But, before we got to the lake we spent Tuesday in Cape Girardeau visiting our friends John and Doris Weimer.  John (better known as 'JDW') is a mechanical genius and can repair, build, or invent most anything automotive or aircraft related.  And Doris is one fine cook and, after a great home cooked dinner at their house, we 'boondocked' in a huge parking lot about a mile away, mainly to get the hang of living off the RV's generator and batteries while we still had a safety blanket; after all, if anything went wrong, JDW was just down the street and could figure it out!  Nothing went wrong, and Wednesday we hit the road for the lake.

Day 4 (Wednesday, 21 April):  Lemme tell you:  if you don't need to travel I-55 between Memphis and St. Louis, DON'T!  I thought the stretch from Memphis to Cape Girardeau was bad.  Nooooo!  That entire interstate has to be the crappiest, bumpiest, most broken up and poorly repaired stretch of interstate in the Nation (&, heretofore, I thought I-40 from Memphis to Little Rock was the crappiest interstate anywhere around!).  I mean, there's not one stretch of that concrete slab the length of our RV that's flat and smooth (and we're only 50 feet long from the front of our RV to the rear of our trailer!).  Traveling that slab has made me look for other ways to get places.  So, when we leave here, we'll be changing our itinerary again to stay off interstates where possible (heck, we've changed our itinerary most every day so far anyway!).  Locations won't change, just how we get to them.

        Now, back to the Lake of the Ozarks.  But, while I'm in a negative mood because of the weather: if you're military or DOD and are thinking about staying at the Ft. Leonard Wood Lake of the Ozarks Recreational Area, DON'T!  Not only is it out of the loop of lake activities, it's perched on the edge of a bluff that drops dramatically to the lake with RV slots no more than 30 feet long that require the skills of a professional racer to get into.  There was no way we could get into one of them, our length by itself was too great.  And the teenagers running the park didn't have a clue.

        So, we drove over to Osage Beach and found the neatest RV park: Osage Beach RV Park, another Good Sam park, that has a 3-day deal: $54 plus tax!  The awning is out, the bicycles are off their carrier, and we're ready to just relax for a few days. 

        But, don't depend on Verizon for internet coverage around here!  I've learned a thing or two about Verizon over the last week.  Yes, they may have the broadest cellular system around with more coverage than any other carrier; however, that doesn't mean they have broad wireless internet coverage.  Right now, in Osage Beach, I'm denied internet coverage unless I want to go to the RV park's modum site and dial up AOL!  Oh well, my phone works.

Day 5 (Thursday, 22 April):  So, what does one do on a rainy day in an RV park?  Other than maintenance to the inside of the RV or visiting 110 stores in an outlet mall (yes, we spent the morning walking and shopping), its a great day to toss a CD in the stereo, settle back in a comfortable chair and read a good book, which is just what I did today.  John Grissom's Bleachers was perfect as a one-day read.  Again, something I've not done in years.  Tonight? We'll sleep soundly as a heavy rain plays its symphony on the RV roof; sorta like back in our childhood when we listened to the rain pinging away on tin roofs.

Day 6 (Friday, 23 April):  Another rainy day!  So, we just goofed off unitl the late afternoon showing of "The Alamo" at the local theater.  I don't care what the critics say about the movie, we liked it!  Then, it was back to the RV camp to start getting ready for the road - in the rain.  The bicycles and MG are loaded, the awning's rolled up, and all that's left are the RV's vital functions.

Day 7 (Saturday, 24 April):  Today was a day spent driving in the rain; but, we made our objective: Bonner Springs, Kansas.  Along the way, we stopped by Victoria British in Lenexa, Kansas, one of the major parts suppliers to the British car hobby/industry.  Man, things have changed there: no more scratch & dent room, no more cars stored in the back of the warehouse (just 3 in the showroom, the other 30 or so have been moved somewhere else), & only 1 guy on the counter.  And my MG was the only British car in the parking lot.  The 10 or so belonging to warehouse and phone bank employees were all normal, everyday cars - mostly Japanese!  Along one wall there's a display of all the catalogs in their inventory.  Looking at them caused me to realize that British cars are only about half their business now, if that.

Day 8 (Sunday, 25 April):  Our first trip to Alaska began from Leavenworth in 1985 and ended back in Leavenworth in 1988.  So its only right and fitting that this trip also 'begins' here.  Today we're remembering our connections to Leavenworth: Shannon graduated from high school there in 1990, Jerri remained there while Shannon was away at college and I was at Desert Storm, and in 1993 I retired from the Army there.  

       Yes, we ate lunch at Homer's Drive In, a Leavenworth tradition since 1931; and the 'burger and milk shake tasted exactly as I remembered.  You know, when we left Leavenworth in 1985 bound for Alaska, it looked like a town that urban renewal had skipped.  When we returned from Alaska in 1988, nothing had changed. When we left for Alabama in 1993, it still looked just as it did back in 1985.  And today?  It looks just like it did the first time we saw it in 1985.  Nothing ever changes in Leavenworth! 

        It was also fitting that today we made a pilgrimage to the edge of the Missouri River where the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails began and walked a bit in the old trail, following the footsteps of so many of those gallant pioneers who opened the West that we'll visit over the next few months.  Standing in the middle of those worn trails, its a long way up the bank of the Missouri to the flat grounds of Fort Leavenworth's parade field; and just looking over the edge of them is almost impossible, they've been worn into the land by so many wagon wheels.. 

Weston, Mo:  Jerri always enjoyed this little town, the home of McCormick Distillery.  There are quaint little antique shops, tea rooms, wineries and hundred-plus year old houses in this little town perched on the edge of the Missouri River.  Lewis and Clark explored the Missouri River there.  We spent the afternoon wandering around there.

        Now, its off across the Plains into Nebraska and the Dakota's!