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Stampede Tour - On the Road posted by Dakota Livesay

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Just before Christmas, our hourly show contained a segment about the Mission Inn located in Riverside, CA.  This is a magnificent place that originates back to the 1800’s, and, as the name indicates, has the feel of the old Spanish Missions.

When we recorded the segment with docent Jerry Gordon, we were limited on time and only had a mini tour of the place.  We were so intrigued that we went back and took the whole 90-minute tour.

Sunny and I both recommend stopping by and visiting this place any time, you visit the Inland Empire of Southern California.  And, if you can, staying there.

We had a great Christmas with our children and grandchildren.  With gifts from parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, and don’t forget Santa, the two grandchildren were swamped with toys.

I find myself often asking God for more.  My overwhelming thought this Christmas was how lucky I am.  Even though I’m far from being wealthy, I would imagine that when it comes to the wealth of the world, I must be in the 99 percentile.  And I would guess you’re right up there with me.

For 2007, I’m going to work more on an appreciation of what I have.

Yesterday evening I stepped into the 21^st century and went to a Clipper-Rapture basketball game with my two sons and grandson.  This was the first time I’ve been to a professional basketball game in a number of years.  They played rap music, instead of Queen’s “Rock You”, to get the crowd involved, and had a number of girls in skimpy costumes performing on the court during breaks.  At least the latter half was an improvement.

And, speaking of improvement, or the lack thereof, it’s amazing how a team like the Clippers can be contenders one year and occupy the cellar the next.

Incidentally, the Clippers lost by a basket at the final buzzer.  It was so close that it went to review.

Last night we attended Curly’s Cowboy Christmas, an event to benefit the Happy Trails Children’s Foundation.  What a way to get into the Christmas mood.  Curly Musgrave, Belinda Gail, R. W. Hampton and Kip Calahan…all four our favorites…put on an outstanding Christmas concert.  It was a great meal followed by the four of them singing popular, as well as religious, Christmas music.  It’s an evening we won’t forget.

Today we’re headed out to Anaheim, California and the Canyon RV Park.  We’ll be staying there until Christmas.

We arrived at Victorville without any problem.  Last night we stayed at the Mojave Narrows Regional Park.  If you enjoy trains, you’ll love this place.  There are two train tracks within yards of the park.  And, twenty-four hours a day, every fifteen minutes, a train goes by.  In one direction, it’s downhill.  So, the screeching of metal-to-metal goes on for some time.  Because I desire to sleep, and record the radio shows, we’ve moved to a KOA next to Interstate 15.

In Las Vegas, we had helicopters flying overhead.  At Mojave Narrows, it was trains going by.  And at the KOA, it’s auto traffic.  For this holiday, we’re experiencing planes, trains and automobiles.  Someone should make a movie with that name!

We’re leaving Las Vegas for Victorville, California.  Although we have only gone into the casinos for a couple of dinner buffets, it has been an interesting time.

Victorville will be a welcome sight.  Maybe I should say…sound.  Las Vegas is a very noisy place.  With the construction of new casinos and apartment complexes, the coming and going of RVs, the trash truck that seems to come by every morning, traffic noises, a nearby rollercoaster ride and railroad tracks, and helicopters flying overhead every fifteen minutes, giving tourists a bird’s eye view of the place, it’s hard to find quiet time to record.

Sunday evening we’re attending Curly’s Cowboy Christmas.  It’s a benefit concert with Curly Musgrave, Belinda Gail, R. W. Hampton and Kip Calahan that is raiding money for the Happy Trails Children’s Foundation.

The SASS National Convention was a lot of fun.  We were able to talk to some great people, and, although we were very busy, had a lot of fun.

One of the people we talked to was Michael Blake.  His book “Hollywood and the O.K. Corral” has just been published.  We talked about the movies, especially “Tombstone.”

We’ll be talking to Michael again at Festival of the West that takes place in March in Phoenix.  He promises to have some of the “Tombstone” movie outtakes.  It ought to be great.

It did get a little boring for Jake.  Although it’s a little difficult to read the logo on his scarf, he was made the official dog for the Ruger Firearms Company.

We’ll be sticking around Las Vegas for a few more days to catch up on some business, and then head to Victorville for Curly’s Cowboy Christmas on Sunday evening.

Yesterday we stopped by the Mission Inn in Riverside, California to do an interview with Jerry Gordon about this historic landmark.  Although the picture isn’t able to show it, during this season the hotel is covered in Christmas lights and decorations.

Today we’re off to Las Vegas, Nevada and the SASS National Convention.  At last the winds have stopped.  So, that’s one element with which we don’t have to contend.

When you live in a home that isn’t anchored to the ground, life is a matter of adjustments.

Although the ceiling in the living area is a good eight feet high, the doorways are lower than a normal home. I’m six foot, five inches tall, and the doorways must be six foot, four inches. In addition, one of the doors to the storage area (I think they call it a basement.) is under part of one of the pop-outs. As a result of the two, I have been known to bump my head on the door jam or rise up from the storage area and find I’m under the pop-out section.

After an “Ouch” or two, I go about my business. Interestingly, it is in the shower when I’m shampooing my hair that I fully realize how many times I’ve bumped my head. I can literally count the sore spots.

Last week I got a haircut. The barber (actually she was a beautician, but men go to barbers) asked if I wanted some spray to hold down my hair in the wind. As she put the spray on my hair, I noticed a burning feeling in the front section of my head. When I got to the truck, I took a close look. There was an actual cut at my hairline.

As I said at the beginning, life is a matter of adjustments. As with men on a ship, for the sake of my head, I’m learning to keep an eye on the overhead.

It’s interesting the changes a person encounters when they no longer live in a home that’s anchored to the earth.

I didn’t realize the number of businesses that use a phone number as a means of identification.  And, when I give them a number with an area code that they’re not familiar, I’m looked at as if you have dementia.  Then, there are businesses, like the cleaners, who ask for your address.

Use a check to pay for something, it’s a fifteen-minute process to get it approved.  But, that’s not as bad as the evil looks you get from the five people in line behind you.  We quickly learned to use our debit card instead.

Quarters become important.  They’re for the laundry.  RV parks don’t have extras…Neither do the grocery stores with the change machines.  So, you make sure you pick up a roll or two at the mini-bank in the corner of most groceries.  To do laundry it isn’t a matter of throwing a load in the washer and going about your business.  It is two to three hours sitting in the laundry room watching the clothes go in circles.  And even if Sunny and I bring things to do, we’re constantly moving clothes from one machine to another.

Am I complaining?  No way.  It’s all fun.  At least it’s an experience.