VALENCIA, CALIFORNIA to BRANSON, MISSOURI

It is hard to belive that we have been in Branson since June 7th.  We departed Valencia on June 1st after attending Amanda's play at her school.  She played Dorothy in Wizard of Oz.  She was terrific in both her singing and her spoken lines.  After the play we said our goodbye's, drove back to the campground, hooked up the car and started the journey east.

Our first stop was Needles, CA where we were able to stop at a KOA that was convenient to I-40.  From Needles we continued east to Holbrook, AZ.  This was a campground that was also convenient to I-40, but had very little else to offer.

We had planned to make Albuqurque, NM our next stop, but about 40 miles west of Albuqurque Andrea saw signs for the Dancing Eagle Casino that offered $10 RV camping for a full hook up site (water, electric, and water).  Well Andrea made a donation of $50 at the slots.  She was entertained for a few hours so in the long run it was worth it.  I am sure that most of you have read about the wild fires in Arizona.  The smoke was quite thick in western New Mexico which make for a strange sunrise in the morning when we were ready to leave.

Our next stop was Oklahoma City, OK.  We had a hard time finding a campground here as there was some sort of Little League event going on, but we did manage to find one, and once again it was convenient to I-40.  It was a long day to get here, but it was worth it as we were really making good time to Branson.  You have to understand that we only average about 58 - 60 MPH, and stop pretty frequently to stretch our legs, walk Angel and take a "P" break.

We arrived in Alma, Arkansas on the 6th which was only 4 hours from Branson.  We decided that to push to make Branson would be a mistake.  We are glad we did as the drive would have been a little stressful with lots of single lane winding roads. 

So, on June 7th we arrived at Branson Lakeside RV Park at about 11 AM.  My sister Cris and my brother-in-law Mike greeted us on our arrival.  It was so good to see them.  I was so glad that they were able to also get workkamping jobs there as well.

Our timing to be here was pretty good in that the whole area was under water due to flooding.  The shame is that the flooding was because up river they had to let out water from a dam that was going to breach.  Guess you could call it controlled flooding.  The long and short of it is that the camp ground had to be evacuated.
By the time we got there things were pretty much back to normal.  The only real sign of an issue is the the office is now a temporary trailer as the office and laundry have to be worked on before they can be used.

We have been to a number of shows here in Branson, that we have really enjoyed.  We have hardly touched the tip of the iceberg with what we have seen.  There are over 100 venues here in Branson so we have many more shows to see.  Spending time with Cris and Mike has been really great.  It is like we live on the same block in a neighborhood. 

Yesterday we signed up at the Branson Rec center.  It has all sorts of workout equipment, and classes to keep us fit.  We are so luky to have this available to us, and plan on taking advantage of this fantastic facility.

Amanda as Dorothy in Wizzard of Oz.

Smoke from fires in Arizona - Dancing Eagle Casino, New Mexico

Our camp site in Branson, MO

Construction on bridge next to campground.

Branson Lakeside RV Park.

Until next time, miles of smiles.

Charlie, Andrea and Angel