Cloquet to Detroit Lakes, MN - June 8-14, 2015

What a trip down memory lane these past 5 weeks, as we cleared out Mom’s house getting it ready to sell. We arrived in Cloquet May 8 to begin this arduous task. Thankfully, my brother Ron and his wife Debby arrived from Roseau, MN to spend a week with us.

Over the years Mom had collected numerous English bone china cups and saucers from her trips across the border into Canada—these were her souvenirs. For a number of years she had also worked at Bergquist’s Swedish Imports, headquartered in Cloquet. While there she collected many, many pieces of Scandinavian glassware, pewter, and silver; she also had a collection of 24K gold plated pieces, including napkin rings, candle holders, bud vases, etc. All these wonderful items filled one entire shelved closet, the top shelves in her bedroom closet, her curio cabinet, and kitchen cupboards. I remembered her using many of these pieces, and remembered who shared a cup of coffee with Mom and Dad, using those cups and saucers, or special dishes.

In addition, she was a wonderful cook and baker; and, on occasion she also did catering. This in no way diminishes her desire to create the very best of everything she made. Her kitchen bore tribute to this, as there were dozens of baking pans and utensils, serving pieces, various pots and pans, and all manner of cooking/baking stuff.

Also, she collected recipes and cookbooks, so there were hundreds of hand-written recipes in a specially made recipe file, all categorized, many with notations she had made over the years.  

Mom's house with our "house" in front.

We really should’ve taken photos of everything as we wrapped up those many items, as just writing about them doesn’t give the impression of how much there was. She took special joy and satisfaction in using all her pieces, serving the special creations from her kitchen. No one went away hungry or wanting when you visited their home. (I attempt to continue this tradition...)

Many of the items were given to family members, although there was a lot that went to Goodwill, as well. (They love us in Cloquet!)

Mom at Inter-Faith Care Center

The home was listed with a realtor and sold within 4 days. Then came the inspection. In this home that was built in the early 1960’s there was a bit of updating that needed to be done; all will be accomplished by closing the end of July. It was a bitter-sweet experience for me, as I had spent only 3 years there; it was home while Mom and Dad were there—but now it’s just a house.

We visited Mom at Inter-Faith Care Center quite a few times, and when weather permitted took her out into the garden. We’re so thankful she’s there, where she can receive the care she needs 24/7. Oh, and while we were in Cloquet we took in a few of niece MacKenzie’s soccer games, to cheer on her team.

MacKenzie, #13

Our new shoe rack!

Dick also installed our new shoe rack in our RV on the outside wall as you go toward the bedroom. Pretty slick, huh! It'll hold up to 6 pair! Woot-woot!

(photo of shoe rack)

Last week Dick and I played Pegs & Jokers with MacKenzie and her BFF Peyton. Mac and I took on Dick and Peyton, and I have to say, we beat them all 4 games! Again, I say, "woot-woot!"

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Thought I’d share a bit of history of my home town, Cloquet, pronounced kloh-KAY. Cloquet is located along the St. Louis River, about 20 miles west-southwest of Duluth, MN, along Highway 35 (which leads to Minneapolis/St. Paul). The 2012 census lists the population at just over 12,000 people. It’s sort of a bedroom community to Duluth, although there are industries in Cloquet, that continue to bring people to the town.

Cloquet was incorporated in 1884 from 3 smaller settlements clustered around 3 sawmills: Shaw Town, Nelson Town, and Johnson Town. “Cloquet” is a French surname, but historians found nothing definitive so have just speculated as to its origin. Tragedy struck October 12, 1918 when the historical Cloquet Fire destroyed most of the town, including homes and businesses, killing about 500 people. This fire also destroyed 6 nearby towns and villages. Rebuilding took the courage and perseverance of the local people, once again making these towns thriving economic communities.

For a small town, Cloquet made its mark in American economic history because before and after WWII it was home of the strongest consumers cooperative in the country. The Cloquet Cooperative Society, founded in 1910, operated 2 stores which sold food, shoes, dry goods, and furniture. Other services included a building supply store, a coal yard, a mortuary, an auto repair shop and a gas service station.

The St. Louis River also played an important role in the history of Cloquet. The river was an important waterway for early Native Americans, the Dakota and Ojibwe tribes, supporting a whole industry during the mid-1700s and the fur trade. Later, it was the lifeline for the local lumber industry with the arrival of the railroads, after 1870, which also allowed for rapid growth of the local agricultural industry. Many of the workers in these early industries were immigrants from over a dozen European countries and Canada, providing the rich cultural heritage still enjoyed and evident in succeeding generations. (Thanks to them, I was introduced to the Finnish sauna, complete with hot rocks, steam and cedar branches!)

Cloquet grew quickly, from around 2,500 people in the late 1800’s to over 7,000 within 2 decades. Hotels, boarding houses, stores, saloons and specialty shops were prevalent.

Above: Gordy's when I was in high school.
Below: Gordy's now

Last year in one of our blogs I mentioned a local establishment, Gordy’s Hi-Hat, a local drive-in eatery, that’s been around for quite a few years. Opened in 1960 by the Lundquist’s, it’s still family owned and operated. In fact, it’s not uncommon to see Gordy in the kitchen on an almost daily basis. Famous for their hamburgers, Gordy’s still does it the old-fashioned way with fresh hand-patted hamburgers, hand-battered Alaskan fish, homemade onion rings, and blended shakes and malts. In 2010 Gordy’s Hi-Hat was selected and featured on The Food Network’s Diners, “Drive-Ins and Dives.” Folks come from miles around for their food.

Another famous landmark in Cloquet is Ray Lindholm’s gas station, designed by none other than Frank Lloyd Wright. Knowing Lindholm was in the oil business, Wright presented him with a proposal to design the gas station. (This was the only service station Wright designed.) Wright also designed Ray Lindholm’s house which was completed in 1952. The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 11, 1985, for its architectural significance. A cantilevered copper canopy extends over the gas pumps; the angular end of the canopy points to the St. Louis River, just north of the station. In his original plans, Wright wanted to install overhead gas pumps suspended from the canopy to add space, but local safety regulations prohibited this, so conventional ground-based pumps were installed instead. An observation lounge with glass walls is located beneath the canopy, intended to be a social center. The stations’ service bays are built from stepped cement blocks; these and the recessed mortar between rows of blocks provides a horizontal element to the building. Skylights allow sunlight into the service bays. Roughly 4 times the cost of the average filling station during that time, the station ultimately cost $20,000. Even though its construction was only a partial success for Wright, the station’s design elements, particularly the triangular cantilevered canopy, became common in later Phillips 66 stations.

Photo taken from the Web

That’s enough about Cloquet. It’s a great place for families; kids can still ride their bikes or walk to school, the local store or the library without fear.

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We left Cloquet on Sunday, June 14, driving north on Highway 33 to Highway 2 West, then Highway 200 West, and on to Highway 34 to Detroit Lakes, MN. As we drove west we passed many east-bound rigs, hauling 4-wheelers that looked as though they had been at a “mud” rally. In the pack we noticed a pickup pulling a flat-bed gooseneck trailer with Dad’s old pickup camper mounted at the front of the trailer and a monster mud machine loaded right behind it. Small world!

Leaving Cloquet at 10:45 Sunday morning, we arrived in Detroit Lakes at 2:30. Our next 4 days would be spent at Forest Hills Golf and RV Resort, just 3 miles west of Detroit Lakes on Highway 10. With 332 sites, this resort is more suited to the avid golfer than to RVers, as there’s a golf course on-site. Rather than RVs, the park is home to 90-95% park models or double-wide homes. There is an on-site restaurant, Izzo’s, as well as an ice cream parlor and miniature golf course. In the clubhouse there’s a workout room, a swimming pool, and a family activity room with free WiFi; however, there’s no WiFi or cable in the rest of the park.

The city of Detroit Lakes was founded in 1871 by Colonel George Johnston. With the construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad, the city grew quickly, and by 1884 Detroit Lakes had quite a few businesses including 2 large hotels, a bank, a newspaper, and an opera house. Today, the town is just over 8,000 people strong. Two of the most notable folks who are from Detroit Lakes are David Reichert, US Senator from Washington State, and Jessica Lange, who lived here during her junior year in high school before moving to Cloquet to finish high school. (She was a year ahead of me at Cloquet High School.)

That’s it for this blog. Thursday we head to Medora, ND to spend 4 days before heading further west.

Stay safe, healthy and strong.

Sending hugs your way.

RJ and Gail

Cloquet, MN, June 4, 2015

Hi y'all!

Thought I'd give a bit of an update on our progress as we continue to clear out Mom's house, as I haven't posted anything for a couple of weeks. This will be short recount of our past few weeks, but you'll get a good idea of what we faced.

We arrived to Cloquet on Friday May 9, and worked diligently to get the house ready to put on the market. We listed the house on Tuesday May 14 and got an offer at full price on Friday May 17. Wow! Closing will be on or before July 25. Lots to do before then, especially since our plans are to leave Cloquet on Sunday June 14, and head west.

Mom and Dad bought this house in 1965, and as is true with most folks who lived during the depression years, they found use (or thought they could find use) for almost everything. Not much was discarded over the years, so there was lots of stuff tucked away in every little available place in the house, garage, attic and backyard shed. You wouldn't know it to walk through the house, though. Every room was neat and clear of clutter.

As I mentioned in our last blog, my brother Ron and his wife Debby were able to spend a week here with us, to begin the arduous job of getting the house cleared out. Debby and I tackled emptying all the closets, drawers, and cabinets, while Ron and Dick worked on clearing out the attic, back shed and garage. And, Dick took on the task of photographing and posting items, such as furniture, on Craigslist and eBay.

Need I say that Goodwill loves us here in Cloquet??  (It's usually the policy of Goodwill here in Cloquet to send the local donations to Duluth for sorting, but that ain't happenin' with stuff from this house! They're keeping everything here, sorting it, and keeping the "good stuff" for themselves before sending it on. Funny.

Mom loved to entertain, which she did very well. No one went away wanting for anything if you were a guest in their home. She also did some catering, so many of Mom's serving pieces and special treasures, including her collection of Fostoria and candlewick glass, Swedish glassware, etc. (which filled a large shelved closet and then some...), as well as a good portion of her cook- and bake-ware--which she had TONS of--went to relatives.

Mom was an avid "canner" so in her cold cellar (or what we called the fruit room) we found over 500 clean canning jars with rings, and just as many jars filled with home-canned goods, such as peaches, pears, cherries, tomatoes, juices, meats, stews, etc., many dating back to the early '80s. Yes, indeed, we found some pretty interesting "science experiments" in those jars, as well. (We even found a couple jars of something she canned when we lived in Grand Marais prior to 1965. Good grief!) Our first priority in that room was to clear out those clean jars, and put them on Craigslist to try to sell. We sold them to a family who taps for maple syrup, and  yes, they shared 2 quarts of it with us! Score!

In addition to the fruit room, there were 2 chest freezers (about 35 cubic feet) full of food: wild blueberries, strawberries (including jam), rhubarb, venison, elk, all manner of beef cuts, chicken, fish--you name it--it was in there! It was my job these past couple of days to clean out the freezer and discard everything in it. Since Mom hasn't been here in the house for over a year, and didn't do much, if any, cooking in the few years prior, the food was pretty old. Good thing there are Hefty bags!!

The local landfill accepted everything we could bring to them, including 2 "dump trailers" full of stuff. Also, there was quite a bit of "hazardous waste," such as old paint, cleaning supplies, insecticides, etc., that needed to be disposed of. Thankfully, the landfill takes that at no charge, as there was quite a bit.

We've sold bedroom sets, a living room set, a dining table, chairs, lamps, end tables, a printer, chests of drawers, all on Craigslist. There are still a few more items to sell, or get to Goodwill. And, we still need to get rid of an old refrigerator, stove and one of the freezers from the basement. Sure could use the help of some hefty football players about now!

Dick and I are keeping some of our stuff that we transported from Tacoma, for when we decide to come off the road. We wanted/needed a dry and clean storage spot. Mom's neighbor across the street graciously offered us an empty storage room in her basement, so we accepted her offer and moved our stuff in. Perfect fit! It helps that there isn't any furniture--just boxes and bins. (And no, the antelope is not ours!) Thank you, Kristi!

On one of our visits to Mom at Inter-Faith Care Center, we took this photo of her as she enjoyed a cup of coffee with us. She gets around quite well in a wheelchair, and does get up to walk a couple of times during the day. Mom was alert, conversant, and aware of us and who we were, so that was good!

So you won't think we haven't taken time out to do anything other than clean, we have gone to a couple of niece MacKenzie's soccer games, attended church on Sundays, and have played a few rounds of Pegs 'n' Jokers with friends, as well as other miscellaneous things.

I may not post another blog until we're actually on the road, but wanted you to know what we're been doing the past month. I told Dick that when/if we ever have another house it will not have stairs! Can't tell you how many times we've been up and down, up and down, up and down, carrying, hefting,.. Uff-da!!

Anyway, hope this finds you well. We leave you with a photo of Mom's lilac bush--tree actually--in her back yard, right next to her huge rhubarb patch. What you see is about 1/2 of the rhubarb still available for picking. (Yes, I've harvested rhubarb and have done a bit of baking. Can't get enough of that stuff!)

Hugs to you all. Stay stay safe, healthy and strong.
RJ and Gail

Hillsdale, IL to Sarona, WI to Cloquet, MN – May 4-10, 2015

Yesterday, Sunday, we said goodbye to Marvin and Shirley, and headed north again, this time to Sunset Lakes RV Resort in Hillsdale, IL, just over 350 miles away. It was a good travel day, with good roads for the most part with some rough spots as we traveled Highway 51 North through Illinois to Interstate 74. We went through quite a few small towns, but it was a good taste of "small town America." Weather was cooperative, with temperatures reaching the low-80s, some clouds, but no rain. We arrived to our destination at 4:00 p.m. and were set up by 5:00.

Sunset Lakes is a beautiful family-owned RV resort, with over 700 sites for both RVs and tents. Paved roads lead through wooded park-like settings to concrete and grass sites, all with concrete picnic tables. During the summer season there’s an Olympic-size outdoor pool with lifeguard, a mini-mart and snack bar. Tennis, volleyball, miniature golf, basketball, horseshoes, 5 fishing lakes, paddle boats, and myriad other activities are available, as well. A full workout room, laundry facilities and showers were available in the clubhouse. And, you get to experience Canadian geese up close and personal…we saw families of geese with little goslings everywhere along the lakes. Too bad we were there for only 2 nights, as there was so much to experience, and it did rain and was cold the full day we were there. Wi-Fi was available in the park, although they charged for it if you wanted it at your site (free in club house).

Sunday night at Sunset Lakes brought heavy rain and thunder storms, and rain lasted off and on throughout the day and into Monday night. Thankfully, as we packed up Tuesday morning the rain had abated, but it was still a chilly 58°.

Our trip further north through a part of Iowa and back into Wisconsin was uneventful, although highways were terrible in spots and good in others. Lush green fields and beautiful farms fill the heartland of Wisconsin, where horses and cows were in abundance. I mentioned that we drove through part of Iowa, and as we drove north the temperatures gradually dropped; as we left Dubuque the temperatures were hovering near 50° with drizzly rain—and of course, always the optimists, we were dressed in shorts and t-shirts. Brrr!

We arrived to Sarona, WI along Highway 53 about halfway between Rice Lake and Spooner, at 4:00 p.m. This next campground, Whitetail Ridge, is located about 6 miles off the highway in a wooded area near Shell Lake, WI. Beautiful wooded and farm lands surround the campground, which has been in business for about 9 years. Full hook-ups were available for long-term guests, but we had only electric and water. Free Wi-Fi was available. Also onsite was a full-service bar, pool tables—and a horseshoe pit, where they hosted a horseshoe tournament the night we arrived. (Funny to see guys haul their own horseshoes from the backs of their pick-up trucks to participate!)

Weather Wednesday continued to be cool, only in the mid-50s but that didn't deter us from driving the few miles to Spooner. While there we picked up a few groceries, fueled the truck, and had lunch at Nick’s, a local restaurant. Being early in the season, many of the touristy attractions weren't yet open, but we did drive a few miles to Shell Lake were we took in The Potters Shed. What an eclectic place! They provide lessons and lectures on pottery making, mosaic work, etching, and all things related to clay. Their gift shop offers unique gifts from around the world, including jewelry, soaps, candles, locally-made pottery, clothing, etc. Onsite are a café, gardens, and an art gallery. During the summer they offer live music for their “Music at the Shed” concerts, where local and some not-so-local bands provide entertainment, mainly on the weekends. It’s worth the trip and stop!

We were hoping to get out to investigate more of the area, but Thursday was another cold, rainy and windy day so we stayed in to catch up on stuff in the camper, like computer stuff and knitting.

Friday morning we were at it again, packing up and preparing for the trip to Cloquet, MN, where we would begin the arduous task of clearing out Mom’s house to get it ready to sell. This trip was probably one of the shortest of any we've taken, just over 100 miles. We left the campground a bit after 10:30 Friday morning, arriving to Cloquet at about 12:30. Light traffic, slightly overcast and the fragrance of the north woods made for a good driving day. As we drove towards Duluth/Superior, we could see glimpses of Lake Superior through the trees—beautiful! That lake draws me every time I see it.

Cloquet is located about 20 miles west-northwest from Duluth—an easy drive. By early afternoon we had the camper set up on the street in front of Mom’s house, and stuff brought into the house that we would need for our stay, including everything from the refrigerator/freezer. We settled in.

Saturday afternoon we made our first visit to Mom, at Inter-Faith Care Center in Carlton, MN. She didn’t really know who we were, although it appeared she felt she should know. We gave her a Mother’s Day card and corsage, which she seemed to appreciate, and visited for a few minutes before taking her to the on-site Mother’s Day Social in the community room. Between 60 and 70 residents and family members were there for the social, enjoying the coffee and dessert provided, as well as the live piano music and sing-along. Mom even sang along with the songs. She seemed to enjoy this little outing.

Later that day, my brother Ron and his wife Debby arrived from Roseau, MN located in the northwest corner of Minnesota to stay for a week to help. Dinner that evening was salad and pizza from Papa Murphy’s with Ron and Debby, brother Rich, his wife Karen and daughter MacKenzie. A perfect ending to a good day.

Sunday morning we attended Grace Baptist Church, Mom’s home church here in Cloquet. The longer we’re away from Cloquet, the fewer people we know at the church, although there are still a few who welcome us with open arms. It’s always good to see them again.

After a quick lunch at home, we tackled a few things around the house. My mom’s youngest sister Fern and her husband Kenny stopped by that afternoon on their way home to Grand Marais from the Twin Cities, so we had an opportunity to visit with them and catch up on their lives. After they left Ron and Deb visited with Mom at the Care Center for about an hour. Again, it appeared she should know who they were but wasn't quite sure. At least Mom's still relatively healthy and has a good attitude; she spends most of her days cruising the halls in a wheelchair or in the common room in the memory care section of the Center.

That’s it for this week. We're planning on being here in Cloquet for at least a month, clearing and cleaning out the house, selling what we can, and getting it on the market to sell.

We hope this finds you well. Until next time. (Just an FYI, I may not publish a blog next week, depending on how the days go clearing out Mom's house. There may not be much to share...)

Love ‘n’ hugs,

RJ and Gail

Carterville, IL – Kamper’s Supply – April 27 - May2, 2015

What a wonderful week we had with Marvin and Shirley Oetjen, in Carterville, IL. We arrived to Kamper’s Supply (their RV business) on Monday afternoon around 3:30 after a 304 mile drive from Shirley, AR. Thankfully we had wonderful weather to travel, and the roads—for the most part—were good, although hilly and windy through Arkansas and the small section of Missouri we had to go through.

We were welcomed with open arms; Marvin and Shirley are ever the gracious hosts, even though we take up a parking “site” in front of their service bays while we’re there. They just tell us where to park, provide us with power and a hose to load up our unit with water, and tell us to enjoy the stay! That evening we had a yummy meal at a local Italian restaurant, Mimmo’s, just up the road from Kamper’s Supply. Friends Randy and Jeri joined us. We noshed on a calzones, Philly cheese steak sandwiches, grilled chicken sandwiches and Italian subs. Yummy!

Tuesday was Dick’s birthday—he turned a very young 71! Happy birthday to him! That was the day for John and Curtis (Marvin and Shirley’s sons) to take over our unit to complete repairs from our blow-out last summer, anchor the front edge of our awning, fix a leak on the rear door side of the camper, check the roof for hail damage (see Nacogdoches blog), and anchor some electrical wires under the dining room slide. They really know how to “get ‘er done!” Thanks, guys!

That evening we had dinner at Red Lobster with Marvin and Shirley, and Randy and Jeri to celebrate the birthday boy. We certainly weren't disappointed! Shrimp, scallops, rib eye steak, flounder—cannot go wrong there! Then, we headed back to Marvin and Shirley's for a few games of Pegs and Jokers, ice cream and cake. Sadly, the gals lost 2 of the 3 games we played. Of course, we gals said it was because we needed to make the guys feel good—especially Dick on his birthday. Ha!

Wednesday Dick took a 50 mile motorcycle ride through the countryside; I stayed back at the ranch to knit, and had a long-overdue pedicure. Later that day we all had dinner at Bob Evans before we began the real serious preparation for Kamper's Supply open house to be held Friday through Sunday. We hit Sam’s Club to pick up food for the weekend’s event: Kamper’s Supply’s 40^th anniversary! Wow! Kamper's Supply was established as a family owned "Mom & Pop" dealership in May 1975. It was time to celebrate!

Here’s an article written in a local newspaper, the Southern Business Journal,about the Oetjens and Kamper's Supply. Thought you’d enjoy reading it. We’re thankful and proud to be friends of the Oetjens.

At Sam’s Club we picked up 6 pork butts, at least 8 full racks of ribs, hot dogs, buns, potato salad, brownies, animal crackers, chicken, coffee, and condiments. Friend Randy smokes the butts and ribs on his super-duper smoker for 3 days of food! Barbeque sandwiches and hot dogs are prepared for customers, while we "workers" got to nosh on barbeque sandwiches, grilled chicken sandwiches and ribs. YUM-YUM!

Here’s a photo of Randy’s smoker, on which we prepared the weekend’s meats: pork butts, ribs, hot dogs and chicken. He’s quite serious about this, and we definitely benefit from his culinary skills!

Here's the cooker.

Friends Bob and Sharon live near St. Louis, MO so we drove to Fairview Heights, IL to have lunch with them on Thursday, just a couple of hours away. We decided to have lunch at Smokey Bones BBQ even though we’d be having barbeque all through the weekend. Sure was good to see them again. Sharon and Dick had a grilled chicken salad, Bob noshed on the pulled pork special, while I had a barbequed brisket stuffed baked potato.  Again, I say, YUM-YUM! We spent about almost 2 hours together talking, laughing and eating. What a great way to spend a day! (While we were with Bob and Sharon, the crew back at Kamper’s Supply noshed on Randy’s grilled chicken sandwiches which, we were told, were wonderful!!! Sorry we missed them!)

That evening (I cannot believe we ate again!) we had dinner with Marvin and Shirley, their son Curtis, and other friends Leroy and Lori at a local restaurant, the Country Cupboard. Spread across the table were hamburgers, chef salads, chicken casserole, Swiss steak, and a patty melt. Good grief! But, boy was it good! Then Marvin and Shirley, and Dick and I returned to Kamper's Supply to get to work doing final preparations for Friday’s opening. Dick and I put batteries in give-away flashlights (pretty cool little LED units). And we all carried stuff to the door prize table. There was some pretty cool stuff being given away, like blankets, camping chairs, hitches, a portable ice maker, grilling utensils, and other things that make camping and the RV life enjoyable.

Kamper's Supply and the RV lot. Lots of campers to choose from!

Clockwise, top to bottom: sign up for door prizes, the
table of door prizes, food table, Randy preparing the ribs and
Jackie blowing up the balloons.

Kamper's Supply store and floral bouquets they received
in celebration of their 40th!

Friday morning came early, as we did the final preparations for the open house. Randy was smoking the pork butts for the barbeque sandwiches; Dick and I stuffed paper bags with other give-away stuff like pens, tank treatments, sewer dump gloves, pens, etc.; granddaughter Jackie was filling balloons with helium for outside decorations; Jeri and Lori were busy preparing the food table; Leroy was busy preparing to demonstrate Direct-TV and Dish networks with RV satellite equipment, and Jack RV antennas. What a busy place! When the doors opened folks came pouring in! Later in the morning Jeri, Lori and I manned the food table, preparing hot dogs on buns, barbeque sandwiches on buns, cutting brownies and cake, making coffee, filling little cups with animal crackers, and making sure the punch thermos was filled. (Randy—the retired pharmacist—has quite a reputation for barbeque, so folks really enjoyed that treat!)

That evening—we weren't done eating yet! Twenty-seven of us were treated to dinner at an Italian restaurant in Carbondale, just a few miles away, by the RV sales reps that had come in for the Open House. The Italian Village Restaurant is a real gathering place where you don’t go away hungry! And, thousands of customers over the years have provided their autographs and notable memories on the walls of their main dining rooms. Cool! What a fun evening! Marvin and Shirley, their 2 sons and wives, 3 grandkids and their families (including 4 great grandchildren), Randy and Jeri, Leroy and Lori, the sales reps, and Dick and I ate our way through salads and at least 9 huge pizzas. YUM-YUM! And…Uff-da!!!

Saturday was day 2 of the Open House. Lots more folks came to visit, to walk through the campers, eat, chat, and make purchases from the store. (By the way, Kamper’s Supply is talking about expanding their store, moving the exterior wall out another 15 feet, giving them at least a third again more space.) They were ­b-u-s-y! And, the Cummings made some purchases, as well: a hood light for my stove (the original one burned out long ago and we can’t figure out how to replace the bulb), a sewer hose adapter, RV wash brush, a range hood damper, bottles of RV wash and wax, and an awning cleaner. Yup, we helped the local economy!

Randy prepared more butts for the barbeque sandwiches, and prepared his special barbeque ribs for us workers. Can’t get enough of those ribs!

Kamper’s Supply treated all us workers, and their families, to dinner at Giant City Lodge in Mikanda, IL that evening. (Gosh—one might think we went to Marvin and Shirley’s just to eat!) Served family style in the Bald Knob Dining Room, we ate our fill of their specialty: golden brown fried chicken, mashed potatoes with country milk gravy, scratch dumplin’s, home-style green beans, buttered corn, creamy coleslaw, and homemade biscuits and apple butter. Oh, and then there was strawberry shortcake, peach or strawberry-berry-or cherry cobbler for dessert. YUMMY!!!

The Giant City Lodge was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s. Built to reflect the local atmosphere and décor, the lodge was built on the highest point in Giant City Park. The foundation was laid out in concrete; the walls of the lodge were constructed of locally quarried sandstone. Illinois hardwoods provided much of the woodworking in the lodge: oak logs, hewn on-site by the CCC, were used for the beams and pillars in the interior of the lodge; wood doors at the entrances, as well as the main and balcony floors and all lintels, were constructed of solid white oak; shingles of the original roof were made of hand-split shingle oak. Circular stairs that lead to the balcony on the upper level were constructed of pecan wood. A local blacksmith did the ironwork found throughout the lodge. The lodge, dedicated on August 30, 1936, was built at a cost of just $106,000 in federal funds.

The buffalo was 2,800 pounds. It had gone rogue so it needed to be put down.
HUGE animal!

All good things must come to an end, which happened on Sunday morning. We did final packing and got on the road at about 9:15, saying farewell to Marvin and Shirley in their front parking lot. We certainly look forward to spending time with them again next year—either at Kamper’s Supply, or in Rockport, Texas at Bay View RV Resort. We are so thankful for them and our friendship. You’re never a stranger with them—just family.

The day was a good travel day: light traffic (it being Sunday), pleasant temperatures and sunshine all the way to Hillsdale, IL where we’ll spend just 2 nights before heading on north to Sorona, WI for 3 nights. For most of the trip the roads were good, although there were some rough places. We took Highway 51 north out of Carbondale, all the way to Interstate 74, which took us close to Sunset Lakes RV Resort, off Highway 88. We travelled through quite a few small towns, which slowed us down. More on Sunset Lakes next week, as we’ll include photos of the park.

That’s it for this week, folks. Hope you’ve enjoyed our travels so far; and our culinary experiences as we ate our way through Carterville, IL with Marvin and Shirley!

Love ‘n’ hugs,

RJ and Gail

P.S.: Here are photos of the Clivia I had given Shirley a couple of years ago, while in Texas; it was too large to fit in our 5th wheel. My, how it's grown, and it has bloomed! This is a photo of the Clivia taken a few weeks ago. Beautiful! Below it are photos of the Clivia as it is now (lost one bloom), and the Wisteria growing in abandon at Kamper's Supply. The fragrance wafted through the air the entire time we were there. Loved it!

Nacogdoches, TX to Shirley, AR – April 20-26, 2015

Two more days in Nacogdoches. There were a couple of things we didn't have an opportunity to see, due mainly to the rainy weather. So, off we went to take in a few more sights.

Before I forget, last week I mentioned the tremendous hail storm we had while in Nacogdoches. Here are photos of the damage to the truck. (Hard to see, but the dents are there!)

Our first stop was to the Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden, which is a project of the Stephen F. Austin State University and the SFA Gardens. It was a beautiful day, so it was an enjoyable walk through the 8-acre garden. Construction on the garden began in an overgrown loblolly pine (common in the southeast US) forest in the winter of 1997; most plantings were completed 5 years later. Today, the garden contains 46 planting beds, 1.25 miles of accessible trails, all complete with 50 benches. (Yea!) In addition to the over 7,000 azalea plants (over 550 varieties), the Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden is home to over 200 Japanese maple varieties, over 100 camellias, a wonderful collection of hydrangeas and a wide assortment of woody ornamentals rarely found. It’s one of the finest collections in the South. Because the azalea season varies, generally from mid-March to mid-April (depending on temperatures, cloudy weather and other climate factors), we missed the peak and came in on the end of the blooming season. Nevertheless, we did find color everywhere. Other blooms such as hydrangeas bloom May through August and camellias bloom October to February. The Japanese maples boast color through the Spring and Fall.

 Just adjacent to the Azalea garden is the Mast Arboretum. So, we crossed the LaNana Creek on a connecting pedestrian bridge and wandered through. The Mast arboretum (also associated with the University) is a 10-acre lush garden of trees, shrubs, vines, ground cover, annuals, perennials, and ornamental ground cover. It hosts over 7,500 varieties of plants and 20 themed gardens, including a children’s garden. Most of the trees and bushes weren't identified, but we did come across some (obvious) holly bushes of all varieties, and some magnificent sculptures.

Holly, a "Baldcypress" walkway, and a memorial to the fallen
Challenger astronauts

From there we decided to head to the historical Sterne-Hoya house in downtown Nacogdoches. Wouldn't you know—it’s closed Mondays. Dang! Anyway, we did take exterior photos (and scoured the internet for internal photos). Here's a bit of history of the house and its occupants.

The 1830 dogtrot house was built by Adophus Sterne, a prominent merchant and Texas Revolution leader. He and his family occupied the home until 1869 when he sold it to the von der Hoya family, where it remained until it was donated to the City of Nacogdoches in 1858 to be used as a library. (There’s a library "box" outside the home where books can be borrowed and left, as the need arises. Cool!) The interior of the home/library/museum depicts the history of the Sterne occupancy during the Texas Revolution, as well as the Victorian period of the Hoya family. The house is furnished with period antiques, family heirlooms, a Texas history library, and also has one of the earliest wine cellars in Texas. In the back yard are remnants of the original kitchen (which was outside the main dwelling) and the original well. To the rear of the main house was the servants’ quarters. Sterne also built a stable, smoke house, hen house, and corn crib on the property, but they no longer exist. Wish we 'gotten in to see the inside in person!

Top to bottom, L to R: Sterne-Hoya house, front and back; 3 furnished rooms in the home;
the "Texas Revolution library; the first wine cellar in Texas; remnants kitchen and well
with servant quarters in background

A couple of items of interest: Davy Crockett was a guest in the home for 2 weeks in 1835, and Sam Houston was baptized into the Catholic faith in the parlor of the house, thereby meeting the requirements of the Mexican government to settle in this part of Texas and own property.

Tuesday we packed up as much of the exterior stuff as we could, in preparation for our departure Wednesday. Dick had successfully transferred his cold/flu malady to me, so I wasn't feeling up to doing much. (Thanks, Dear!)

Wednesday morning we did final packing up (water, electric, loading the motorcycle—which we always try to do the day before we leave, but there wasn't room between us and our neighbor, so we had to load it after hitching up to the truck and moving back about 10 feet). We finally got on the road by 9:30 a.m., and headed to Shirley, Arkansas—a bit north of Little Rock—to Golden Pond RV Park. Roads were good, but lots of long haul truckers on Interstate 30. We stopped at a Pilot Truck Stop in Arkadelphia, Arkansas for fuel, and waited in line for about 20 minutes before we were able to pull up to the pump. Seemed like forever!

We arrived to Golden Pond RV Park by 5:00 p.m. after a 370 mile drive, the last 11 miles through the hilly and windy roads of this part of Arkansas.

Top to bottom, L to R: Golden Pond RV Park signs, me with host Phillip in office,
a view of the park, our site, the activity room, me overlooking the pond, and the
onsite "Chow Hall" BBQ shack

Golden Pond is a small 50-site RV park located in Shirley, Arkansas, that provides full 50, 30, and 20 Amp hook-up; free cable, electricity and WiFi. There are 8 pull-through graveled sites, and a few tent sites. Shady spots overlook the clear pond with boulder rock walls. Amenities include showers and restrooms, laundry, a camping store, activity and rec room, outdoor patio, full kitchen facilities, propane filling station, as well as walking trails and a fishing pond. Our hosts and owners, Phillip and Courtney Butts, purchased the park in July 2014 and are working to make quite a few improvements to the park. While this isn't a real destination park, it’s located in a very beautiful area, and there are things to see and do within driving distance. Oh, and there's an on-site BBQ shack, the Chow Hall, open Tuesday through Saturday with daily specials (as long as they last!). We had pulled pork sandwiches Thursday night and they were excellent!

I used Thursday as a catch-up day, to do laundry and stuff around the camper.

Friday the weather said rain, but we headed to Arkansas' Natural Bridge, located just 4 miles north of neighboring Clinton, Arkansas. This is not to be missed! This natural phenomenon is a 100-foot sandstone bridge—not an eroded archway. It was used as a bridge during pioneer days and saw cattle drives cross it, as well as wagons. The bridge itself is 120 feet long, and is over 12 feet off the ground.

The drive to the parking lot area was very steep with tight curves, but it’s worth the trip. At one end of the parking lot is a log cabin built in 1871, which now is the entrance to the bridge area and also contains a gift shop. The ranger who greeted us was very informative and provided lots of interesting information on the history of the bridge, as well as the area. A pathway leads from the back of the cabin to the bridge, but along the way you pass another cabin containing lots of antiques and pictures dating back to the early 1800s. Beneath the cabin is an old still—with a recipe for making your own moonshine should you wish! Beyond this cabin is the walkway to the bridge, with a picnic area with tables and benches along the way.

Top to bottom, L to R: Ranger cabin and entrance to the bridge walk;
2 shots of the Ranger cabin/gift shop; a sample of a Prim boulder;
the last are 3 photos of the still and moonshine recipe.

The bridge is located just beyond, to your left. Although you can no longer walk or climb up to it, you can still enjoy the beauty of the bridge and the area. Just beyond the bridge is another picnic area nestled beneath a sandstone overhang. And, there are a couple of caves among the rock formations.

Other curious natural formations are found here, as well. Prim boulders are strange, round, often nearly spherically-shaped sandstone boulders, found near the town of Prim, Arkansas, although they can be found anywhere within a 100-mile area. Many are found lying around at the surface. Geologists believe they’re formed by precipitation of calcite and iron minerals from ground water. These minerals precipitate in concentric bands, making that part of sandstone more resistant to weathering so that the boulders remain after the rest of the sandstone has eroded away.

The Natural Bridge of Arkansas

Antiques and artifacts in the 2nd cabin on property.

A lesson in how turpentine is made. Interesting!

Notorious Belle Starr took her place in history in this area, as well. Legend has it that she and her Cherokee common law husband, Sam Starr, hid out in one of the caves located not too far from the bridge, as they were attempting to elude capture for cattle and horse rustling, harboring outlaws, and other crimes. Riding her mare, Venus, and sporting velvet skirts and plumed hats while wearing a gun belt with 2 pistols, Belle played the role of a "bandit queen." They successfully eluded capture for almost a decade, but were finally caught for horse theft and sentenced to 5 months in federal prison in Detroit. After her release in 1889, outlaw Belle Starr was killed when an unknown assailant fatally wounded her with 2 shotgun blasts from behind. Much more information about Belle Starr can be found on the internet—of course.

After a breakfast of Belgium waffles and sausage, we decided to head 20 miles up the road to Mountain View, Arkansas—the "folk music capital of the world!"

Established in the 1870s, the town of Mountain View, Arkansas is famous for the preservation of folkways and traditional music. In the 1960s, a group of local folk saw the need to create a unique attraction here that would help keep the small community alive. Many residents at that time enjoyed playing and singing traditional "mountain music," and informal gatherings were common. To capitalize on the rich folk music and craft traditions, Mountain View hosted the first annual Arkansas Folk Festival in 1963. That first year brought over 2,500 visitors to the area. Music plays a vital part of the aura of the area as Saturday nights would find locals at a "pickin" in a neighbor’s house or yard. The custom continues today and once the weather gets warm (typically from mid-April through late November), musicians from as far away as Memphis join locals and play music late into the night hours outside around the town square. Bluegrass mostly, but a wide array of folk, swing, country and gospel music can be heard. Please enjoy the following 3 videos we shot of the local music and dancing:

"Will the circle be unbroken"

A local gal "clog dances" on a very small stage to folk music, Part1.

A local gal "clog dances" on a very small stage to folk music, Part2.

Clockwise from top: Mountain View Courthouse;
Mountain View plaque and time capsule; ironwork musicians;
new friends David and Sally; sign for Mountain View Music
House  (next photo) where new and vintage instruments are sold, and
music lessons are taught.

Music is the soul of the town, with a determination to keep the tradition alive through programs such as the Music Roots Program, where through the local school system, area musicians teach young people to play the old tune on traditional string instruments, including guitars, violins/fiddles, dulcimers, stand-up bass, and the fife/flute, as well as the "squeeze box." Several folk musicians hale from Mountain View, including Jimmy Driftwood (Jim Morris), who wrote songs such as "Battle of New Orleans" and "Tennessee Stud," and Grandpa Jones, who was a regular on Hee Haw and the Grand Ole Opry. Film and TV actor Dick Powell's childhood home is located on Mountain View's Main Street.

The afternoon was pretty neat, and we thoroughly enjoyed wandering through the town square, visiting the local shops, and trying out the local fudge. I met two fellows from Duluth, MN (of all places!) who were driving through Mountain View to deliver a vintage canoe so someone in a nearby town. We also met David and Sally from nearby Higden, Arkansas, and who visit Mountain View quite regularly.

Clockwise: banjos, dulcimers, violins/fiddles, stand-up basses, mandolins, guitars

All photos are of the folk groups playing throughout the town, including the clogger,
homemade bass, squeeze box, lap harp, fife, and dulcimer.

Dinner was at a local Mexican restaurant, Mi Pueblito. Because most Arkansas counties are "dry" we didn't get our margaritas, but did enjoy enchiladas, chips and salsa, all washed down with lemon water. What a wonderful day!

I should add an item worthy of note: On April 14, 1996 an F4 tornado tore through Mountain View causing major damage to the town, killing NFL quarterback Kurt Warner's mother-in-law and father-in-law. Another F4 tornado caused major damage on February 5, 2008 in the 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak, the deadliest tornado outbreak in this area in 2 decades. Thankfully, the tornado that hit Vilonia, Arkansas April 26, 2014 did not affect Mountain View.

Sunday was spent relaxing and doing prep work for our departure Monday, when we head to Carterville, Illinois, to visit friends Marvin and Shirley, and to have work done on our 5^th wheel.

That’s it for this week. Stay tuned for more adventures as we continue to make our way north to Minnesota.

Hugs 'n' love,

RJ and Gail

Bay View RV Resort – Rockport, TX to Shady Pines RV Park - Nacogdoches, TX, April 13-19, 2015

This week’s blog is rather lengthy, as we saw and did quite a bit. Sit back in a comfortable chair, grab a cup of coffee or tea, and enjoy!

We experienced heavy, heavy rains but Monday arrived with beautiful sunshine and temps in the high 70s. Dick’s last full day of work was Friday, so he was able to enjoy the day with me—we actually went to the pool for the afternoon. Lovely!

Another torrential rainstorm hit Monday night, with lots of thunder and lightning. Between drizzles on Tuesday we were able to do some preliminary packing of stuff outside, in preparation for leaving Wednesday to begin our journey north to Minnesota. Chef Betty stopped by with a farewell gift bag full of goodies for us, to keep us fed on our journey. Thank you, Betty, for your thoughtfulness. Good stuff! And we’ve already eaten most of what was included.

That evening we had dinner with friends Jerry and Bonnie (Idaho) at Moon Dogs. They hadn’t been there before, and we all enjoyed our fare. Jerry had BBQ sausages and smoked brisket, Bonnie noshed on a Portobello mushroom burger, Dick had smoked brisket nachos, and I once again had smoked brisket tacos. YUM-YUM! What a fun time! They head out for Idaho the end of April.

Upon returning to the park Dick and I joined friends Bill and Carole, John and Sara, and Jacob and Yani for a few games of Pegs 'n' Jokers. Guys took the evening, 2:1. Dang! 

Wednesday morning came early for us, as we did our final packing, hooked up the camper and headed out. Quite a few friends stopped by to bid us safe travels, so it was a bitter-sweet morning. It was also tough to say goodbye to our foster kitty, Lucy, who will be going back to her “mom and dad, Ida and Joe,” when we leave. They arrived Wednesday afternoon. I think Lucy was confused for a while, not knowing what in the world was going on.

We were on the road by 10:00 a.m., an uneventful trip for us as we drove through Houston and on up Highway 59 to Nacogdoches. The only hiccup was a traffic accident (not us!) about a mile ahead of us just as we entered Houston proper, putting us about 20 minutes behind schedule. Dick did say that we’ll find another way around Houston should we be going this way again. We’re spoiled by Rockport traffic and not too keen on heavy traffic and trucks while pulling the trailer.

We arrived to our next “home” about 4:00 p.m.: Shady Pines RV Park, located in Nacogdoches, Texas. Although the park is small and doesn't offer amenities other than laundry, restrooms and showers, it’s just a short drive to the historic area of Nacogdoches. Oh, and the park "office" is in CC's Smokehouse restaurant, just adjacent to the park, which has room for about 20 RVs.

We were looking forward to exploring this historic area, and hoped that the rain predicted for the next 4 or 5 days would hold off 'til we had seen and done all we wanted.

A brief history of Nacogdoches: Nacogdoches it the oldest town in Texas, named for the Caddo Indians who once lived in the area. At the height of their advanced Indian culture, the Caddos numbered around 250,000, living in tall, grass-covered houses in large settlements with highly structured social, religious, and political systems. They raised corn, beans, squash and other crops; they hunted bear and deer, and traveled west for annual buffalo hunts. When the Spaniards arrived the Caddos greeted them with the cry "Tejas!" which meant "friend." The Spanish subsequently called the Caddos the "Tejas," and this Spanish land became known as the Province of Tejas, which later gave its name to all of Texas.

Legend says that an old Caddo chief who lived near the Sabine River had twin sons: one with dark hair and dark skin, and the other with blond hair and light skin. When the sons grew to manhood, the chief sent the dark brother 3 days east toward the rising sun, ultimately settling Natchitoches, Louisiana. The light brother was sent 3 days west toward the setting sun, settling Nacogdoches. The brothers remained friendly, and the road between the two was well travelled becoming a major trade route and what is now known as El Camino Real, or Old San Antonio Road.

Nacogdoches remained a Caddo settlement until 1716 when Spain established a mission here, Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe de los Nacogdoches. This was the first European activity in the area, but it was a church, not a town. The Spanish decided that maintaining a mission here was too costly, so it was abandoned. The Mexican government ordered all settlers in this part of Texas to move to San Antonio, but this didn’t sit well with some of the settlers who had to be forcibly removed from their homes; others were eager to escape the wilderness. Those settlers who complained were allowed to stop at a site along the Trinity River near present-day Houston. However, this group was later attacked by Comanche Indians and forced out of the area.

About this time Antonio Gil Y'Barbo, a prominent Spanish trader emerged as the leader among the settlers, and the spring of 1779 he led a group back to Nacogdoches, where he established a local government under the watchful eye of Spain. Nacogdoches received designation from Spain as a pueblo, or town, thereby making it the first “town” in Texas. Y’Barbo was named Lt. Governor of the new town and established the rules and laws under which the city would be governed. He built a stone house on the main thoroughfare, for use in his trading business, and this house, or Stone Fort Museum as it is called today, became the gateway from the US to the vast Texas Frontier. (A landmark Texas Centennial structure, the Stone Fort Museum is housed in a reconstructed Y’Barbo’s stone house located on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University just a short distance from its original location.)

In 1812 the Old Stone Fort served as headquarters during the first attempt to form a Texas Republic. 3,000 men were recruited and an attempt to gather support for the cause was made known in the first ever newspaper to be printed in Texas, “Gaceta de Tejas” (Gazette of Texas). Some major battles were fought with Mexican forces, but to no avail. Texas was declared a province of Mexico, which had already declared its independence from Spain.

Nacogdoches’ role in Texas history was just beginning. Over the next 4 decades, Nacogdoches was under more flags than the state of Texas, claiming nine flags. In addition to the Six Clags of Texas, it also flew under the flags of the Magee-Gutierrez Republic, the Long Republic, and the Fredonian (Freedom) Rebellion.

Prominent figures in the history of Nacogdoches:
Davie Crocket, David Bowie, Sam Houston,
Stephen F Austin and Thomas Jefferson Rusk

In 1832, the Battle of Nacogdoches brought many local settlers together, as they united in their stand to support a federalist form of government. Their successful venture drove the Mexican military from east Texas.

Some interesting tidbits of famous historical figures:

Thomas Jefferson Rusk was one of the most prominent early Nacogdoches Anglo settlers. A veteran of the Texas Revolution, hero of San Jacinto, he signed the Texas Declaration of Independence and was secretary of war during the Republic of Texas. He was president of the Texas Statehood Commission and served as one of the first two Texas U.S. Senators along with Sam Houston. He worked to establish Nacogdoches University in 1845. The old university building still stands and is maintained by local volunteers. Rusk suffered from depression as a result of the untimely death of his wife and killed himself on July 29, 1857.

Sam Houston lived in Nacogdoches for four years prior to the 1836 Texas Revolution, opening a law office downtown. His courtship of Ana Raguet, daughter of one of the leading citizens, didn't last long after finding that he was not divorced from his first wife Eliza Allen of Tennessee.

William Goins, the son of a white mother and black father, was married to a white woman, operated a local inn, a trucking service, was a blacksmith and also worked and maintained a plantation outside Nacogdoches on Goins Hill. Interesting that he owned slaves. He was appointed as an agent to trade with the Cherokees and was prominent in providing assistance to the Texas Army during the Revolution.

Adolphus Sterne, a merchant of German Jewish extraction, maintained the finest home in town. Frequently visited by famous luminaries such as Sam Houston, Thomas Rusk, Chief Bowles, David Crockett and many others, his diary is one of the best sources for early Nacogdoches history.

In 1912, the Marx Brothers came to town to perform their singing act at the old Opera House (now the SFA Cole Art Center). Their performance was interrupted by a man who came inside shouting, "Runaway mule!" Most of the audience left the building, apparently thinking a runaway mule would provide better entertainment. When they filed back in, Julius Marx (Grocho) began insulting them, saying "Nacogdoches is full of roaches!" and "The jackass is the flower of Tex-ass!" Instead of becoming angry, audience members laughed. Soon afterward, Julius and his brothers decided to try their hand at comedy instead of singing, at which they had barely managed to scrape together a living. A historic plaque commemorating the event is posted in downtown Nacogdoches. Given the location of this formative experience, during the making of Duck Soup the Marx brothers' later decision to name the imaginary country "Freedonia" hardly seems coincidental. In the 8 March 1950 edition of You Bet Your Life Groucho states "I was once pinched in Nacogdoches for playing Euchre on the front porch of a hotel. It happened to be on a Sunday. You're not allowed to play Euchre in Nacogdoches on a Sunday. As a matter of fact, the way I played it they shouldn't have allowed it on Saturday either." Groucho appeared to have a humorous preoccupation with the word Nacogdoches and would often mention it in the show if any contestant came from Texas. 

Other interesting things of note—who knew?

In 1997, singer Willie Nelson came to Nacogdoches to perform with his friend, Paul Buskirk, a renowned mandolin player. During his stay, Nelson recorded a number of jazz songs at Encore Studios. In 2004, he released a number of jazz songs recorded at Encore Studios, on an album called Nacogdoches.

On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry, depositing debris across Texas. Much of the debris landed in the Nacogdoches area, and much of the media coverage of the recovery efforts focused on Nacogdoches.

On September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita struck Nacogdoches as a Category 1 hurricane. Nacogdoches experienced the same problems Houston was having because of the unprecedented number of people evacuating the Houston-Galveston area. The city's local shelters were already overwhelmed with evacuees that had come from New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina. As a result of Hurricane Rita, U.S. Highway 59, which goes right through Nacogdoches, has been designated as an evacuation route by TXDOT, and was designated as the north end terminus of the contraflow/evacuation route. Then, on September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike struck Nacogdoches as a Category 1 hurricane.

Nacogdoches has been in the Texas Main Street Program since 1998, and Nacogdoches Downtown was named the "Best Historic Venue" by Texas Meetings and Events magazine. It was nominated as one of the "Friendliest Towns in America" by Rand McNally and USA Today.

Nacogdoches is the headquarters of the Texas Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, the Air Force Auxiliary. CAP provides emergency services, such as search and rescue for airplane crashes; aerospace education; and cadet programs throughout the United States.

That’s enough history. Now for our experiences!

Thursday morning we went to the Charles R. Bright Visitor Center in historic downtown Nacogdoches. Known as the Nacogdoches Federal Building, it has served many purposes over the years: post office, office space for various government agencies, an army induction center, public library, and now as the town’s visitor center. Included in the visitor center are many artifacts and historical displays.

The rifle is the "oldest gun in the oldest town in Texas, dating back to 1790. The other photos are tributes to
the oil industry, the navigational advantages of the local rivers, Spanish influence in Eastern Texas,
and the "spirits" of the time: whiskey and wine.

From there we ventured out on a walking tour of the town. The entire historical downtown is still paved with bricks; most of the buildings date back to the 1800s and are so noted with historical plaques.

Rain was threatening, but we did manage to cover a few blocks before having to seek cover. We walked past the Roland Jones House, located on North Church Street. Built in 1897, it was designed by Diedrich Anton Wilhelm Rulfs, a noted architect of the time. The tower design is taken from the Ducal Palace in Oldenburg, Germany.

We continued walking up Church Street and came upon the Old University Building. Nacogdoches University received its charter from the Republic of Texas on February 3, 1846, and after holding classes in another location during construction, occupancy took place in the 1850s. It was called a “university” because it offered several subjects rather than providing a higher education. During the American Civil War it was used as a hospital and quarters for Texans in the Confederate service; and after the war by Union troops. It is now property of the Nacogdoches school system and is operated as a museum by the Women’s Federation of Clubs.

As we headed back to our truck we took these photos of the Methodist Church, tiled street signs, and the old Fredonia Hotel.

Friday morning after breakfast we headed into downtown Nacogdoches again, to see more of the historic architecture and sites of interest we missed Thursday. As we were walking north on Mound Street we came across a stately Victorian home that piqued our interest. Its owner, Jo Ellen Carlson, was outside doing a bit of yard work so I stopped to ask her a question about her home, as it was not included in the walking tour brochure. She graciously opened her home to us, and shared some of the home’s history. The home is owned by Dr. Bob Gruebel and Jo Ellen Carlson, located at 310 North Mound Street.

This Victorian house was also designed by noted architect Diedrich Rulfs in 1897 for Stephen William Blount and wife Mary Price Blount.  Built of heart pine, double galleries wrap around the home with a “gazebo” on the southwest corner. Intricate lathe work of spindles, arches, and posts decorates both levels. Gables have Palladian windows and fish scale shingles under elaborate Eastlake eaves. The Palladian window prominent on the 2^nd floor and the fanlight dormer in the center gable are repeated in the gallery arches. Upon Mary’s death, the home was sold to be used as a funeral home in 1945, with the family residence on the 2^nd and 3^rd floors and the funeral home on the 1st. A large chapel was added on the north side of the home, and subsequently removed in 1950. The home was sold again in the 1980s and damage from removal of the chapel was repaired. Three couples subsequently bought and worked on the house during the 1990s, again making many changes to the interior and exterior.  Bob & Jo bought it in 2010 and began extensive renovations including adding a wrap-around porch with a handicap ramp on the NW side, installing arched windows that were once in the chapel, refinishing floors and period trim. The house has pine trim throughout, and had been painted white in the early years; all white paint has been removed. The homeowners have worked for over 3 years to complete the renovations. And, work is still being done… Here are some photos of their eclectic collections, including over 600 dolls and Bob's tribal/primitive art collection.

Entrance and formal parlor. The large arched doorway separates the formal and informal parlor.

Library with a dragon chair dating back to the 1890s. The rolling library stair services the
shelves which rise 12 feet from the floor.

The elevator rises 3 floors to the attic where Bob's art collection is displayed.
The round windows were salvaged from the funeral home's chapel.
An embossed tin ceiling reflects light throughout one of the only rooms in
the home that shows modernization.

The formal dining room is furnished with buffets and a crystal cabinet. A doorway leads
to the sun room where some of Jo's artwork (and that of her students') graces the 12-15' walls.
The display of medals is a tribute to Bob's involvement in the military through 3 wars.

An artist needs a work room, and that's what the first photo indicates. She restores dolls, so the room is
full of doll parts, sketches, and all things required to complete the task. Jo's doll collection includes
over 600 dolls, which are displayed throughout the home. The woodwork is all original, and as I mentioned
earlier, it had all been painted white. (Lots of elbow grease was required to remove it!) Jo wears those
period costume during some of the reenactments that take place in the town during the year.

Bob's collection of tribal/primitive art is displayed throughout the entire 3rd floor
of the home. His collection includes masks from New Guinea, Yucatan, the
northwest Pacific coast, Indonesia and Fiji; an Indonesian cricket cage and a
Chinese bird cage; food bowl and shields from Ne Guinea; weapons from the
Philippines; and dolls and artwork from Japan -- and much, much more! Wow!
The colorful "poncho" that I'm admiring is all hand-beaded--and heavy! Beautiful!

I need to note here that Jo Ellen, a retired artist and teacher is 80, and Bob is a physics professor and collector of tribal art—he’s 90 and still teaching!

After saying thank you and goodbye to Jo, we walked further north on Mound Street to see the Caddo Indian Mound, the only survivor of its kind in the immediate area. After much research, the mound is found to be a true burial mound, circa 1250, containing artifacts appropriate to the Caddo culture.

We walked a bit further to Park Street, to the Zion Hill Cemetery, established in 1879 for black citizens of Nacogdoches. Only a few years ago it was rescued from the privet shrubs and scrub growth that had overtaken the site, and it is now maintained by the City of Nacogdoches. Quite a few grave markers can still be read, but many are worn by time and weather. We noticed many “unknown” markers as well, that appear to be relatively new, but were placed to honor those buried here.

Also in this location were markers honoring Father Margil de Jesus who supervised 6 missions in East Texas. During a summer drought, Fr. Margil is said to have twice struck a rock in the dry bed of Lanana Creek, and water poured forth from both blows with sufficient water to sustain the mission “until God filled the creek in His more conventional way.”

From there we walked back south to Zion Hill Baptist Church, founded in 1879. It is the senior black church in Nacogdoches. Again, this is the work of architect Diedrich Anton Wilhelm Rulfs.

Zion Hill Baptist Church is no longer used for services, as they've moved to a new location. However, it still stands
as a legacy to the past. These homes are just some of the "squatter cabins" that line the streets between Zion Hill Cemetery
and the church (many are in disrepair).

Next to the church is the famed Oak Grove Cemetery. Although it‘s not the oldest cemetery in the area, it does contain the remains of the greatest number of persons with historical significance. Buried here are the 4 signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence, including Thomas Jefferson Rusk, Charles S. Taylor, William S. Clark, and John S. Roberts.

Dick wanted to see the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University, located in Nacogdoches, so that was our next stop—after lunch—at Wendy's. Here is where we visited The Stone Fort I mentioned earlier.

Also housed in the Fort are displays and tributes to the medical services of the 1800s. Cholera, yellow fever, polio, and various other diseases were prevalent during that time.

Heroes in the healthcare field, a leech pot and blood letting instruments are displayed.

We were pretty tuckered out by the time we had finished with the Fort, so we headed home to relax the rest of the day.

Had to post these photos of Bay View RV Resort, after a continuous torrential rain. These photos were taken of the SW end of the park, at Jerry and Bonnie’s site. Told ‘em next year they need to bring their hip boots!

Rains came here Friday evening, making Saturday a very humid and warm day. Nevertheless, we ventured out to inspect Millard Crossing, an historic village located not too far from our RV park. This village was created by Nacogdoches native Lera Millard Thomas, wife of former Texas Congressman Albert Thomas. Beginning in 1970, Lera began relocating a variety of historic structures from Nacogdoches County to property her family owned north of town. (At that time many of the historic buildings were being demolished to make way for a more progressive life, such as fast food restaurants, etc. There seemed to be no interest in retaining the historical nature and culture of the area.) Lera had the buildings restored and furnished with her vast and extensive collection of artifacts and antiques. She named her village “Millard’s Crossing” after the train crossing that passes on the north side of the property. Today the village stands as a testament to one woman’s determination to save what she could of “the oldest town in Texas.”

Millard’s Crossing is unique for the many log structures dating back to the 1840s, including a classic “dogtrot” home, a log school house and a log office. There’s also a 2-story “double-house” built during the Republic of Texas days. The docent and executive director of the Village, David Young, gave us an in-depth tour of the double-house that had been built by Lera’s great-grandfather in 1837. Cool!

Clockwise: The Burrows House (1867-1874), Watkins log house (1842), double corn crib (1890),
Millard-Lee house (1837), Methodist parsonage (1900),

Clockwise: Country store and gift shop, 1910 caboose, Carriage house (1910),
log school house (late 1800s), Free Methodist Church (1905), Sitton "dog-trot" home (1842),
Henry Millard house (1900s), Watkin's house (1895)

After a quick stop at Walmart we headed home to relax before going next door to CC’s Smokehouse for dinner. Dick noshed on a chicken taco salad, while I enjoyed a combination plate of BBQ brisket and ribs. YUM-YUM!

Rains, thunder and lightning came through—again—Saturday night. The good thing is that the sunshine manages to come through during the day. Sunday’s temps were in the 80s with high humidity and very little breeze. We stayed pretty close to the camper as Dick is just getting over a bad cold, and he shared it with me. Yuck! It did give me an opportunity to write the blog and select photos.

We stayed in on Sunday, as I was suffering from the malady Dick shared. We decided on pizza for dinner and while Dick went to pick it up a nasty thunder storm came through bringing torrential rain. Golf ball sized hail (a few tennis ball sized!) and tornado warnings for a long, long twenty minutes.  We’ll assess any damage in the light of day tomorrow but we think we escaped any serious damage.  Whew!

Until next week, hope you’ve enjoyed our blog. Stay tuned, as we leave Wednesday heading to Shirley, Arkansas for a few days. We leave you with a photo of Texas bluebonnets. Spring is here!

Hugs,

RJ and Gail