Join us as we travel to the 2025 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. We expect to be awestruck by painted skies and endless wonder as more than 500 hot air balloons rise into the New Mexico skies!
After nearly three weeks and more than 2500 miles, we were joined near Kansas City by Pat’s brother, James. He is also a truck camper owner who brings his Jeep along.
James’ truck camper and JeepWe enjoyed dinner outdoors one pleasant Nebraska evening
As we have done on several past trips, we visited Pat’s and James’ aunt and uncle in Shawnee, KS, near Kansas City. We enjoyed catching up with them and agreed connecting with family is an important part of travelling.
We had an enjoyable visit with Aunt Martha and Uncle David near Kansas city
A Strategic Visit
Leaving Kansas, we toured the Strategic Air Command Museum near Omaha, NE. The museum has extensive aircraft and other exhibits on display. The SAC, formed in 1946, was responsible for the US strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile forces that were intended to deter aggressors and, if necessary, execute strategic nuclear attacks. In 1992 the SAC was disbanded, and its various functions were transferred to other military commands.
Entrance to the Strategic Air Command Museum near Omaha, NEDozens of planes are on display in the SAC Museum, including a SR-71 Blackbird supersonic reconnaissance aircraft
Cabbage, Really?
We were hungry after visiting the Kool-Aid Museum in Hastings, NE (see last week Ep 3), so we decided to lunch on a Nebraska staple – a runza. Originating from German and Russian cuisine, a runza is a baked bread pocket sandwich filled with seasoned ground beef, onions and cabbage. Our savory runzas were delicious.
Runzas are yum-za!Cabbage on a ground beef-filled pocket sandwich makes for a savory combination
North Platte – Tanks and Trains
Tankers on the North Platte River (from Google)
Continuing west in Nebraska, we spent the night in North Platte, a sizeable town not far from the river of the same name. We hoped to go tanking, where we would float a few miles down the river in a large livestock water tank. We were disappointed when we learned the tanking season was over for the year. Perhaps on a future trip…
Leaving North Platte, we visited the Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center. From the tower we could see the Union Pacific Bailey Yard, said to be largest rail yard in the world. The rail yard is an interesting spectacle with dozens of locomotives and more than a thousand rail cars all moving at once on miles of rail lines!
Organized chaos – the Union Pacific Bailey Rail Yard bustled with activityAerial view of Union Pacific Bailey Yard from a museum exhibit – the rail yard is the largest in the world
Chewy Seafood
Later that day we stopped at Ole’s Big Game Steakhouse and Lounge in Paxton, NE. Rosser O. Herstedt, otherwise known as Ole, was a big game hunter who collected the more than 200 big game trophies that adorn the restaurant walls. The trophies include moose, elk, a polar bear, a jackelope and MANY more.
Beneath a large elk, we sampled a local seafood appetizer, otherwise known as Rocky Mountain Oysters. We tried not to think of the source of the crispy breaded and deep-fried meat filets as we dipped them in ketchup and chewed/swallowed them quickly.
Awaiting our Rocky Mountain seafood appetizer and lunch entreesRocky Mountain Oysters – once is MORE than enough!
Truck Campers Ho!
Continuing west, Nebraska’s flat endless fields of corn became rolling hills covered with grass, and then distant rocky mesas. Like 1800s pioneers following the Oregon Trail, we watched for Chimney Rock, a significant landmark that rises more than 300 feet above the surrounding landscape.
Getting ready to get a closer view of Chimney RockAt more than 300 feet, Chimney Rock can be seen for miles. It was a landmark followed by pioneers on the Oregon Trail (and by us!)
Next Week
From Chimney Rock, we continue westward to Wyoming, looking forward to the Cowboy State’s rugged, untamed beauty.
Do you have childhood memories of bread slathered with layers of peanut butter and jelly, downed with glasses of icy cold cherry Kool-Aid? Our red mustaches revealed what our tastebuds were feeling: ‘Ooh Yeah’!
Ooh Yeah!
But First…
We made it through another week and nearly 1000 miles in the beyond portion of our trip with no Pap mishaps. For those of you who don’t know my bride, the title photo of Pat with a thumbs down scowl isn’t like her at all (unless I do something like drive Pap through a narrow tunnel).
Signs, Signs and More Signs
A genie greets us at the entrance to Cincinnati’s American Sign Museum
Our continued route west took us thru Cincinnati OH. The area is memorable to us as we had the only flat tire of our trip to Alaska in 2018 with Max and Pancake. We visited the Ark Encounter attraction and the Creation Museum nearby in northern Kentucky.
This time we continued to the west side of Cincinnati for a tour of the American Sign Museum. The museum holds more than 800 signs and other objects spanning over 100 years of American history.
Recognize any of these signs?More signs along the museum’s sign avenueOver 99 billion sold – that’s a lot of hamburgers!
We walked along the museum’s cleverly designed indoor central avenue and were overwhelmed by a barrage of blinking bulbs, flashing lights, and bright colors: McDonalds, Holiday Inn, Phillips 66, Goodyear Tires, Frisch’s Big Boy, Rock City and many more.
Camp Washington or Skyline?
Getting ready for lunch at Camp Washington Chili
Near the museum we spotted our lunch stop for the day – Camp Washington Chili.
We ordered bowls of spaghetti noodles, topped with meaty chili and cheddar cheese. They added diced onions to mine, and gave us each several small bags of oyster crackers as a garnish.
Yummy lunch – no Tums needed
Our selections were delicious – the chili was mild and the proportions of toppings were perfect!
Now we have an unfortunate dilemma: friends from Cincinnati in our church fellowship group served Skyline chili several times over the years when our group joined them for dinner. Skyline chili is said to be a little different, more saucy with a mild undertone of cinnamon.
Apparently, there is a big fan base for each style of chili. How will we explain that we may have gone over to the chili dark side?
Covered Bridges and ‘Gorge’ous Hikes
In Indiana, we camped several nights near Rockville.
A typical small-town courthouse is surrounded by stores and restaurants in the center of Rockville
Different ways of visiting Rockville – motor cycles at the Thirty Six Saloon and an Amish family on their way to town
The area is noted for 31 covered bridges. We learned while walking around the town’s central square that more than two million people attend the town’s 10-day Covered Bridge Festival in October. We could not fathom the crowds as thousands of covered-bridge geeks follow established routes through the countryside to see the bridges.
Some of the covered bridges near Rockville
We visited three bridges and found them to be interesting relics of the past. They are nicely restored and in very good condition. The overhead clearance of the bridges is about 10 feet. With Pap being 12 feet tall, this was definitely a NADA moment.
Nada Means NADA!
The next day we visited Turkey Run SP.
Kayakers on Sugar Creek paddling through Turkey Run SP
The highlight of our visit was hiking a couple of the beautiful trails that follow sandstone cliffs along Sugar Creek and traverse deep side ravines. The park has 11 trails from .5 mile to 3 miles that range from easy to very rugged.
Ed leads the way through a ravineWaiting for others to climb the second of three ladders on our challenging hike. Notice the worn footboards!Pat surveys the rugged ravine walls
We hiked a 1.7 mile very rugged trail that included lots of ups and downs, three 20-foot ladders, hundreds of steps and a final slippery descent down a stream bed back to Sugar Creek.
We were tired after the hikes, and have an appreciation of the beauty of the area.
Our westward quest yielded a couple interesting RabbiTRAILS not far off our planned route.
Chillicothe Baking Company – location of America’s first sale of pre-sliced bread!
Sliced Bread
On July 7, 1928, sliced bread was first offered for sale in Chillicothe, MO when Chillicothe Baking Company began using a bread slicing machine invented by Otto Rohwedder. The pre-sliced bread was placed on the bakery’s shelves and instantly changed the way consumers bought bread. The five feet long and two feet high machine was turned down by numerous bakeries before being offered to the Chillicothe bakery’s owner, Frank Bench.
Today, the building pictured is a museum and visitor center, and was unfortunately closed on the day of our visit.
Ooh Yeah – It’s Kool-Aid!
We continued to Hastings, NE where we visited the Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History. There, among buggies and cars, guns and a large variety of animal and bird displays, we found what we had come to see – the Kool-Aid: Discover the Dream exhibit.
Kool-Aid merch
Hastings is the birthplace of Kool-Aid. The wonderfully sweet fruit-flavored soft drink that kids (of all ages!) enjoy was the brainchild of Edwin Perkins. Pursuing his dream through hard work and ingenious marketing. Perkins created and sold many products, but in 1927 he developed Kool-Aid.
Fruit Smack was a predecessor to Kool-Aid. The little Kool-Aid packets we all know and love were one of Edwin Perkin’s ingenious ideas
Perkins created an earlier version of Kool-Aid, called Fruit Smack, in his mother’s kitchen. Once in production, it was corked and sold in bottles, which was very messy. A powdered drink was more appealing to consumers, and in 1927 Perkins’ company created Kool-Ade, later renamed Kool-Aid.
Next Week
Pat’s brother joins us in Missouri. After visiting their aunt and uncle near Kansas City, we spend five days following RabbiTRAILS across Nebraska before arriving in Saratoga, WY.
Our travels include the Strategic Air Command, runzas, Golden Spike rail yard, Chimney Rock and some Rocky Mountain seafood.
With a name like Nada, we (Ed actually) should have known better. And a caution from a passing pickup driver should have been MORE than enough warning.
More on this in a bit, but first things first…
Driving in to the Moonlite drive-in
Movies at the Moonlite
Not too many years ago, baby boomers packed their kids and snacks in the car, and headed to the local drive-in theatre for the latest double feature.
There were once thousands of drive in theatres across the nation. Our hometown, Lake City, FL, had two. Our first date was at the Lake City Drive-in where we saw Roger Moore as James Bond in The Spy who Loved Me.
Fewer than 300 drive in theatres are still operating today.
On our way to New River Gorge NP in West Virginia, we learned there is an active drive in theatre that is also a Harvest Host location. So we booked a site, arrived in the late afternoon and set up Pap. That evening we watched Jurassic World Rebirth, the latest installment in the Jurassic Park movie series, and a special 50th Anniversary version of Jaws.
Ready for the movies – we listened on Pap’s FM radio
We watched dinosaurs and sharks scurry and swim from the comfort of our truck camper. Our second drive in theatre date was very memorable!
Grand view of the New River
New River and Coal Country
Our travels continued northward and from a campsite in Beckley WV, we made day trips to nearby New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. At Grandview, we overlooked the New River 1400 feet below as it makes a broad curve within the five-year-old park.
US 19 bridge across the New RiverPanorama of New River Bridge and river far belowCrossing the New River with a view of the New River Gorge Bridge above
A few miles away we visited the US 19 bridge where it crosses the New River Gorge. We marveled at the 3,030-foot steel arch span that is 876 feet above the river. Consider this – if you placed two Statues of Liberty on top of the Washington Monument there would be 20 feet to spare!
The historic Thurmond trail station is also an Amtrak stop Abandoned downtown Thurmond buildings are just a few feet from the train tracks
Railroad tracks follow the river through the gorge. Early in the 20th century coal mining towns were all along the river. Trains were frequent – there were five or more passenger trains daily and a freight train every 15 minutes.
We drove to the bottom of the gorge to see historic Thurmond, a once bustling coal mining town that is now mostly abandoned. The four remaining residents of the town are trying to preserve the town’s interesting legacy.
Our coal mine tour guide, Gerald, points to a layer of coal as he explains how coal was extracted and loaded onto ore wagonsWagons full of coal followed rails to the surface
Back in Beckley, we toured a coal mine. Gerald, a coal miner for more than 40 years, drove us in a coal car more than a quarter mile underground through the dark passages of a vintage coal mine. He explained historic and modern coal mining methods and equipment.
Gerald pointed to a sign labeled “Brad Paisley / The Medicine Will / May 4, 2023.” The popular country performer made a music video in the mine that is a moving story of coal mining communities dealing with various addictions, and their attempts to work together to overcome those challenges. The video is worth watching.
Hillbilly Heartburn
From Beckley, we traveled through the West Virginia mountains and passed Charleston, where we saw the gold domed state capital building from the highway.
Hillbilly Hot Dogs serves flavorful hot dogs amidst funky yard treasures
We stopped for lunch at Hillbilly Hot Dogs, a quirky roadside eatery made famous by Guy Fieri on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. HHD, as it is otherwise known, recently celebrated 25 years of Love and Weenies.
Their menu includes the homewrecker (a 15-inch one-pound weenie with two pounds of toppings) and the widowmaker (a 30-inch two-pound weenie with four pounds of toppings). We eyed the homewrecker challenge – finish in less than 12 minutes to get a special t-shirt / beat the record and it’s free.
Hillbilly feast to be followed by Tums
Not wanting to risk eternal heartburn, we opted for a hillbilly dog (deep fried weenie, chili sauce, mustard and onions), a West Virginia dog (weenie, chili sauce, mustard, onions and cole slaw) and onion rings. These were well within the acid neutralizing power of a few Tums.
Pondering at the Nada Tunnel entrance
Nada Means NADA
We left West Virginia bound for an overnight stop near Lexington, KY. We detoured through the Red River Gorge, a National Wild and Scenic River in Daniel Boone National Forest, to drive through the Nada Tunnel, an old railroad tunnel that is reported to be 12 foot wide, 13 foot tall and 900 foot long.
Pap is a bit over 8 feet wide, 11 feet 9 inches tall and 24 feet long, so we figured we could drive through the tunnel with plenty of room to spare. Although the pickup driver recommended taking a bypass around the tunnel, I thought we would easily fit.
As we approached the tunnel it looked to be plenty tall. It did appear to be a little narrower than 12 feet, however. We continued on, entering the tunnel and driving VERY slowly while carefully watching our mirrors to avoid hitting the sides of the tunnel.
This is when we learned an unfortunate lesson: old tunnels are not uniform or square. Some parts are taller, some shorter, some wider and some narrower.
Creeping along, we heard a grinding noise as Pap scraped the side of the tunnel. This was not good!
So we slowed even more and made our way out of the tunnel with no further contact.
Traffic backup at the other end of the Nada Tunnel
Exiting the tunnel we stopped to check things out. There was a three-foot scrape along Pap’s passenger side roof rail. The roof material was wrinkled and cut in several spots.
That evening we performed emergency repairs with a special RV roof sealant. Additional repairs will be needed when we get home.
For hard-headed and unnecessary risk takers like me (Ed), it was a painful lesson.
Going forward, we’ll keep Pap out of railroad tunnels on narrow roads and (hopefully) avoid other risky endeavors. And, Pat will remind me that Nada means NADA!
Pat says Nada means NADA!
Next Week
Skyline or Fort Washington chili? Cincinnati natives have their favorite way chili is served over spaghetti with shredded cheese and other toppings. After checking out Cincinnati’s American Sign Museum with its multitude of vintage signs that are truly Americana, we stopped for lunch to determine our own chili preferences.
Speaking of Americana, our travels continued to an area west of Indianapolis known for lots of covered bridges. We visited a few and also hiked some interesting trails in Turkey Run State Park.
After enduring brutal summer heat in Florida, we left home on a rainy Saturday to visit family in Georgia. We often do this when we travel.
We enjoyed visits with Henry, Josh, Emilia and Liz, and with my sister, Kitty, and her husband, Mike.
Christmas in July. Breakfast for dinner. October in August?
Family visits behind us, we were surprised the next morning with brisk temps (50 degrees) as we camped in Cherokee National Forest near Knoxville, TN. We fired up Pap’s furnace, arose and cooked breakfast to begin the day. Out came our jackets!
From our remote campsite on the North River we moved to Indian Boundary Campground, just 16 miles away, for the next three nights. On the way, we stopped to enjoy Baby Falls and Bald River Falls, and later rode our bicycles around Indian Boundary Lake. We continued to wear jackets in the cool October in August weather!
Bald River Falls in Cherokee National Forest
Pick a Parkway
Perhaps you have driven the Blue Ridge Parkway, a 469-mile scenic highway that winds through the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina and Virginia, or perhaps the Skyline Drive as it continues another 105 miles from the end of the Parkway through Shenandoah National Park, just 70 miles west of Washington DC.
How about the Cherohala Skyway? It connects Tellico Plains, TN and Robbinsville, NC through Cherokee NF in Tennessee and Nantahala NF in North Carolina. The 43-mile scenic road rises to more than a mile high with mountain vistas, numerous overlooks and sweeping curves popular with motorcycle riders! (it’s very close to the well-known Tail of the Dragon motorcycle route)
Pat views the small waterfall after our steep downhill descent
At one overlook, we hiked three miles to a small waterfall. Nearing the falls, we tightly held onto tree branches, roots and rocks as we descended the final quarter mile. We ate lunch to the sounds of rushing water and gave thanks for God’s wonderful creation!
Cades Cove
The Cable mill and homestead area in Cades Cove includes a blacksmith demonstration
The next day we left for a two-day visit to Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Cove is known for its 11-mile loop road with historic homesites and churches, and diverse wildlife (see Critter Count below).
A misty early morning sunrise along the Cades Cove Loop Road
We have visited and camped at the Cove several times in the past, and although the loop road and campground were busy this time with Labor Day visitors, we enjoyed our two drives around the loop road.
A number of historic cabins and houses (above) and barns (below) can be toured in Cades Cove
Critter Count
Deer – 8 Black bear – 2 (plus a couple other we just missed as evidenced by two bear jams) Turkeys – 10 Glow worms (bioluminescent larvae of fungus gnats) – lots (faintly glowing on the ground at North River Campground)
Deer and black bear were among the critters we saw in Cades Cove
Next Week
Our travels continue to a deep and very ancient gorge, and we watch dinosaurs and sharks under the moonlight.
It is hard to believe that it has been nearly nine months since the last episode of RabbiTRAILS.
Catching Up
We finished our 2024 Heartland series in December. The series included serving at Christian youth camps in Texas and Ohio, visiting four of the five Greal Lakes, and hiking and camping in New York, New Hampshire and on the backbone of Appalachians in Virginia and North Carolina.
We returned home in September just in time for heavy rains, soggy floors and Hurricane Helene.
Helene’s winds caused considerable damage in Florida and south-central Georgia before devastating communities in the North Carolina mountains. Pat and I did hurricane relief work with Samaritan’s Purse in Perry (Florida) and Valdosta (Georgia).
Earlier this year, we saddled up Percy and Pap for a short camping trip with friends at two central Florida State Parks in January. A month later we traveled to south Florida, camping at two state parks in the Florida Keys, Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve. We had an international travel trip in April/May, and served at the Texas camp in June. More on these travels in upcoming RabbiTRAILS episodes!
Forward to August 2025
It’s hot.
It’s humid.
It’s time to get on the road to find cooler temps and cool RabbiTRAILS!
Balloons…
We’re bound for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
Imagine more than 500 colorful hot air balloons ascending at dawn into the New Mexico sky.
From just a few feet away, hear and feel rushing hot air as bustling crews use propane burners to fill balloons for launch.
And then they’re off, rising quickly and following air currents to the horizon.
We’ll be camping on the Fiesta grounds where we hope to capture the amazing experience.
Talk about cool!
…and Beyond
We’re planning lots of RabbiTRAILS before and after the Fiesta:
New River Gorge NP
Our travels will take us to Georgia for family visits, Tennessee to hike in Cades Cove in Smoky Mountains NP, West Virginia to admire vistas at New River Gorge NP, and Kansas City for another family visit. We’ll be on the watch for runzas and tanking as we cross Nebraska, and then continue on to the Medicine Bow Mountains in southern Wyoming.
Medicine Bow Mountains
We’ll then travel south to the western side of Rocky Mountain NP and continue to Mesa Verde NP where we will explore iconic Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings.
Cliff Dwellings in Mesa Verde NP
After the Fiesta, we’ll return east to Texas to visit Palo Duro Canyon SP, the second largest canyon in the US, and get really remote at Big Bend NP. Our trip will end with a stop in the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas.
Palo Duro CanyonBig Bend NP
Taking the Long Road…
As you can see from the itinerary above, RabbiTRAILS involve more miles and days than expected. They are NEVER direct (or dull).
That’s the fun and challenge of taking the long road!
Take the LONG Road... 
