Last addition: 29Sep08 2345 ADT
.........Flying Map.................................Driving Map.........---------------------------------------------------------------------
Nikki – August 17, 2008
Many of you commented on my lack of posting to the blog (June 15 in British Columbia). A little uptight about teaching a skill I didn't feel competent in, all free time was diverted to painting plein air. It was silly to get bent out of shape over it, but focus and an abundant subject matter paid off. More about that later.
Dreams of going back and making entries for the past 2 months moved to the ‘wish I had’ list. Not even the highlights are going to be summarized. Instead, limited random memories, cued by photos, will be shared. Thank goodness Ken kept blogging, building the general outline of where, who, when and what of the trip.
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3Aug08 Bailey's Harbor WI
Ken: At AirVenture, I caught two more seminars, looked at a few more aircraft, filed a flight plan and studied the Notam for departure procedures. Airport was closed from 1400 to 1700 for the final airshow. I made my way to the plane about 1500 to pack, preflight, set up GPS and radios, and prepare for departure. Instructions said no taxi until ATIS reported airport open again. When the airshow was over, the ATIS was silent, so I knew they were recording the new announcement. I fired up, did my runup, and as soon as the ATIS came on, began taxiing to Runway 9. VFR sign in the window to notify the orange vested ground handlers, and monitoring the control frequency for 9, I moved to the end of the runway. No radio calls, just listen. Only about 10 aircraft got off before I got to there. "Cessna 24R, position and hold left side of runway. Green & white piper, position and hold right side of runway." Slight pause for aircraft ahead to at least get airborne, then "Red & white Cessna, cleared for takeoff." Power up and roll. From Runway 9, we had to fly heading 040 to 090, but no climb restrictions, until outside 5 mile control circle. Since I was northbound, I'd set a GPS waypoint at 040/5mi from OSH, and flew that while climbing. From that waypoint, I turned north to follow the lake shore, while calling Flight Service to open flight plan, then Green Bay approach to get radar advisories on my way up the Door County peninsula to Ephraim-Fish Creek airport. Big storm was moving in from NW, XM service painted it to my left, quite a bit of lightning in the dark clouds, but I was headed NNE and was some miles away from the nearest radar returns on my GPS. Flying at 5500' gave some cloud clearance above, and good separation from some traffic at lower levels. 45 minutes later, I landed at Ephraim-Fish Creek and tied down. Nikki arrived shortly after I finished with tie down and unpacking, and drove me to our TrailManor at the RV Park.
4Aug08 Bjorklunden
Ken: We drove the 2.6 miles to Bjorklunden, the Lawrence University owned retreat site where Helen is teaching a week long watercolor class, and Nikki is adjunct faculty. Helen and Akeem (and some of their family) are staying in "The Studio" (rock cottage nestled in the woods a few yards from the shore), where we met them. Went to the Lodge, where the classes are held, for breakfast. WONDERFUL facility, FABULOUS food, hospitable staff (mostly LU students), friendly "students" in all the workshops (currently "Watercolor", "Baseball History" and "Inanna"). Watercolor classes take place in the morning. Afternoons are free for more painting, exploring Door County, field trips, etc. Three meals a day are provided the workshop participants, most of whom are staying in the Lodge. Some have been coming to these sessions for many years (12th year for one of the watercolor women). While Nikki is doing the class, I'm catching up on this blog, paying bills, financial records, etc. etc. etc. Will likely do some plane rides for Helen's family, weather permitting. Which reminds me to report that it feels very pleasant here -- in the 70s -- after a week of 80-90 degree weather at Oshkosh. We will be here through Saturday.
Nikki: After a week of ‘dry camping’ in large open fields with thousands of others it was nice to head north. Door County, Wisconsin is magical, with 'Bjorklunden By The Water' being heavenly. I now understand Helen and Akeem's yearly commitment to being there. Amazing, amazing, AMAZING on so many levels.
Learning of an environment first through paintings, and attributing the artist's rendering to their ability to project fanciful qualities to the ordinary, only to find that they were depicting reality as we know it, was very interesting. This photo doesn't do justice to the odd cedars at Bjorklunden. Google Helen Klebesadel and look for her ceder paintings. Those walking with me on the Bjorklunden grounds might have thought my behavior savant as I repeated over and over again, "This is just like Helen's paintings!"
Helen and Akeem, with their kids, have made the week at Bjorklunden a family gathering for the past 13 years. Akeem, Helen and their son Danny are in this photo. Students return year after year, Judith holds the record of 12 years. The word "Students" doesn't fit the class. There were at least 5 professional artists, along with some picking up watercolor brushes for the first time. Each were coming for different reasons. What I learned is how a community and environment, along with a responsive instructor, are the main elements for a creative learning environment.On Helen's first visit to Alaska she was introduced to Artist Trading Cards
(ATC), little 2 by 3 inch paintings that artists trade with each other. Helen started the tradition at Bjorklunden the summer of 2006. I never gave myself permission to paint many of these ATCs, but in the spirit of representing Alaska I tried to get 20+ painted to trade with the class. This photo is of the last one I did. It is called "Corn Flake" after Akeem's new dog. I became so jazzed at the freedom and fun in making these little cards that I wanted to start all over again with the ones already traded.5Aug08 Bjorklunden
Ken: This afternoon I took Akeem and his two sons out for a plane ride. We did some aerial photographs of the site as a gift to Bjorklunden, flew up the peninsula to look over Washington and Rock Islands, down to Sturgeon Bay and back to the airport. First plane ride for at least one of the sons, and he has the itch now.
7Aug08 Bjorklunden
Ken: Tonight's special activity was a "fish boil", a tradition of this part of the country. A big iron
cylindrical pot, on high tripod legs, was set up over a fire pit. The pot is filled with water, a fire built and the water brought to a boil. Two iron baskets (also cylinders, sized to fit inside the pot) are set in the water, the lower containing vegetables is put in first, while 
the upper containing fish is put in later. After it's all about cooked, they throw kerosene on the fire to make a huge flame around the whole assembly, then put an iron pole through the handles and pull out the baskets. The baskets drain while they carry them back to the dining hall, and folks dig in.Nikki: Door County's culture of 'Fish Boils' was experienced toward the end of the week at Bjorklunden. Maybe Google would give a good description. Can't find the words - makes me wonder the origins of such odd traditions. Anyway, it was a time to meet Helen's vibrant mother and sister.
8Aug08 Bjorklunden
Ken: Last day of the class, though a few will probably still be at work a bit in the morning. At least a third of the class has been so jazzed they have stayed around painting in the afternoons, often into the evening after supper. Helen is a great motivator and has a knack for helping students learn their own voice, rather than just teaching them how she does things. Tonight, we took in a production of "Cyrano de Bergerac" by the Door Shakespeare Company.
9Aug08 Bjorklunden
Ken: Spent a brief time in the morning cleaning out the classroom and saying goodbyes to all the remaining students. Then Helen, Akeem, Nikki and I spent the rest of the day exploring the upper part of the Door County peninsula. Art galleries, an art fair we happened on, funky shops, etc. etc. etc.
10Aug08 Hager City, WI
Ken: Breakfast and final goodbyes with Helen and Akeem. Hooked up the TrailManor and headed to the Door County Baha'i Center, which is right around the corner from the airport. Devotionals and getting acquainted chatter with the small group gathered there. Then on to the airport. Nikki dropped me and my gear and headed out. I did the usual packing the plane, doing the walk around, getting fuel, flight planning and then getting weather briefing and filing flight plan. Very friendly group around the airport. Took my leave and headed out. Fish Creek to Sturgeon Bay was very bumpy as I climbed out. Got to 8,500' about the time I contacted Green Bay approach for flight following. As I approached Green Bay, a small TFR crept into view on the Garmin 496. When I checked it out, it was around the Packer's stadium, which I dutifully skirted. Turned west for the direct flight to Red Wing Regional. Two hour flight in total. From Green Bay about 1/4 the way across Wisconsin I was above a scattered to broken layer of puffy white stuff. Lots of holes and good clearance below the clouds made it quite comfortable. Rest of the way was nearly hands/feet off flying in "severe clear" conditions. Red Wing Regional is on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi, and just outside the Minneapolis/St. Paul control zone. There was a big TFR around there for Presidential travel, but I did not have to get very close to it. Regional was modestly busy for a small town airport. Couple of ultralights, a homebuilt, a couple of Cherokees and a C150 were all flying at various times while I tied down and packed up. Set up the Breezer and biked to the RV park, which is on an island in the river. Now I'm sitting at a table in their covered "patio" area, swatting mosquitoes, watching boats go by, waiting for Nikki to arrive.
11Aug08 Ely, MN
Ken: Got up at a reasonable hour, packed and headed for the plane. Nikki and I flew almost due north, past Duluth (in 1999, this was where we had the engine quit and spent 3 days trying to figure out where over 30 gal. of fuel had gone in the 1-2 hours flying here), to Ely, MN. We'd made contact with the outfitter who had been so good to us when we brought the family here in 1995. In the interim, he'd sold the business, gotten married, and is living entirely "off grid". Andy picked us up and took us to his place. He's actively involved in trying a variety of technologies and we enjoyed getting acquainted with the variety of power sources (solar, propane, wood). One bank of solar panels drives the AC system for many of his appliances, lighting, etc. He's recently installed another, smaller panel to play with direct DC systems. And he was in the middle of installing a passive solar heater for water. In floor heating pipes work without pumps. Paula came home from work, and Andy cooked us Snow Goose for dinner. Much talk catching up.
12Aug08 Ely
Ken: Relaxed morning with breakfast, chatter, etc. I took Andy up for half an hour to give him the aerial overview of the lakes and rivers in his area. Nikki and I had planned to fly back to Red Wing in the afternoon, but the weather wouldn't cooperate. So we headed back to Andy & Paula's. Took them out to dinner, and then took in an outdoor performance by a local band that was quite good. Home for tea, chatter and another night in Ely.
13Aug08 Bay City, WI
Ken: We had an early breakfast so Paula could head off to work, and we headed for the airport. The expected clearing of low ceilings and fog kept moving later, but finally the overall conditions looked acceptable, and we headed out. We knew that the ceilings lifted to the west, so flew due west at about 1500' AGL for half an hour and found clearer skies. Turned south for the direct flight to Red Wing, with only one minor detour around a buildup. This was the kind of day when an instrument ticket would have gotten us in the air an hour or two sooner, but I was quite happy to accept the delay. We had planned to pack up the trailer and continue down the Mississippi. We even got the trailer down, hitched up and drove to the airport. But it was getting a bit late, the clouds were gathering to the west, and as we sat at the airport discussing options, a siren went off. I checked with folks at the terminal and they said the siren indicated conditions right for a tornado. I could have gotten out ahead of the storm, but we decided to find a place nearby, and one of the folks suggested a place about 6 miles down the road. So we left the plane at Red Wing and drove to Bay City. Great find. City campground, right on the river, sandy beach, blue heron in the reeds nearby, and a nice spot available through Thursday night. Dinner in Red Wing, grocery shopping, and time to bed down.
Nikki: We are developing a system for finding campgrounds. The Internet offers lots of information on campgrounds, but a clever person could pick pictures cutting out the train tracks, or grumbling plants across the river. This photo is from the Bay City, WI, City Campground. The water is the Mississippi. What a heaven, 
waking to bird calls, mist on the water and following a Blue Heron as it moved down the bank.14Aug08 Bay City
Ken: Today was a day for the two of us to drive together. We headed down the Wisconsin side on the Great River Road, looking for wildlife, interesting little towns, great scenery, etc. We got as far south as the bridge crossing to Winona, MN, then back up the Minnesota side. Lovely day of exploring together.
Nikki: Our travels now are south along the Mississippi. Photo shoots of birds, landscapes, historical elements and communities are the goals. Well, beside camping and taking it a bit slow! Great birding travel information has us finding trails that aren't anything more than a dent in the lush foliage. We are in snake country now :-S15Aug08 Cassville, WI
Ken: Finding airports along the Mississippi, then RV parks nearby, is proving to be more of a challenge than expected. So Nikki planned to begin checking out camping places within 20-30 miles of arriving at Cassville. She didn't find much, so continued on to pick me up at the airport. My flight was uneventful. I've been contacting an approach or center as soon as I can get altitude, and requesting VFR advisories for the flight. It's comforting to have those radar eyes assisting me in watching for traffic, and I'm beginning to sound like one of the big boys as I get handed off from sector to sector. The Cassville airport is right on the river, and the approach from the west
needs care to avoid the power plant stack and power lines a very short distance from the threshhold. All surfaces of runway and taxiways had grass growing through cracks in the blacktop. The blacktop had some kind of sparkly material that made it look wet (which it wasn't). There is a sort of ramp on the far end with some hangers, but no tie downs. So I back taxied to the other end to find the taxiway at that end was just a narrower extension of the runway, leading to a pad with no tie downs. A big building next to the pad proved to be the home of a church. I walked the grass a bit to be sure it was firm and smooth enough, then taxied off the pad into the grass to use my Claw tie downs. I could find no phone, and I had no cell service. So I walked around until I found someone willing to offer their cell phone to call Flight Service to cancel my flight plan. Got out the Breezer, peddled into town to check it out. Found an ATM, a grocery store, and an ice cream place with the most awesome "Tanzanian Chocolate". Peddled back to the plane and set out my lounge chair to read until Nikki arrived. With no cell service, I couldn't even help guide her in to this airport with NO signs on the highway pointing to it. The Garmin Nuvii did a fine job, as it does most of the time. We drove off to check out camping spots. The third one was the right place, and we settled in to the Big H Campground for the weekend. This place is 10-12 miles downriver from Cassville, and well off the Great River Road.16Aug08 Big H Campground
Ken: Another day of exploring together. We got into town about 9am and checked out the Farmers Market. Bought more goodies than we needed, but all those fresh vegetables, locally baked bread, local honey, etc. just couldn't be passed by. Then we headed for the ferry to cross the Mississippi, and drive down the Iowa side to Dubuque. Dinner in a Cajun place, then across the bridge and up the Wisconsin side to the Big H. More wonderful scenery, a bit of wildlife, interesting small towns.
Nikki: There is a ferry that goes accross the Mississippi. We did it without the trailer, and drove a loop down to Dubuque, IA, across the river bridge and back up.Cassville has a Farmers Market on Saturdays, 7:00 till 11:00 AM. Ken thought it crazy hours, but it made sense to this old farm girl. As in most Farmers Markets, the best stuff goes
early, and there just might not be anything left by 11:00 AM. Ken & I compromised by getting to the market at 9:30 AM. I did give him the option of not coming! Anyway, it was a treat! Venders were mostly from the Amish community. I couldn't take photos of them, but had a hayday getting photos of their goods. We were the market's entertainment when they found out we were from Alaska. Oh, sweet corn, picked in the morning and roasted in campfire the same night made for gormet eating.
Activities around Cassville are varied and plentiful. Stonefield is a village with people dressed in period clothing, doing daily tasks from the 19th century. I took photos even though I'm sure many of the volunteers were part of the Amish community. It happened to be 'Railroad Days,' so there were extra demostrations, live music and activities.17Aug08 Big H Campground
Ken: Today we decided to explore inland, with a turnaround at Mineral Point, WI, where Helen has part interest in a gallery. We kept this drive a bit shorter, so we'd have some time in the evening back "home".
Nikki: Well, today we do more birding, biking, hiking and visiting the little towns along the Mississippi Tri-State area. We are playing with our pace along with campground selection. If the plan holds true, there will be time to write letters, post to the blog, paint daily, and still get to the Kinne Family reunion on time.
18Aug08 Rock Island, IL
Ken: It's time for vehicle maintenance again, so we are venturing into "big city" territory. We aimed at Moline, IL. My flight from Cassville was about 40 minutes. Given the brief flight, my practice to get on the radar, having AFF, the lack of a way to get a phone briefing, and the nearly infinite variety of emergency landing sites in this farmland, I did not file a flight plan. 3500' was nearly "bumpless", and Quad Cities Int'l approach had me from 40 miles out. The Quad Cities has an FBO with aircraft maintenance, and there are two Toyota dealerships at which to get the van serviced. So the airplane is now in the shop in Moline, IL, the TrailManor is in a KOA in Rock Island, IL, we've shopped at a couple of stores in Davenport, IA and the Van will go into the Toyota shop in Davenport in the morning. We have gotten a few new books from Borders, a swim in the KOA pool, a soak in the jacuzzi, showers, and dinner. The WiFi is strong in the TrailManor, and life is very good!
Nikki: Travel from Cassville, Wisconsin didn't provide much excitment. 4 lane roads most of the way, with hardly any glimpes of the Mississippi. A Quickstop interaction kept me company with smiles for many a mile as I drove toward the KOA at Rock Island, Illinois. When my water and gum were placed on the counter a young girl, between 8 and 10 years old, stepped up to the cash register. I made some comment about young help, while she gave me a dead pan look and continued to tally my purchase. I then felt stupid, so said "That response was deserved. YOu must give to everybody saying stupid things?" She just gave me another flat glance and told me how much I owed. While she was making change I asked "Can I continue on this frontage road to get back on the highway, or do I need to turn around and go back the way I came?" She told me how to get back on the highway in a kind voice. Her father came to stand behind her. She looked over at him, while still making change and asked with the attitude her burnt sienna hair and freckless promised was there. "What?" I said "That is a proud father look if I ever saw one!" She said "Not in his world!" as she not only handed me the correct change, but made it easy on herself by using one of those pennies in the dish. I got my change and my goods and said "Hey, you gave me a penny! Thanks!" She smiled with a sweet smile that could mealt mountains and said "Would you like a bag for that?" I took the smile instead.
19Aug08 Rock Island
Ken: Van into the shop and out in about half an hour. And a total bill of $20!! Then a day of exploring the Quad Cities area. Ended the day with the movie "Mama Mia" with Meryl Streep. She continues to amaze and delight me with her performances. What a beauty and what a talent. And I do like Abba songs, around which the whole show is based.
Nikki: Fleas & chiggers made me rich in local culture. It also turned me into a finicky, bug leary southern woman. I was consumed with learning how to set off bug bombs, and doing stacks of laundry. Things I would have thought clean enough before getting drenched while 'birding' in neck high stinging nettles. Hey, I paint birds and landscapes. So, I need photos of birds and landscapes. It would have helped had I read the little notice "Best to view during spring and fall migrations."
20Aug08 Rock Island
Ken: Trip planning, laundry, and updating this blog Short hike around Black Hawk State Park. Dinner at a nice place on the Rock River (Martinis on the Rock).
21Aug08 St. Louis, MO
Ken: Nikki is on her way to Bonne Terre, MO, SW of St. Louis. I'm sitting in the pilots lounge at Elliot Aviation, watching the drizzle and cloudy skies. At least I have good WiFi, so am getting more photos loaded here. (later) I finally was able to fly out of Moline. Made it almost to Festus, just south of St. Louis, MO, but a big cell moved in and was drenching Festus. So St. Louis approach suggested stopping at Spirit of St. Louis. A quick left turn, contact tower, and I was on downwind for 26L. I thought I would wait out the storm, but it got dark before the storm moved on, so I had my first "no show" of the trip -- overnighting at a Comfort Inn across from the airport. Very nice staff (and facilities) at MidWest Aviation. Gave me a ride to/from the motel and took care of the plane overnight. In the meantime, Nikki got the TrailManor dropped at St. Francois State Park so she could pick me up. By the time she knew I wouldn't join her, she was setting it up in the dark. Easily done for this experienced and accomplished gal.
22Aug08 Bonne Terre, MO
Ken: Back to Spirit airport in the morning, got the plane fueled and weather checked out. Since Festus was only 20+ minutes south, I elected to have St. Louis Departure track me and filed no flight plan. Flight was over quickly and I was enjoying the small airport socializing while waiting for Nikki to come get me. An empty T-hanger was the same cost as tie-downs ($5/night), so the plane went under cover for the first time since I've owned it. We did roust about 6-8 pigeons from the rafters when we put the plane in, but I haven't seen excessive white drag points on the plane. Nikki had been having traction problems on steeper wet slopes, so we headed for a tire shop. Front tires were almost treadless, rear tires still have lots of life. So we now have a pair of new tires on the front. Not bad, given that all four were bought in Tempe, AZ, before leaving for Alaska in May of 2007, driven all over getting up to Alaska, up/down the Haul Road to Coldfoot, AK, around Fairbanks all summer/winter, then down the highway to "America" and all over getting to Missouri. Some grocery shopping after lunch, then headed back to get ready for company. Our friend Sue, who had lived with us for a little while in Fairbanks, now lives in St. Louis with her husband John, daughter Dorothy, and a new one due in a few months. Sue and Rowie (SP?) drove down and spent the night with us. Firewood being sold in the camp was oak (!) and it took a bit to get it going well for grilling. We sat around until late getting caught up on each others' lives.
Nikki: Bonne Terre has a nice state camp ground. Sue Plummer-Armstrong and daughter Roey joined us for an overnight visit. The photo might get me in trouble, being Roey is half dressed, but it was so fun to explore the river with a 2 year old.23Aug08 Bonne Terre
Ken: Sue and her daughter(s) left late morning. We ended up spending much of the rest of the day doing laundry. I also spent some time securing a cable that had started to hang low on the back of the van.
24Aug08 Yellville, AR
Ken: Our oldest son, Josh, is a long haul truck driver, and went through St. Louis on his way to Springfield, MO. I was in the midst of some repair work and couldn't get away to drive up to St. Louis, so we arranged to meet in Springfield. Flight from Festus to Springfield was another adventure with mid-west weather. Climbed out of St. Louis area to 8,500', with scattered clouds below me. Bottoms of clouds all along the route were showing 1,500' to 4,000' AGL, so I wasn't worried about having to go back under. However, Springfield was IFR when I launched, forecast to be easy VFR by the time I arrived. As I progressed, clouds below became broken, then overcast. There were a few breaks, but I saw that this layer had an abrupt edge a few miles to the north, with just haze beyond. So I turned north for a while to not be above the overcast. Center called with a query that was almost "Uh, N2124R, weren't you headed to Springfield?" Cloud explanation seemed to satisfy him. Further along, I was flying along a channel of scattered clouds and haze between two banks of fully overcast white fluff. I was handed off to Springfield approach at least 40 miles out, began a descent through interesting bands of scattered clouds running perpendicular to my flight path. So I aimed north of Springfield, then could let down through large gaps running parallel to the cloud bands. Down to 1,500' AGL and directed to a right downwind for 02, ahead of a biz jet on 10 mile final. Springfield really supports general aviation. I was directed down the taxiway to a parking spot in front of a really nice building with the sign "General Aviation Complex." I found a new looking building with a large lobby, a person at a desk to help with anything I might need, flight planning facilities, pilots lounge with TV, snack area, crew cars
available for 3 hours at NO COST, phones, etc. I got a car, met up with Josh, had lunch, did some shopping with him, and back within my 3 hours ($20/hr if you go over!!). Got the plane ready to go, but the weather was again trying to get in my way. Generally good (for this part of the country) VFR except for a narrow line of showers/storms directly across my path. Briefing and radar animation showed them moving southwest, and there were gaps in the precipitation returns. So I headed out to take a look. With the NexRad displayed on the Garmin 496, I had considerable information on the situation. Knowing that the NexRad is at least a few minutes old, I found a good sized gap in the precip where I could fly on the back (upwind) side of one blob and well in front of another. Lots of haze, but an uneventful flight that turned out to be most of an hour instead of the 45 minutes had I been able to go direct. Tied the plane down on the ramp of Marion Co. Regional, at Flippin, MO, got my gear together and called Nikki. She was less then 10 minutes away, picked me up, and we drove the 20 miles or so to the Buffalo Point Campground, part of the Buffalo National Scenic River. Found a lovely site on the bluff overlooking the river, set up the camper and settled in.Nikki: A side trip to Mark Twains birth place was worked in between Bonne Terre, MO and Buffalo National River, AR. The quest regarding creative thinking, and community has been the main theme from my travels. It's not easy finding 'tourist attactions' worth going to. The insight made the extra miles more than worth it. I also plan to pick Ken's folks' brains on selection process of what to see and what to skip.
25Aug08 Buffalo Point Campground
Ken: It's beautiful here, and we need some "down time". So we're staying put through next Monday. Generally, explored the area a bit. We walked some of the river accessible from the campground.
These are views of the river.Nikki: Ken and I both were getting travel weary, and found the Buffalo River campground very nice. Also, Labor Day was fast approaching, and we didn't want to be trying to find a place to
park over the busy weekend. We decided to stay put for a week. The bug thing didn't get any better as we moved farther south. It was the year of the ciccada. This dear dead bug was at least 3 inches long. Night noise of their odd calls was deafening. My pride of being a camper woman was shattered the first night of our Buffalo River stay. We got the trailer set up just as dark was setting in. Knowing there were poisonous snakes and bugs around, and not knowing the lay of the land, I asked Ken to walk to the shower house with me. We stepped out to a bug big enough to be a small bat, banging into us as he was trying to get to the outside light. My blood curdling scream didn't help make friends with the neighbors. I tried to apologies and say I wasn't a sissy - but it just made matters worse.26Aug08 Buffalo Point Campground
Ken: We drove to the restaurant, which has a wonderful view of a big bend in the river. It's
considerably higher than the campground, and we watched several Turkey Vultures soaring along the bluff. So I spent some time taking photos of these big birds sailing on the currents of air -- sometimes below me so I could shoot them with the river in the background. We have no cell phone nor WiFi at the campground, so I drove the 20 miles or so into town to find internet access at the library in Yellville. Nikki stayed at the trailer and painted.
Nikki: The campground was almost empty at the start of the week, but our neighbors had an interesting way to stay comfortable with their tent trailer camping. We decided to try it, and will resort to it again some time.27Aug08 Buffalo River
Ken: This morning, we packed up fairly early and drove back to the airport to fly the river. We got caught up in the small airport socializing for a while, as we waited for the morning fog to burn off. The flight was short, a bit bumpy, and not much above the
hilltops, but Nikki shot until her batteries ran down. Hopefully we'll have a few good ones to post next time we have internet access. (We are at the Yellville library again.)Nikki: We flew the river before canoeing it. It is hard to get the camera to focus when in the air and there is nothing but green. This was one of the better images out of a 100 or so.
28Aug08 Buffalo River
Ken: Wonderful day. We got the holding tanks in the trailer drained! But there's more -- we spent more than four hours canoing down the
Buffalo. Easy paddle/drift river. This was our lunch stop. Amazing geology. Densely forested hillsides. Lots of turtles, a few fish, many turkey vultures, a pair of eagles, several 
great blue heron, and a couple of what I'm sure were juvenile herons. No snakes. Lots of insects. Got a bit of sunburn on my legs. It felt so good to be paddling a canoe -- it's been years since we've taken the time to get out in one. Nice dinner in the restaurant high over the river when we got back.Nikki: The park staff were great, friendly and full of information. This bee they said is
reporting good news. I can't remember the phrase now - weeks later. We canoed part of the river one day. I was concerned about where to swim because of the water moccosins in the area. The park ranger said not to worry about them. When they drop in your canoe from the branches hanging over the river it isn't to attack you. The poor dears are just trying to get back in the water where they feel safe! I wasn't interested in swimming, or exploring banks where there were trees. We did see great scenery, turtles, and Blue Heron (even a juvenile one). Traveled the river a bit fast.29Aug08 Yellville
Ken: Finished cleaning up finances, writing checks, getting things together for another trek to the Yellville library to get online. This is about all I'll have time for today. One more day at Buffalo Point, then we head to Eureka Springs for one night, and on to Catoosa, OK (north suburb of Tulsa) for a bit. I'll be a bit sorry to have to leave here, as it's been such a lovely camping spot, very relaxing. Worth returning to, if we're ever back this way.
Nikki: The last afternoon of our time at Buffalo we saw a large group swimming right below where we were camped. We jumped into our swim suits and headed down. As we got there everyone started leaving. Neck deep in the cool water I said something about not knowing where we could swim to avoid the snakes. The young woman said "I was told to stay out of the water when it get above 105 F, and after dark." It was dusk and I realized why everyone was going up to their campsites.
30Aug08 Buffalo River
Ken: Spent much of the day exploring Bull Shoals Lake Area. Started out just looking for some lunch in that direction. Found a restaurant inhabited by a really fun bunch of clientele. As we parked, we noticed a BUNCH of motorcycles, both bi- and tri-cycle. Then, as we entered, we first spotted a table of "red hat ladies" in purple outfits with various red hats. Sweeping the rest of the room, we found the large group of bikers. Both groups were having a good time, and the noise level was significant. Fun people watching. Driving away from there, we took some random roads, and ended up at a ferry across the lake (and state line). Ferry dispatched us into Missouri, and we headed around the north part of the lake for Branson (we'd been told it was an interesting place). Branson, it turns out, claims to be bigger than Nashville for that kind of entertainment, and they have a prodigious number of theaters and daily shows. Elvis impersonators, The Platters (actual, not pretend), review shows of big name country/western performers music, etc. etc. etc. We found a fudge shop and splurged. Then an ice cream shop to chase the heat. Drove around town a bit before heading on around the west side of the lake to Harrison, AR and on back to the trailer. Great last day in the area.
31Aug08 Eureka Springs, AR
Ken: Up early, packed the TreailManor and headed for the airport. On the road for a very short flight and drive to Eureka Springs. Another spot we'd been told was well worth the slight change in routing. Got the TrailManor to the KOA SW of town, then headed back to explore. We did the touristy thing, taking the one hour trolley tour of town. This is, indeed, a fascinating town. Built around very steep terrain, it's home of well more than a hundred springs. It was founded in 1879 as a health spa, and it's entire industry today is tourism. The guide said there were more B&Bs in Eureka than any other town in the USA! Tour gave us the "lay of the land". We left the van in the visitor center lot and got a trolley pass for the rest of the day. Three routes get you almost anywhere around the immediate area. We headed back to the heart of town for a lovely lunch on a 2nd floor balcony at a Tea Room. Our favorite sport, people watching, was especially fun from this higher vantage. Walked a couple of miles up and down (literally) the streets of town, then treated ourselves to an ice cream. Caught one of the last runs of the trolley back to the van and headed back to the TrailManor. Guidance from campground staff lead us to another very nice restaurant high on the hillside overlooking Beaver Lake. Had we known about Eureka, we'd have given up a few days at Buffalo Point to be able to spend more time here. Well, next time...
Nikki: The airport manager at Yellville told us Eureka Springs was a 'must' for an artist to visit. It was far enough west that we decided to make it a stop on our way to Oklahoma. Early departure, linking at the airport, finding the KOA on the other side of Eureka Springs, going to the visitor center for orientation, catching the hour long tram tour through town minutes before it started, meant lunch was postponed by hours. Heat, lack of water and low blood sugar made for a close bout of heat stroke. First place we found we decided it was the perfect spot for lunch. Ken told the server I was having problems with the heat and could we get water right away. What wonderful service, and saying "Alaska" brought compassion.
Artists running small B&Bs as a way to keep their profession alive during the rough times seemed to be a mainstay in this small town. Still, those that had to use loans were having to fold shop. Many places were for sale, some with shockingly low prices.After walking the hills, taking tons of photos, and catching the last trolley back to the car we were through with exploring. Phase 2 of bug bombs and laundry kept us from enjoying a KOA live show of "Almost Willie." He was such a close Willie Nelson look alike I asked "Are you sure you aren't Willie just messing with us?" His wife said "I ask the same thing now and then!" The KOA campground near Eureka was really nice and would have been fun to hang out at for another day. But, it was time to move on.
1Sep08 Catoosa, OK
Ken: An hours flight, and a few hours drive, took us from Eureka to Tulsa, OK area. I'm loving working with flight controllers down here. Even when traffic is heavy and they are talking almost non-stop, they ooze patience and friendliness. Today, I was handed off from Memphis Center to Tulsa Approach about 40 miles out. Clouds were gathering below me, so I had to drop down from the 6,500' cruise to 2,500' just under the clouds. Approach vectored me to a left base for 18R, but the haze was enough that I wasn't seeing the airport yet at about 5 miles out. Approach said not to worry as they would vector me to final. Shortly after, he handed me off to Tulsa tower saying "Tower says he'll work you in, so contact them now." I was flying across the extended center line of 18L and still couldn't see 18R. Tower cranked up the lights full trying to help. When I finally saw 18R, I saw it was a different color (darker) than 18L, and blended into the surrounding vegetation more. I'd read through the AOPA info on the FBOs and arbitrarily picked one that sounded less "jet jockey" oriented than most of the others. Good choice -- short taxi to get there, friendly ground crew, no tie down fee, nice lounge with WiFi to work in while waiting for Nikki (who arrived at least an hour earlier than I'd expected). She had dropped the TrailManor at the RV park, then fetched me back to get it set up quickly. Once that was done (mainly get the refrigerator powered up!), we went out to explore Catoosa. Since, we've tried to avoid the larger cities, some of you will already be wondering "why Tulsa area?" Nikki's mother spent some of her childhood in Catoosa, and Nikki wanted to connect with that part of her history. After driving around a while, Nikki made phone contact with one relative still living here, and we spent the evening talking with Silvereen, a cousin of Nikki's mom, and her daughter, Kelli. Wonderful surprise bonus was taking home a copy of a binder Silvereen had done with considerable geneological data and many photos. We'll spend another day in Catoosa.
Nikki: I woke on Labor Day with excitment of thinking about arriving in Catoosa, Oklahoma for the first time. Then it struck me that I was traveling to the birth place of my mother 18 years to the day of when she died (Labor Day 1990). It unnerved me, what with the random route and time frame of our travels, which were putting us in Bertha Pauline Harris' birth place on the date of her death.
How does someone find relatives they don't know exist, in a town nothing more than a stop on the road to somewhere else? We drove through the GPS identified area of Catoosa. Lunch time stop at Pauline's Buffet, which was in Catoosa proper, gave me courage to ask an older farmer if he knew of any Harrises or Parhams. He gave us bits of history of Broken Arrow, his home, but had no information on Catoosa. When he left he asked the waitstaff if they had any ideas. Pretty soon we headed to the graveyard. Dah!
Ken, the dear supportive fellow that he is, pulled into the small graveyard and saw immediately a Harris headstone. We canvassed the whole graveyard in 90+ F, and humidity that make Alaskan frozen ground burial processes seem fair. A 4th of the graves had either my mother's or grandmother's maiden names. The Harris graves seemed well tended, so we thought there must be a live relative still near by.Phone connection with Aunt Earleen gave us a freeway into the Harris/Parham history. She told us "Call Silvereen! She'll know who you are." Finding out someone has been tracking me all my life, while I remained unaware of them was a little odd! Anyway, I called this total stranger and in less than 30 seconds she knew who I was and invited us to her home.
Silvereen was my mother's first cousin. Her daughter Kelly looked enough like my mom to pass as her daughter. They were more than helpful, and delightful to boot. Silvereen wrote a book of the family history, years of research, photo gathering and writing oral reports from others. She did it in honor of a woman I had been taught to fear - Granny, my mom's father's mother. Silvereen kept it current until, in trying to get the next generation of offspring documented, she said she made some of my cousins mad. Not being able to attend a Harris/Parham reunion in Washington in 2001, she asked Silvia, her cousin, to collect the information. I guess some of my cousins didn't know of their fathers' prior marriages and the half sibling relatives. They got a little argumentative and Silvia stoped seeking the needed information. Silvereen gave me the last copy of this book, and I promissed to scan it and post it for my sibblings and other cousins to make copies. I also said I would try to fill in the next generation of descendents --- But, I'm not sure even where to begin.
(Granny, a baby and Grandma (mom's mom)) The love and history Silvereen and Kelly shared was at odds with the shadow stories from mom's childhood memories. I tiptoed through different subjects until realization of obvious limited time crashed in. I became my typical blunt person, and said "Mom must have done something to get a 'talking to' from Granny. We heard very little, and nothing positive about Granny and Papa." This wonderful woman, who lived a good life of service, (still alive well into my teen years) is more of a mystery to me now than before. Some of the photos made me realize she has populated my dreams often. I just didn't recognize her from the stern photos mom kept. Maybe my travels to here during the anniversiery of mom's death was for healing between mom and Granny. We don't understand the relationship between this world and the next, but I often feel close to the ancesters. Also, can missunderstandings, and ill words harm those who have already died? Who knows, but it feels good and right as the weaving of my generations of enstrangement are being pulled into a united frabric.2Sep08 Catoosa
Ken: Back to explore the town and look for sources of family information. Ended up at the Historical Society's Museum, and it was a gold mine. The woman tending the office turned out to be married to a relative of Nikki's, and she called him to come over. In the meantime, we found a drawer of data that had been supplied when a history of Catoosa was written (we bought a copy of the book). We made copies of all the Harris and Parham folks write ups, and Nikki took close photos of the photos in the files. Spent several hours at this, then got some lunch and drove a bit more. Met the Silverene and Kelli for dinner, and talked a bunch more family stuff. I guess we need a little digital recorder to capture these kinds of things. But we went away with lots to work on anyway.
Nikki: The next morning the museum became a wealth of information. It's a little wild to
find photos and written history of one's relatives (and the things not said too). Mom's family had left Oklahoma when she was a young teenager as part of the 'Okie Migration.' Her family followed other family members to Washington instead of California. In this photo, mom is the tallest, the Other 2 girls are her sisters, the 2 boys to the farthest right her brothers. One other brother is in the group, but I don't know for sure which one he is. This was an unmarked photo in the museum. If any one knows for sure, please contact the Catoosa Historical Society.While we were photocopying and taking photos of photos, my daughter Clare called. She was shocked any family history would be in a museum. Her question "Why?" got me to thinking. I guess the history is just a measure of survival. A lot of the family stayed alive during some rough times, and then had more kids to boot. Add to that some stayed put long enough to become part of the community history. Of course, the next layer of questioning turned to "what is life?" "Does it matter how we spend the limited hours we are on this earth?" What was to be learned by this stop & study of Catoosa, OKlahoma?" I do see some of these images becoming part of a series of paintings.
3Sep08 Tulsa
Ken: I put Tulsa, as I'm sitting at the FBO waiting for the weather to improve enough to fly west. Nikki is already well past Oklahoma City, and she is expecting to bypass our next planned overnight of Amarillo, TX and head on to Tucumcari, NM. If I can get out of the Tulsa/OK City area, weather looks good to keep on going to Tucumcari. So the Blog is getting some attention and LOTS of changes have been made across the whole thing. (later) Gave up on weather, got a ride to a hotel, and had a good night's sleep.
Nikki: Tucumcari, New Mexico The back roads of Missori and Arkansa were more than enough for me. Fun to drive if I had a little Mustang Convertable, but not while pulling a trailer with a mini van! Anyway, hitting the interstates to Tucumcari, New Mexico was nice. Poor weather meant Ken most likely wouldn't get out of Tulsa. So, I kept going past my 350 mile limit. Rolled into Tucumcari early evening. Got the trailer set up by my self, and used the last daylight to find
the Mission and see if anything had happened to it since our attempt at purchasing it 2 years earlier. There were changes, even with more closed businesses, the Mission had a fresh look to it. Also, the art influence made me hope the artist seed grant awarded in 2006 was a positive influence on the community. Prices of original art in the restaurant, art related businesses, and the nearly 30 murals around town meant I had to track down how the grants had taken shape.4Sep08 Tucumcari, NM
Ken: Since the weather was forecast to start clearing mid-morning, I slept in a bit, had a relaxed breakfast, got a ride back to the FBO (Sparks Aviation has been a very friendly place). Checking METAR sequences, it was slowly clearing at Tulsa. VFR, but not sufficient ceiling for my comfort level. I started looking at the reports along my path, and about 50 miles west it suddenly went from 1-2,000' to above 12,000'. I did some e-mail, packed the plane, chatted with the help, and finally the noon sequences looked doable. Called FSS for briefing and filed. Clearance Delivery gave me a long range squawk code, and I was on my way. Departure called out a pair of towers I was almost aimed at. I had seen the towers, but it wasn't until the warning that I followed the tower upward and it was almost at my level (2,500' to stay under clouds). Cloud base sloped up at about the same rate as the land, so I could maintain a very slow climb. In the expected 50 miles, I was able to find holes big enough to climb up to 6,500', above the layer. It was broken to scattered, with good view of the ground, quite comfortable. In another 50 miles I passed the last cloud in site. Flight from Tulsa to Tucumcari was a bit over three hours, and I had to break out the "range extender" about 2 hours into it. Ran into a growing layer right at 6,500', so climbed to 8,500' for the last 50 minutes or so. During the flight I was connected with: Tulsa Departure, Memphis Center, Oklahoma City Approach, Vance AFB Approach, Vance AFB West Approach, Fort Worth Center, Albuquerque Center, Amarillo Approach, and back to Albuquerque Center for the remainder. One controller, who must have not been very busy, pointed out that my track was about 2 degrees off from what he showed on his vector. I corrected, and about 15 minutes later he noted that my track looked good at that point. The new firmware on the Garmin 496 now shows both the planned track, and the "direct to" track from where ever I've wander away. Also, if I'm centered on the planned track, but my heading changes, it shows a projection of where I'll go on that heading. This effectively gives a very sensitive indication of track error while on the map page. I'm learning more about this tool with each flight. Nikki had spent the day making great contacts in the Tucumcari art community. When she picked me up, we checked in with the TrailManor in the KOA park, then drove to the old mission church that we'd tried to buy in November, 2006, when she was driving around this area. A couple had bought it the following February, lived in their fifth wheel next to it, and done an amazing cleanup and reconstruction on the chapel portion and another section (which is now a small pre-school she runs). We knocked on their door, introduced ourselves, and spent the next two hours checking out what they had done, getting acquainted, etc. They will help with more good connections in the morning. Dinner at a nice restaurant, and back to the TrailManor where I find I actually have WiFi!
Nikki: Photos of the wonderful artists didn't happen. Even the changes in the Mission weren't photographed. This isn't from lack of interest. I was so busy and excited in exchanging ideas and having great discussioins on the business of art I forgot to get pictures. I found the "Art Space." Calling it an "Artist Co-Op" is so limiting to what they are doing. David Buchen (enmas@plateautel.net 575-461-9908, or PO Box 992, Tucumcari, NM 88401) and his lovely partner, Kathy Farmer, shared lunch with me. David is an art community grant writing and administering wonder. He told me the process of the first grant to assess the feasiblity of developing Tucumcari as an artist community, then another small grant to plan for the development, the next grant for implimenting a logical step, and now just getting a large HUD grant for business & art development, with the primary focus on Hispanic artists, designed to improve the whole community.
David and Kathy gave me a quick outline of the current history of the Mission, said it was bought by an artist and her husband, and they would be more than happy if I knocked on their door, asking to see the improvements. I waited till Ken got into town, then we had the fun meeting of Connie and Don Falls. Connie paints under the name "Sue Falls Studio,csuefalls@msn.com 575-461-8520, PO Box 1161, Tucumcari, NM 88401." It was fun to share first person, how we didn't end up with the Mission, and how they did. Storytelling, artistic vision and trust in a Power greater than ourselves made the story take on mythical dimensions.
The new murals in Tucumcari played an important roll in Connie and Don finding the Mission. Connie said she would introduce us to Doug & Sharon if we had the time tomorrow morning. We agreed to the wonderful opportunity, and she gave us instructions on how to get to their place.5Sep08 Tucumcari
Ken: More time with artists in the community. We met the couple who have been painting murals on buildings around town. They have done about 29 so far, and may have another couple of them to do. And Tucumcari is starting to advertise itself along Route 66 as the "Mural City of the Southwest." The couple has remodeled a lovely old house and turned it into their studio and a bed and breakfast. There is artwork on nearly every wall space, plus ceiling murals. Both of them are accomplished painters, and we spent several hours just chatting with them. We drove around and found only about 1/3 of the murals, even with a map. Finally gave up and headed out to the Canchos Dam, about 30 miles outside of town. This was a WPA project, completed in the early 1940's. Checked out camping places, took some photos of the dam and the lake, got photos of a road runner by the road, as well as a mule dear with two young ones in tow. Interesting side note: up until a few days ago, everyone we met had questions about living in Alaska. But the last few days, for some reason, the first questions we get are about our governor.
Nikki: Doug & Sharon Quarles were a delight to meet. Also, their B & B, a renovated historical home, is
amazing as a gallery and a fun place to plan a little vacation. The business is "Gallery 111 Bed & Breakfast" murals@plateautel.net 505-461-7891 307 East High Street, Tucumcari, NM 88401. I wish all of my artist friends could have shared that bright morning, sitting out on the Quarles' porch, talking about 'artist voice' and business plans. Tucumcari is at a crossroads as a city - closed businesses and devalued relastate. But it is alive with creative ideas and artists sharing their discoveries, working together and building a solid plan to make being an artist a viable form of employment.
I hope our art lives weave in and out with Tucumcari. There is lots to learn and watch as the artists put Tucumcari back in the hearts, minds and dreams of others. This detail of one of the Quarles' murals symbolizes my hopes of returning often to this beautiful area, connecting with our new found friends.6Sep08 Carrizozo, NM
Ken: Usual drill -- breakfast, packed up, took down TrailManor, and Nikki drove me to the airport. By the time I was packed, fueled, flight plan filed and under way, I flew over Nikki almost 3/4 the way to Carrizozo. LOTS of MOAs and Restricted areas, and Carrizozo is in the middle of a fairly small corridor to the north, and an even narrower one to the south. Flight was fairly smooth at 8,500' (not very high above the terrain) until descending into Carrizozo. Tied down, unpacked and Nikki arrived a few minutes later. We drove to the Valley of Fire BLM campground to set up the TrailManor, then into town to meet our for Fairbanks friend, Steve, at his art gallery. Chatted a while, then drove the 20 miles to Capitan where the nearest grocery store is. Back to finish setting up home, put groceries away, etc. Back to pick up Steve and drive to his home for dinner with his wife, Ann. Lovely evening of chatting, checking out their home.
Nikki: The drive from Tucumcari to Carrizozo was one of those perfect days Road Warriors want to continue forever. Blue-blue, and shades of earth tones, friendly drivers going in the opposit direction, and NICE roads. Maybe it was my awareness that the road trip was ending, but each mile passed too quickly.
The images posted for this part of the trip are to represent the drastic change in weather, the details and our friends - Ann and Steve Fortenly. Also, we didn't get the 'travel photo' of Ann and Steve together. Lots of Fairbanks people haven't had the honor of meeting Steve's lovely bride.The weather matched my emotions, one minute ready and excited about heading home, the next sad at leaving this amazing adventure. The little lizard was hanging on to the side of the walkway in the lava flow area. It was mind-numbing dealing with the details of leaving the trailer and van for a year, and getting ready to travel in the SMALL plane from now on. The
courtyard is a snapshot of Ann's house, where her physical therapy business is. She is such an artist, pulling other artists' work into a united whole. Her clever placement of elements is done in a way the eye has discovery after discovery of related and repeated patterns.7Sep08 Carrizozo
Ken: Began the process of packing up to start the new phase: what to leave in the van and in the TrailManor, what to mail to ourselves, what to take in the plane, what to give away here. Most of the day was occupied with this. Quit at 5pm, made a fruit salad and headed for a pot luck Steve and Ann had invited us to. It was celebrating the 69.9 years of a local artist (who had asked that there NOT be a celebration for her 70th). We met several folks who used to live in Alaska, and several others who had visited. Great evening.
8Sep08 Carrizozo
Ken: Continued the sorting and packing for some time, then took a break to walk the trail through the lava flow that is the center attraction of this campground. This is a very recent lava flow that came from a vent, not a volcano, and flowed for about 30 years. Lots of photos as usual. In to town for coffee with Joyce, a woman Nikki had known as Rainbow when she lived in Homer. I'm using the WiFi while they get caught up and I listen. (Later) Back for more packing.
Then Nikki joined the Baha'is for Feast while I ran some errands. Back for more packing -- to find water all over the trailer. We'd left the windows ajar, and there had been a huge storm. We found a couple of holes in plastic roof vent covers, and later heard there had been large hail with the storm. So packing was delayed while we dried everything and did a temporary fix on the vent covers. Finally had everything done, the trailer down, the holding tanks drained, and off to stash the TrailManor on Steve's property -- after dark! We got that done by the light of pickup headlamps. Dinner with Steve and Ann, then off to sleep in a motel in town. It's going to seem strange to both of us: Nikki will have no trailer to tend, no driving to do; Ken will have company in the plane.The flight to Tempe early in the morning starts Phase 4.
