In Branson with Rachel

After a really quiet night at the Oklahoma State Park, we got up about 9:00am on Thursday with the intentions of getting on the road about 10:30am. 

I did my normal morning computer routine ( a habit from my working days)……. Checked emails, TRVN Forum, Some RV Blogs, Allegro Club Forums, and read my local newspaper.  With extra time, I decided to pay my PenFed Visa Credit Card on-line with Wells Fargo.  When I opened up the PenFed site to get my balance, I also checked the activity (we use only this card on trips, and I try to check it daily anyway), and I found a charge in Florida that I did not make.

I found the company on the internet and called to question the charge……… and got a VMX recording.  I left a message stating that I thought it was fraudulent, and that I was going to cancel the payment.  Thirty minutes later, no call back (and none to date!!), so I called PenFed to stop the payment. 

I found out that you can only challenge a payment if you gave them the CC number and were disputing the amount of the charge!  Otherwise, as in this case, it is called fraud, and they have to cancel the card and send you another one!

The only card that we use on the road, and for 90% of our cost of living at home, is the PenFed card.  It pays back 5% on fuel, 3% on groceries (and they call Walmart a grocery store, even if you buy a shirt and some paint!), and 1% on everything else.  We get about $100 back every 4 to 5 weeks!!  And, we buy a lot of fuel on a trip!

I convinced them to send the card, via FEDEX to the Bruce Deaton Paint and Body shop in Red Bay, home of the Tiffin factory, where we will be on next Monday.  It is supposed to arrive next Tuesday, and Melody Deaton is set up to sign for it!

We got on the road about noon, and made good time.  After we pulled into Missouri, we stopped at a Walmart to get some groceries for our stay in Branson.  As I pulled into the lot, the front PS tire must have clipped the curb, and the TPMS sensor managed to break off the threaded end of the metal valve stem. 

I went into the store, planning on grabbing groceries, getting a Subway for lunch, and hitting the road for the rest of the trip to Branson.  Not to be……. Patsy stayed in the store for the sandwich, while I took the groceries to the Bus to put away. 

As I approached the Bus, a customer came over from the gas station, which was near the Bus, and asked if I knew about “THAT”, pointing to a flat tire on the car!  I told him, “I do now!!”, and thanked him for pointing it out.  I would have heard the alarm if I had gotten into the Bus before he told me, but I did not like it either way!

I don’t like the car jacks that come with the vehicles, so I always carry a bottle jack inside the spare tire storage.  However, the one that I had starting leaking fluid about a year ago, so I tossed it, and never replaced it.  I went into the Walmart Auto Center and asked if they could change a tire on the parking lot, and the lady manager said a definite “NO”, and also told me they could not repair a stem associated with a Honda Factory installed TPMS sensor!!

I bought a bottle jack for $12, ate my sandwich, and put the ‘temporary spare tire on the car, and we took off.

We got to our Branson RV Park, Stagecoach  Campground, at about 6:30pm, and the office was long closed!  Our site assignment and paperwork was on the office door, and we got set up.  Luckily, we had a pull-through site.

On Friday morning, with Rachel and her parents expecting to arrive in Branson around 1:00pm, we found that the nearest Honda dealer was in Springfield, MO………. about 50 miles north of Branson. 

At the Honda dealer, we found that they had the parts, but we had to wait for them to work us into the daily schedule!  We went to the Customer Wait Area, and I finished my daily computer about 30 minutes before the car was ready.  Not really bad!

We got a call from my daughter that they were about 30 minutes away, so we headed to the Bass Pro Big Cedar Lodge, where the medical conference was being held and where they were staying.  We arrived just after they registered and had there lodge and room assignment, so we met them at their room.

It was about 2:00pm, and we headed out for a parting lunch at the Rib Crib in Branson, highly rated by Yelp….. I decided that Yelp is not always right!!  It was good BBQ, but not great, plus when we got there, they were out of brisket!!

We had a good visit, and Rachel had a time assembling a pair of eyeglasses that came with her meal….

This trip, we found Rachel missing a couple of front teeth, and letting her bangs grow out!  But, still cute, and a lot of fun to take care of!!

After our meal, we left with Rachel and stopped at a Vf Factory Outlet store and shopped a bit, and then headed back to the Bus to let her unpack and get her bed set up.

Here is what our site looked like………

After a good nights sleep, on Saturday morning, we had three goals…… ride the large Ferris wheel that was recently moved to Branson for Chicago’s Navy Pier, attend a Grape and Fall Festival at Hollister, MO, and visit Table Rock State Park, near our campground.

Here’s the Ferris Wheel pic’s……….

Rachel had a lot of fun on the Ferris Wheel, and had a lot more at the Grape and Fall Festival……

Pony ride…….

She wanted her face painted and chose a dog…….

Kinda’ looks like she lost a fight!!  Of course the next thing was getting finger-printed by the local police!…..

Of course, the big black ‘police’ balloon is the “new ankle brace” for kids in Missouri!!!

After a drive through the Table Rock State Park, we headed back to the Bus for a rest.  Then she wanted to go to the playground at the campground.  The plan is to wear her out so she goes to bed early and we get rested for our travels to Red Bay tomorrow after her parents pick her up!

At 6:30pm, we headed out for dinner.  Rachel fixed her hair and was ready to go…

By the time we got to the Cracker Barrel Restaurant, she was beginning to show signs of being tired!

Wrapping up our time with Rachel, we met her parents at the “Wild Bill’s Truck Stop” on HWY 65 on the way to Conway, where we were to connect with I-40.  Deanne and Mike were taking the same highway to get back to Little Rock.

We drove until 7:00pm and stopped for the night at a Walmart in Fulton, MS……. about 25 miles from Red Bay.  It was raining, and the last small highway in to Red Bay is narrow and windy with no shoulder!   We decided it was best to wait until morning for the last leg, and also, be able to watch our “new” Sunday night TV shows.

Next post will cover our “ADVENTURES” at the Tiffin home town!!