We ended July near Dale Hallow Lake State Park along the Kentucky/Tennessee border and spent most of August along some pretty incredible lakes throughout the Midwest. Here we are set up along the shores of the Land between the Lakes in Western KY. And as we camped throughout August and September, we focused our time on family--visiting brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews along the way. What a treat it was to reacquaint ourselves with relatives--some we had not seen for years! Keep us informed by clicking on the email link Larry and Glorine.
	Glorine loves driving the RV (all 63 feet, including the Jeep), especially when the road is straight as an arrow and flat as a pancake. In this case, the road is Natchez Trace, a 400 mile trading route between Natchez, Mississippi and Nashville, Tennessee which was used by Native Americans and early pioneers.	And here is the view Glorine saw as she took her turn at the wheel. The road is on the north end of Natchez Trace which is filled with rich history, such as Meriwether Lewis (from Lewis and Clark Expedition) and Davy Crocket. We were introduced to the Natchez Trace last summer, on our Great River Road trip up the Mississippi, we spent a few days exploring the southern part of the Trace.
	In the small town of Hohenwald, TN, (near the burial site of Meriwether Lewis) we toured the grounds of a historical nature center where we ran into this replica of Ft. Mandan used by Lewis and Clark near our home town of Mandan, North Dakota.	The real Fort Mandan is located along the banks of the Missouri River, which was used for the longest single stay that Lewis and Clark spent at any place along their expedition through the Northwest. It was nice to see historians hundreds of mile away focus on something that most of us North Dakotan take for granted.
	As we continued our meanderings through this special area of Tennessee, we spent some time along this small creek that was once used by entrepreneur, David Crocket, who used this moving water to turn a flour mill.	When we saw the covered bridge, we could not resist snapping this picture with the Jeep driving over it. It is becoming a rare view.
	On one of our outings, we toured Lawrenceburg Tennessee, which is one of David Crockett's many home towns that displayed lots of his memorabilia, including a larger than life statue in the town plaza, a replica of his home, and a plaque with his name along with other militia who died at the Alamo. Yes, lots of history in this area!	Our next stop was along the banks of the Missouri River outside of St. Louis, MO. Glorine's nephew, Ken and his wife, Vicki, came over to the RV park. We enjoyed a beautiful evening at a restaurant overlooking the river and later they spent the night on the coach they are sitting on. It is a queen size hide abed.
	Our next stop was the Lake of the Ozarks, which is a large reservoir created by a hydro-electric power plant on the Osage River built back in the 1930's. While the weather was a bit hot and humid, the area provided lots to do. One was an air conditioned tour boat that took us on a two-hour tour of the great homes that line the shore.	One of the nearby sights was a nice cool 60 degrees cave, called Bridal Cavern. Folklore has it that Native Americans used this cave for wedding ceremonies. The tradition continued when the state of Missouri took it over in the late 1940s and the cave began making reservations for modern day weddings--over 2,100 to date. The cave is nearly a half mile deep and consists of several large weeping stalactites one of which resembles a large wedding veil--ideal for the occasions.
	Ray Ressler (another one of Glorine's nephews) lives down the road from Bridal Cave at Fort Leonard Wood, MO where he serves as a chemical trainer for the US Army. Here Glorine is pictured with Ray, Kathy and their daughters, Ashley and Paige.	Next we stopped for an overnight stay in Kansas City MO. This is home to Larry's nephew and Godson, Al Barnhardt (sitting next to Glorine). His brother Rob was in KC visiting, which was a good time to try out a local "ma and pa" restaurant specializing in deep fried chicken along with all the fix'ns.
	Our next stop was a weeklong stay at a campground half way between Omaha and Lincoln, NE. This is near the hometown of Larry's brother Bob and his wife Francie. Four of their six children live in the area and most came out to take a peek at our new home on wheels and cook out.	Roslyn Ressler is Glorine's niece who lives in Omaha. Roslyn entertained us with a boat ride and some water skiing on a lake near Council Bluffs, Iowa. Larry and Roslyn took their turns at water skiing. It was a great treat to cool off in the hot humid weather.
	While in Lincoln, we visited Larry's niece Cindy and her husband Roger. Roger is the General Manager of a local Harley Davidson, shop (note the neat pickup sporting the Harley decal). While there, we walked the neighborhood and stopped at a local coffee shop where Cindy works, and Larry was gifted a bag of newly roasted coffee.	On one of our outings, Larry, Bob and his oldest son Rob took a trip to Omaha for a meal at one of Rob's favorite grill and pub. We had Rob snap this picture for nostalgia purposes. This 1942 Chevy was the exact model and color of the one our Dad had back in the day when we were growing up on the farm. It was in great condition. We wondered where our Dad's car ended up!
	Greg Barnhardt (another of Larry's nephews who lives in Omaha) and his wife Beth and two children came over to the campground for an evening cookout. Greg grilled the chicken and did a mighty fine job. It was nice catching up with them, along with all of our other nieces and nephews on our summer trip. Visit was great.	Denise, Craig, Clara and Chase spent an extended weekend with us on the Great Lakes of Iowa (a hidden treasure we discovered a few years ago). They brought their pontoon down which gave us an opportunity to explore both East and West Okoboji Lakes. Beautiful homes to small family cabins lined one lake. We caught a picture of a large tour ship (which gives you a clue of how big this lake is). We also found the restaurants to be kid friendly with fun activities to keep them active. And did they love it!
	Along with all the water activities, Lake Okoboji also had a large amusement park, including the largest wooden roller coaster, a maritime museum, and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We also found an interesting way of storing boats--by staking them. All and all the mini vacation was lots of fun and a nice way to spend some quality time with the kids.	One of the events that brings summer to a close in Minnesota is the State Fair held in St. Paul, MN. For Denise and her family, this 12 day event is a treat that we have taking in, at least a day or two over the past several years. For Clara and Chase, they get to learn about farm animals and life in rural America. The fair also attacks big bands and all sorts of other entertainment. Here they are having a group dance--a nice way to end the evening and another wonderful summer in the Midwest.

August's web page includes August 1 through August 31.