Thanks for following us as we trip on down the road!

I didn’t want to go back home the same route we came (especially that stretch of I44 in MO), so we took off early and pointed the Expedition north on a foggy road,  climbing  up into the mountains of the Sangre de Cristo range.  We felt like we were the only travelers out that morning, and that was on the Interstate!  About an hour out, we took an exit near Springer that put us on 2-lane highways for the rest of the 6-hour drive to Dodge City, KS.  We traveled over 2 hours without seeing a gas station, going through small-town blinking lights, cutting through a corner of Oklahoma, past grain silos, sharing the road with truckers,  making good time.  Taking the back roads always makes the trip more American-ish, and we found the gas in plenty of time.

Just as I had started studying the Anasazi years ago, I had also chanced on to Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City, KS quite a while back.  Casey is a Yuuge Gunsmoke fan and I have to admit that I always fancied Marshall Dillon, too, so when I saw a campground named Gunsmoke Trav-L-Park, it was an obvious choice.  Since no one except us baby boomers even knows what Gunsmoke is anymore, I figured this was a sign to go while it’s still open.

The internet had promised dinner theatre at the Long Branch with dancing girls and shoot-em-ups in the “street” a couple of times a day.  Not.  The place was soo well-maintained, but that’s probably fairly easy since there was nobody else there most of our visit.  It was a logical stop on the way home, though, so I’m glad we checked it out.  I would have always thought I missed something, and it seems like it may have to shut down before too much longer.

The Museum had an elaborate diorama of the history of Dodge City, both before and after the Wyatt Earp Days (there was no Real Matt Dillon), including the Native culture.  They then segue into the Gunsmoke series with lots of autographed pictures and a re-creation of our 1950’s living rooms, where Casey felt right at home.

The RV park was also pristine, keeping the Gunsmoke theme going, and the sites were filled with campers and kids.   A dead snake was a big attraction and we got to meet some of our neighbors around the horses that were just beyond the fence that circles the perimeter.

Early to bed again that evening, after we caught these shots of the sunset.

We drove all the way home the next day, arriving back at Sonnystone by about 10:30 pm.  The ride was smooth and our GPS successfully saved us from another traffic jam, so we breezed on.

I’m already planning our next trip…