This morning was cold and rainy, so instead of hanging around we loaded up and headed down the road in search of a diner. New London, Missouri, was the first town along the way. We crept through the three blocks of Main Street where every single store front was shuttered. The only thing left in town was a brand new police station. I can’t imagine a more boring job.
I decided to stop in at the gas station and ask if there was anywhere to get breakfast. We were going downhill and making a left into a small uphill to the parking lot. As I made the turn the front left wheel climbed the hill while the rest of the bus remained going downhill. The resulting pitch sent plates and glasses flying out of the cupboards and onto the floor. Five glasses and one plate didn’t survive. Oops, my bad.
While Ali cleaned up the disaster I had created (I was ordered out and the kids were ordered not to move) I went inside to ask about breakfast. The lady seemed genuinely embarrassed that there was no restaurant in town any more. She was obviously a local and had been around long enough to witness the demise. If we were headed towards Hannibal we could get breakfast there, she said. I told her we were heading south, and after thinking about it for a minute she couldn’t think of anything that direction at all. We backtracked ten miles for biscuits and gravy.
Wellsville Cemetery. Seems to me that a town with a name like that shouldn’t even need a cemetery.
Passing by another cemetery the only two names I could see were Bohner and Wacker. I don’t know, I thought that was funny. I need to grow up.
A guy bragged to me that his pickup gets five miles to the gallon. Bragged. Apparently he’s got 400 horses under the hood of that 1998 Ford though, so, well, you know, it’s cool.
37 Comments on “May Need to Stop at Target Again”
Your are on a roll
Why not enter the bus in The Great Race. That would be a hoot.
Ali the driver.
Oust the navigator
Lowe the mechanic
You waiting in the car park.
Could you convert the bus into a tilt bus.
Cheers from sunny Queensland
Cheers from sunny Queensland
Pat, a comment, can you put the State that you are in when you mention a town. There are at least five New Londons in USA, took me (an Aussie) a while to figure out which one you were in. Thanks.
Done. Will try and do more of that.
Hermann is much prettier in the summer 🙂 http://goo.gl/maps/b0D51
Hope all is OK….heard of scary & destructive weather in the area in which I believe you are traveling & worried. I’m a Bum Lurker, hooked on you every word. Please let your followers know that you are safe..
Thanks Amy. We somehow managed to avoid all of the bad weather.
Reminds me of driving through Missouri on tour. In depseration for food, we stopped in Hayti at a little diner. We asked the waitress what was good. She said the burgers were okay. Faint praise in deed. We ordered burgers. It was the worst burger I have ever had in my entire life. So horrendous in its culinary failings that years later, I still remember that burger, the waitress and the little town of Hayti. Sometimes its the things that go wrong that make the best memories.
Best part of that story is the town’s name. Maybe spelled a little differently, but probably about the same burger quality.
Were you ever able to find the part for the stove or were you able to repair the existing part…..also will you put a generator in or go strictly solar?? Go slow, be safe.
Neither. We’ve got no oven right now. The stove top burners work, but not the oven. No generator, strictly solar. If we decide down the line that we need a generator we’ll just pick one of those little Hondas up, but I seriously doubt we would do that.
And that right there is why I’m desperate to get the hell out of Missouri. My husband isn’t quite so convinced, though. Glad to hear you missed the weather. We stood on our deck and watched a tornado briefly touch down about five miles from our house yesterday.
Pat and Ali,
We’re enjoying hearing of your transition from the sea to the road and excited to follow the new adventure. We met you all in La Paz last year but have also transitioned from our sailboat in Mexico to a homestead life in the Pacific Northwest. If you guys find yourselves up near the Bellingham area (about 2 hrs north of Seattle), we’d love to host the family on the farm here. We have 40 acres and a menagerie of ducks, chickens and goats that would keep the kids entertained for days! 🙂
– Katie and Mark
So fun to read about your on land version of sailing! What a wonderful time your kidlets are having- although I’m sure it’s not all fun and games. BTW, I thought the cemetery names were funny too, so I guess I need to grow up as well? Oh dear. Thanks for sharing your stories and fabulous photos with everyone! Safe travels!
Dishes and glasses went flying. You know, while I was following your rebuild articles, I was wondering what sort of latches you were using on the cupboard doors. The old ones in our Dolphin had gotten pretty loose since 1983 so I added hooks and eyes to every door. Inelegant but it works.
Bums, we were full-times for 8 years, one of the things we loved to do was search out lists, like “20 greatest burgers in America” use your imagination in looking for lists “Fantastic Tree Houses”, then you keep a log and when you pass one of these places you stop, experience it, and write a review. . . it doesn’t take long before your wandering all over the country find weird stuff to stack in your memory bank. If you ever get to Pahrump, Nv stopped by, we’ll get the Old Geezer’s Group to take all of you off roading in our Spring Mountains.
Ron Strong, that’s awesome!
Will you be coming through Memphis, TN today? We would love to stop working for a moment and say “Hey”.
I spent a month in Memphis one week.
Wasn’t as bad as El Paso though…
Hi Pat and Ali, I love all the signs next to the Railroad crossing! Hey, don’t worry about broken dishes and you really don’t have to stop at Target to get more, while on your travels stop along the way at Flea Markets, garage sales, and estate sales. They usually run from Thursday – Sunday. You might find some great finds along the way. The kids will love it! Then if you start getting to much stuff just ask at one of the sale sites if you can put your stuff you want to get rid of in their “FREE” box. That way you don’t overfill the RV and it is also an adventure for everyone. You might even find some interesting parts for your RV at the flea markets. Safe travels and enjoy. Also each state has BIG (Stuff) Statues. Check it out “Roadsideamerica.com”. Take photos next to the BIG stuff the kids will really get a kick out of that too! There are well over 100 just in MN alone. Enjoy all that America has to offer and safe travels.
Interesting how poor American towns no longer have a restaurant while poor Mexican towns alway have one!
I’m glad you are underway and heading south!
Safe travels!
So I bet you miss the positive locks that the boat had..:)
A nice fat rubber band over the cabinet door knobs works well..the rubber bands on broccoli work great.
Hermann is a great town with lots of history. Now you are in my neck of the woods. I am in Pacific MO.
You are welcome to stop in if it fits your schedule. Barbara
Yes, Hermann really is a beautiful little town.
Here is Lowe’s shiny red railway carriage: http://goo.gl/maps/CrWZY
Ali and Pat,
My mom is buried in “Tightwad” Missouri. How’s that for a name?
Hope you guys missed the severe weather that rolled through last night. If you’re heading south through Missouri checkout Elephant Rocks State park. I’m sure your kids will enjoy climbing all over the giant granite boulders that are left over from the last ice age. Plus there are some pretty terrific views looking out over the Arcadia Valley too.
While you’re at Target, pick up some of those Velcro straps and strap your cabinet doors together or go the cheap route and use elastic ponytail holders with the balls on the ends… that’s what my parents used to use back in the 60’s, matches the era of the bus.
Hey Guys!
Just caught up with the last three posts. I’m so excited to keep following your journey and echo a previous comment on the earlier post that you two are an example to us all as the most awesome parents out there!
Safe travels and lots of love from cold, wet London!
If we are going to list funny names how about Toadsuck county in Arkansas.. Went through there on a MC trip in the rain, slept on the porch of chicken farmers house to wait out the storms..
It appears you missed out on all the recent fun in Hannibal:
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2014/03/28/body-odor-prompts-police-call-in-hannibal-mo/
LOL at the last picture. A 1966 Dodge Travco parked in front of the only two non-shuttered buildings in town, the Police station and Edward Jones Investments. Looking forward to a playdate when you get to The Peoples Republic of Portland. Cannot wait to kick the tires on the Travco and catch up with you all. Hope we can get away for a couple of nights with your guys, that would be awesome!
My crystal bowl shows a boat in the Travco’s future but no destination so the question is where to? Europe, Africa, South America or ???
How about the Peoples Republic of Cuba (now THAT would be TOTALLY awesome :-)) or picking up where the VW bus was before it had to turn around? Bets anyone?
Eh, they are old and have kids now. The RV won’t get any further than the last boat did, if that, though there is still a lot of land between here and there.
Hey guys, great to see you on the road again. Cool looking rig. I find it funny that for such a tech savvy guy that you are so against the gps and correct me if Im wrong, but you also don’t carry a cell phone. Personally if I was traipsing around the country with my 2 young kids and my wife in a 40+ year old Bus, the one thing I would spend money on is a new android, or i-phone,or a phablet, combined with a data plan. The peace of mind to always be able to get help or even use google maps when Im lost. Not to mention the millions of other apps, and it can be used as a mobile hotspot for your computer. All for less than the cost of a gallon of gas a day.
Wow, I sound like a slimy cell-phone telemarketer….
Oh yah, there’s always the OFF button. Have fun “ON THE ROAD AGAIN”
Man it sounds like the advertisers have you wrapped around their little fingers. You hit all the buzzwords, peace of mind, help when lost, useful apps, and all for just three dollars a day. WE HATE PHONES! We don’t answer them when they ring. We don’t use them when there is e-mail available instead, we hate them.The idea of paying to carry one around is beyond my comprehension. Why would I need to spend hundreds of dollars a year so I could call for help? What could possibly happen that I would need that option? How did marketers ever get us to believe that that’s what they are for? Also, the last thing I need is a mobile hotspot so I can be online even more than I already am. If I ever really really needed a phone do you know what I would do? I would turn around and ask the first person I saw if I could borrow theirs. They’d say sure, and I would have just saved myself a one-thousand dollar phone call. GOD DO I HATE PHONES! People, lift your heads up and look around! All right, I could go on and on, but I’ll stop there. And hey, this isn’t directed at you Ron, we’ve heard this a hundred times and I thought it was finally time to just address it. Nobody NEEDS a phone, everyone WANTS a phone. Big difference.
Pat, I’m pleased with the subtle layout changes you’re making to the blog! It’s nice a clean. Keep the posts coming, and get the heck out of Missouri for dang sake.
If you come thru Overland Park, ks, you can stay with us! Totes fun!!!