear the child reading and spelling just as the teacher has asked. Very well done. I am not into 'art' per se, but I have to say that some of the paintings in this museum were impressive and captured the various elements of the West well. The museum also has a great collection of native American Indian fine art and crafts and celebrates their role in the West. 

Bucking Bronco

Rodeo life was well depicted in a large area that included many displays including a life size bull and a cowboy on a bucking bronco. There were numerous trophies and other paraphernalia associated with rodeos, and the role of the very important rodeo clown was not forgotten. A dangerous job - the clown has saved many a cowboy from a fate worse than death by distracting the bull away from the cowboy, allowing him time to flee to safety over the rails. 

Beautiful Painting Capturing Wagon Train

Another part that I really enjoyed was a short movie documentary made about Western movies - how they started, why they started and the cowboy heroes that were created that we all came to know and enjoy such as Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, James Stewart, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and so many more. 

Murray walking back from the huge Buffalo Bill statue 

Peter, Jen and Murray at the Oklahoma Bombing Memorial

Following the museum outing, we paid a more sombre visit to the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial which remembers the 168 men, women and children who lost their lives (and those who survived) when the Alfred P. Murray Federal Building was bombed at 9.02am on April 19th, 1995. Such a senseless tragedy.

Chairs representing 168 lives lost in bombing (their bases are illuminated at night)

A Zebra Experience

Me with Jenny (right) on Surfers Paradise Beach in 1972

In May 1970, Jenny & I were 17 years old when we met and started our Registered Nursing training together. Four years later we finished together with our General AND Midwifery nursing certificates in hand. This year we celebrated our 60th birthdays, and as part of the celebrations, Jenny and her husband Peter, joined Murray and I during our USA RV travels. They will travel with us for 7 days during which time we will drive through the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri. 

Peter, Jenny and I waiting for the live bull riding action

On their second night with us, we took a tip from my brother Tony, and while we were visiting the Fort Worth Stock Yards in Texas, we checked out the Billy Bob Theatre. Wikipedia tells us it was originally built in the 1900's as a cattle barn, and is now the world's largest Honky Tonk! It holds over 6,000 people and has around 20 bars. We had dinner in the restaurant there, and then stayed for the live bull riding afterwards. While we were at dinner, we saw a table of about 12 young ladies come in, accompanied by an older male. My first deduction was that the chap was a coach, as no man has 12 daughters around the same age, and he looked too respectable to be a sugar daddy. I explained to Jenny (who with Peter were on their first ever visit to USA) that coaches were very revered people in this country, and that was probably what he was. He had an 'air' about him. We then saw him and the ladies just behind us in the line for tickets to the bull riding, so I couldn't resist asking him if he was their coach. He explained that one of the young ladies was in fact his daughter, and the other young ladies were her girlfriends. They had all graduated from college together 3 years ago and were working in various entertainment industries in Los Angeles and New York, and as they had never been to Texas, they came to visit for the Memorial Day weekend. 

As soon as I started talking to the 'Coach' (as we had already nicknamed him), he recognised my Australian accent, and it turns out that his father had been saved by an Australian Doctor during WW11 in Borneo. Quite an interesting story! Before the bull riding started, he gave me his card and said that if we were going to be around the next day, we would be welcome to visit his ranch which was 35 miles south of Fort Worth. Jenny and Peter were keen to experience some USA culture so a visit to a Texas ranch seemed just the ticket. We were also invited to another Texas ranch, in Dripping Springs just outside of Austin, Texas, but unfortunately time was against us. Sorry Randy and Wanda.

The next morning, Saturday, we had already planned to return to the stock yards to witness the long-horned steer cattle drive in Exchange Street, which we did. Jenny and I even sat on one of them, but that is covered in a future blog. Once the cattle drive was over, we contacted our 'Coach', who we discovered was actually a pretty famous shoulder reconstruction doctor known as Dr Buz. We made our way to his Rockin' Z Ranch and picked up some sodas and Doritos on the way. 

Front view of the Ranch House

Side view

Having a champagne with Coach and Suzanne in their beautiful home

On arrival we met Dr Buz's delightful wife Suzanne, and were poured a chilled champagne (forget the sodas!) and sat to chat in a beautiful lounge room with chandeliers.

Front door entrance complete with cowboy hats (his Akubra was upstairs!) and chandelier

Murray and Peter did very well to ignore the delightful young ladies lounging in bikinis by the pool out the back. If you look very closely in the photo of the three guys below, you will see the girls in the

background. 

Peter, Dr Buz and Murray (girls beside pool in background)

Dr Buz then loaded us into one of their many vehicles, and we did a partial tour of the ranch. We were thwarted somewhat by a fallen tree knocked down probably by the same storm that did so much damage to Moore, Oklahoma (we drove past that area today and got some photos, so check out the next blog). To our surprise, amongst his red deer, llamas (to keep the coyotes at bay) and goats, they also have 2 very healthy looking zebra's on the ranch. Hence the name of the Ranch - Rockin' Z (for Zebra). 

As it turns out, as well as having a hectic shoulder operating schedule and national and international seminar demands, Dr Buz is also the lead singer in a band called Doctor Doctor. What a delightful and most interesting character. No wonder he needs Randy to run his ranch for him! 

Llamas and goats

Dr Buz showing us his Zebras

Jen tried to get closer to the Zebras but they kept moving away

Healthy Looking Zebras

Some of his deer herd

Local Texas Wildflowers growing on his ranch - Red Paintbrush

After a most enjoyable 2 hours, we left the ranch with a Rockin' Z Ranch cap each, some CD's of Doctor Doctor songs and a wonderful shared memory for Jenny and I to add to our collection of our 43 year friendship.

Peter, Jen and Murray wearing their Rockin' Z Ranch caps under the Ranch entrance

Now Coach, remember if you ever make another trip Downunder, we are only just south of your old surfing playground of Byron Bay! Get in touch...

Kim meets Sandy and Joe Bill

Our friends Joe Bill and Sandy Meador of Fordyce, Arkansas have become dear friends over the years, and it has been lovely to progressively meet their family and introduce them to ours. They have met a few of my brothers and sisters, as well as my aunt and eldest son. Now they have met my daughter too. We pulled up our RV in our usual parking spot at their front door, and spent the next few days enjoying the life on 'Meadorlark Farm'. This included bird watching, horse and buggy riding, delicious meals, and catching up with their family and friends. 

Parked at the front door

Chatting and bird watching

A delicious feast

A bright male red cardinal

Over the years Kim has heard me talk of the beautiful red cardinals that are regular visitors at Sandy and Joe Bill's home, so she was able to see them first hand and appreciate my pleasure in these beautiful birds. The blue birds were flitting around regularly too.

Bluebird checking on its nest

Kim took one look at Joe Bill's three horses as we drove in, and she knew she wanted to go for a ride. Joe Bill happily obliged by saddling up his Palomino, Jackson and Kim activated her inner cowgirl!

Joe Bill entertaining us with his stories!

Kim and Joe Bill heading down the driveway in the buggy

We thought we were seeing things when we saw these zebra and camels!

After a busy shopping time in Shreveport, Kim relaxes with her ipad under the full moon - look hard - she is the 'glow' to the right of the RV. She looks like a firefly!

The afternoon before Kim left, Jen and Pete flew into Dallas. After 12 days with Kim, it was time for her to fly back to Copenhagen. Above is our last breakfast with Kim - the RV park was booked out, so we checked into the same motel as I had booked Jen & Peter into. Then we all went to the airport to check Kim in. Another lovely interlude came to an end. Safe travels Kim.