We left Nashville, Tennessee, and headed to Seymour, Indiana, where we stayed for two nights at the Weary Traveler RV Park. During our stay in Seymour, we drove over to Columbus, Indiana—a very special stop for us.
Columbus is where Ken and I met, attended junior high and high school together, and where we were married 51 years ago. Needless to say, driving back through town brought back a lot of memories!
We spent some time driving around, revisiting our old neighborhoods and some of our favorite hangouts from years ago. Of course, we had to drive by the church where we were married. It still looks almost exactly the same. Just like us!
One of our stops was at Bush’s farm market, where we picked up some sweet corn. Our families always looked forward to Bush’s corn every summer. It was definitely not quite as cheap as it used to be, but it was still worth the stop!
After our trip down memory lane in Columbus, we continued on to the Indianapolis KOA in Greenfield, Indiana. We usually stay at a campground along the White River in Cicero, IN, but that wasn’t an option this time. The river had experienced record flooding just two weeks earlier, and the campground was still closed.
Greenfield made a good base for visiting my brother and his family in Noblesville. We drove over and spent three wonderful days with the entire clan. It was great having everyone together and catching up. Maybe someday we can convince the whole group to make it out to Arizona!
From Greenfield, we continued on to Terre Haute, where we stayed for two nights. Ken’s only cousin, Martha, lives there with her husband, Chuck, and whenever we’re in the area, we always try to get together.
This visit was especially memorable. We went out to dinner with Martha and Chuck at the Rod and Gun Club. It had been about 50 years since we had last dined at that location! We had our own private dining room, and the food was delicious. The club itself hadn’t changed much over the years, which made the evening even more nostalgic. It was a wonderful evening filled with good food, lots of conversation, and memories from many years ago. Wish we would have remembered to take a photo!
Of course, we couldn’t leave Terre Haute without taking a drive around the Indiana State University campus. There have been plenty of changes since our college days in the 1970s!
We also drove past our first house, Ken’s childhood homes, and some of the places that were such a part of our early years together and that included Ken’s parents’ hardware store. The store has been gone for many years, and the neighborhood looks very different from the days when his parents ran their business there. Still, it was fun to see the area again and remember what it once looked like.
There is something special about returning to places that hold so many memories. The buildings and streets may change, but somehow, when you drive past them, you can almost see yourselves there again— and never imagining all the places life would eventually take you.
Heading West — Friends, Memories and Cooler Weather
From Terre Haute, we headed west toward Kansas City. We made a stop in Montgomery City, Missouri, before continuing on to Paola, Kansas, where we stayed at Hillsdale State Park Campground.
The main reason for stopping in Paola was to visit some friends we met three years ago at a Tiffin Rally. Travis and Terie are about 20 years younger than we are, but age doesn’t seem to matter when you have common interests and genuinely enjoy each other’s company.
The campground was close to their home, so we were able to spend some time visiting and see their beautiful home. Ken was especially impressed with the large garage—and, of course, all the toys! I think he could have spent the entire afternoon checking everything out!
While in the area, we drove through the countryside and checked out some of the surrounding areas. I especially liked these barns!
After our visit, we finally settled on a route home and continued west. We stopped in Wakeeney, Kansas, for one night, then made our way to Cañon City, Colorado, for another night. From there, we headed to Gunnison, Colorado, where we stayed for two nights.
While in Gunnison, we did a quick road trip to Crested Butte.
We spent time exploring both the small towns of Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte, and each had its own personality.
The town of Crested Butte has that charming Colorado mountain-town feel, with colorful buildings, shops and restaurants nestled among some pretty impressive scenery.
Then we headed up toward Mt. Crested Butte, where the scenery—and the houses—got even more impressive.
We weren’t actually house hunting, but that didn’t stop us from doing a little sightseeing of the residential variety! We drove around looking at the beautiful mountain homes tucked into the hillsides. Some were large and traditional and some were more rustic. It is always fun to see homes in different parts of the country and wonder what it would be like to live there.
Ken had packed us a lunch and we found a quiet place along the river to relax in the sunshine and cooler temps. Soon after we finished eating, Ken climbed out onto the river rocks. I was just sitting there waiting to see how long it would take hime to venture out into the river! At least the river was shallow and the rocks were small.
Gunnison brought something we hadn’t experienced since June—cooler weather! We woke up to morning temperatures in the 40s. After all the heat and humidity we’d experienced this summer, those cool mornings felt wonderful. It was a welcome reminder that we were back into the Colorado mountains.
And now, we’re heading to Durango!