WHEN IS A TREE NOT A TREE?

The answer is - When it is a rock?

The Petrified Forest National Park is  covered with scattered pieces of petrified wood that is being exposed from erosion.  The mineral sea water from millions of years ago replaced then the wood fiber with minerals that harden the wood and gave it beautiful colors.  The petrified wood is very very heavy and dense,

This is just to give you an idea of the scale of some of the pieces.This section probably weighed 5 tons.  And yes...the wind was still blowing 30 to 50 mph.

Also in the same National Park is the Painted Desert.  The colors are across the whole .rainbow.

Mother Nature does beautiful work!!

IT HAS BEEN A WILD WEEK

When we left Branson on Tuesday it was sunny and calm.  As we drove toward Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma it began to be a little breezy. On Wednesday driving on toward Elk City, OK the wind got breezier, on Thursday  toward Tucumcari, New Mexico the wind got to 25 - 30 mph. Friday toward Grants NM the wind was 35-50mph and today on the way to Holbrook Arizona the wind gusts were again as high as 50 mph.  The road is no place for a travel trailer, when the wind is this high,  It just blows you all over the place no matter what you do.

At Elk City there were tornado warnings, high winds and nickel size hail with thunderstorms.The underground storm shelters were pointed out. The next morning as we drove towards Tucumcari, the wind was so high that it  bounced and partically unwound the awning while on the highway and began to break the wheel fenders away from the trailer.

So here is the picture.....we are in a rest area - with Steve lying on his back under the trailer - fixing wire to the fenders to stabilize them so that they would not breakaway---while Rita is directing 18 wheelers away so that they will not run over Steve:).  Because the wind basically jammed the awning, it took quite some wiggling around to unjam it to get it to retract back up.  Then to hopefully prevent it from happening again the awning supports were taped shut and tied and the end of the the awning taped closed with Gorilla tape. so the wind could not get into it.  Each day the wind came at the trailer from a different direction so it was fun to prevent further problems.

Today on the way to Holbrook AZ I took the following pictures.

This area in western New Mexico and eastern Arizona is called the Red Rock area.

I hope you can make it out but the wind was so strong that it was a dust storm wind everywhere.

I am glad we made it in one piece.  It only took Steve 10 minutes to pry his fingers off of the steering wheel!!!

We get to Holbrook, AZ and it is colder here that it was when we were in Alaska.....you go figure:)

Look what I found

While we were driving around in Branson, look what I found!!!!

Yes, you are right....Henry Jay's.   These two cars were labeled as Branson Taxis.  The blue one was from 1953 and the yellow one from 1955.  Yes everyone, this was the car I learned to drive on.  We had a 1953 or 1954 model which started out about the same blue color.  Sometime in 1957 or 1958 Dad painted it red and black after completing major body work on it.   It was a really cool car, ahead of its time.  It had a back seat that folder down so you had the whole back open.   Maybe that is why I really liked the yellow bug.  Its backseat also folded down.  Just how many Cub Scouts can a Beetle hold?

UPDATE TO THE UPDATE

Well, guess what, we didn't leave on Monday.  The temp dropped and it snowed.  So we waited until Wednesday to leave.

We followed the usual route Effingham, Illinois, to St. Roberts Missouri, to Branson, Missouri.
Nice weather great and made good time.  Checked in a nice RV Park within walking distance of many shows.

At the suggestion of the camp host, we when to "Roundup on the Trail Chuckwagon Dinner Show'.  I was funny and the dinner was what you would eat on the trail----smoked brisket, skillet potatoes, beans, corn on the cob and apple cobbler,  Food was good.  Country music show followed.  Fun evening.

On Saturday we went to see Table Rock Dam and Trout Fishery.

 

 

The Table Rock Dam has the fish hatchery at its base.  

 

The dam has tainer gates for flood water control. (These tainer gates are similar to the Eagle Creek Dam in Indianapolis the Steve was an Engineer on in the late 1960's)

On Saturday evening we went to a concert by the Gatlin Brothers.  Larry, Steve and Rudy did 2 and 1/2 hours of music and conversation.  Really good country show.

On Easter Sunday we attended the Branson United Methodist Church.  The church was full with at least half those attending being visitors.  The choir did an Easter Musical Cantata.  Very uplifting!  He Has Risen!!!

Sunday evening we went to a concert by Clay Cooper.  A very rip roaring county show.  Lots of music and fun.

This site has no rating

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Grandma's Giggles:



Another adventure begins.  On Monday we will pull out for our third try to see California , Oregon and the west coast.  I will try to keep up to date as to where we are and what is happening as we have access to Wi-Fi.



God's speed to all.