By Tracy - 8/10/08

Well, another Elphick Expedition has come to an end. We returned home yesterday (8/9) from our most recent trip. Though the trip was wonderful, it's good to see Brian, good to be home, and good to visit with our friends today at church. We have some missed hugs to make up for (right, Papa?) We also look forward to seeing some of our Family TOUCH "family" in the coming days.

I'd say my favorite stop on this trip was Branson. Could have spent more time there. Did extend the stay by one day and shortened our time in Memphis. Wish we could have done more exploring around TX, but fuel costs kept G'pa from wanting to go south along the Gulf coast or inland to San Antonio. We also did not do a day trip to Biloxi, MS as orig. planned because so much there has not reopened since the Hurricane. So...I didn't add any lighthouses to my list this year. There would have been one in south Texas and also in Biloxi. I really enjoyed our time in New Orleans. It was very eye-opening to see the area first-hand. Seeing the devastation in that area was very impacting. Last year, we toured New York City and saw Ground Zero. Honestly though...and I'm not down-playing the loss of lives in the 9/11 attacks, but for some reason, seeing the area of New Orleans hit me harder. Maybe because it was spread over such a broader area, and the reality that there are still folks displaced or living in extremely poor conditions since the flood...three years after the hurricane. Many are still living in travel trailers in their front yards, and nothing has been done to their homes. It was so sad.

Enjoyed exploring all the new areas and sampling the local foods. Really enjoyed the crawfish and the Po-Boys in New Orleans, and the Beef Brisket in Ft. Worth was fantastic. Could have eaten out every night for several weeks in Branson and not tried everything, but we only had breakfast out one time & dinner one evening. There were several seafood buffets I could have checked out...but honestly, there is no seafood like in the Chesapeake Bay area....not even New England! So I probably would have been disappointed in the buffets and will just have to make my own seafood now that I'm home.

We have now been in every state but Vermont in the continental US. Pretty phenomenal considering this is only our fourth summer (5th "big trip") to travel with G'pa in the motorhome. Usually by the time we return from one excursion, I have tour books in-hand to begin planning our next adventure. This time, however, I'm not sure where we'll be going next time we venture out. We'll probably begin revisiting some states that we didn't have enough opportunity to explore, but our next destination remains unknown. However, wherever the road takes us, we hope you'll join us on the journey!

By Rachel - 8/10/08

We have been back home for a day now. “Pro’lly” my favorite thing on the trip was Silver Dollar City. My second favorite was Memphis, and my third favorite was the Lake View Campground Clubhouse in Houston.

Silver Dollar City was my favorite because of all the exciting rides. My favorite ride there was Powderkeg. I was tall enough for almost every ride. I also liked Kid Concoctions.

Memphis was my second favorite because o the Elvis stuff, and the Rock ‘N Soul Museum. My neighbor, Caroline, is a huge Elvis fan, so she got me hooked on him.

Last by not least is Lake View Campground. I liked it there because we met some friends, and every evening looked forward to watching and playing pool with them.

I had preferences, but I enjoyed everything on this trip. I collect magnets from the places we visit. When we got back, I counted how many magnets I have. I have 80, and all 80 of them probably cost about $300.

We only have 3 more states left to visit, but we still have a lot of fun left to do in the motorhome. Check out our blog the next time we travel.

By Amanda - 8/10/08

Well, we’re finally home. That ride from Memphis back here took forever! Some of the highlights for me were:

1) Texas Stadium – The tour was great, to start with. However, I never, in a million years, thought I would play football on the field. And (drum roll, please), I only missed a field goal by 3 feet or so. PS – Uncle Scott, I’ll race you any time you want. I’ll beat you every time, I guarantee it.

2) Memphis – I was never really an Elvis fan, but being in the same city where he and so many legends got their start was really cool. I also enjoyed eating at Neely’s Barbecue, because they’re really good friends with my favorite cook, Paula Deen. They’ve got some good BBQ!

3) New Orleans – The affect that the hurricanes had on the city was incredible, as is the still-evident damage. Hearing our tour guide’s story was really interesting because he was an evacuee. Also, I tried crawfish…and really, really, liked them.

So, that’s my wrap-up of our trip. We had so much fun traveling, and just as much fun reading your comments! Hope you enjoyed the posts, and check out the blog when we go on our next trip. See ya!

By Samuel - 8/8/08

Today is our last day on this trip. I'm really sad becuz I won't see as many trains at home.

Today wuz slow. We saw a lot of Elvis stuff. You now, people say Elvis wuz so cool. I don't think so. He wore stupid pants. And my sunglasses are waaaaay cooler than his. Actually, I'm way cooler than Elvis was. And I'm alive, not dead.

So, this is my last writ for this trip. I'll be writing on other trips though.

Bye-bye,

Samuel S. Elphick

By Jack - 8/8/08

On this trip, we went to a lot of places. Stop 1 - we went to Talladega. In Talladega, we saw the race track. Stop 2 - We went to New Orleans and saw the city. Stop 3 - Houston (main stop in Houston was Blue Bell Ice Cream). We ate a lot of ice cream. Tracy got peaches. Stop 4 - Dallas-Ft. Worth. We saw the Rangers and Cowboys stadiums. We went to a rodeo. Stop 5 - Branson, Missouri. We went out for breakfast. We went to Silver Dollar City and went out for ice cream. Had 2 scoops of Blue Bunny ice cream. I played mini-golf and got 3 holes in one, yet Rachel still beat me. Stop 6 - Pulled into the campground and it was pouring rain. I got soggified. What does that mean in the dictionary? Went out and practiced on the banjo. Then went and had supper and ate too much. Came home and took a shower with soap (not like the shower in the rain!). Plus got beat up by youngest granddaughter. Took her for a walk and to get ice cream. Went to bed. Got out of bed this morning. Going to do some sightseeing and I "might" ride the upside down train (monorail). Tomorrow we will go home to SC.

Jack

PS - Some of the best stores on my trip - the candy stores, of course. Only had ice cream twice. (correction by the editor....we have counted 5 times!)

By Samuel - 8/7/08

Today we came to Memphis, Tennis-see. There are lots of music places here. My family looked at the Gibson Guitar place. My dad is going to be the next big country music star like George Jones. He played the banjo. He also played and sang "Cross Over the Bridge." That's one of his specialities.

They ate at Neely's BBQ. I didn't even get a bone. Then they looked in a lot of shops. I saw trains on the way home.

Thank you.

Samuel S. Elphick

By Samuel - 7/31/08

Hello readers - I know you have greatly enjoyed my dily published works. I'm hoping to accumulate enough of them in order to publish a book or something.

Anyway, I didn't do anything of interest today. My family left me at home with nothing to do. I was really bored. I watched a bunch of motorhomes go past. That wuz my excitement for the day.

I've just received a report that my family saw four train engines. If you recall from my previous literary endeavors, I am enthralled with trains. Now I'm really mad that I didn't see any trains.

Well, that's all. I hope you all are enjoying my writings.

Bye,
Samuel S. Elphick

Pee-Es - I am an official sheriff. I got a badge today.

By Rachel - 8/8/08

Today was full of Rock ‘n Roll. First, we went to a bunch of Elvis gift shops. I GOT AN ELVIS T-SHIRT!!! The next rock ‘n roll shop was the Rock ‘N Soul Museum. It is mostly of famous black musicians. Maybe they had just ten exhibits for Elvis Presley. The tour was an audio tour. They had juke boxes which you can listen to a variety of about 120 songs. The artists varied from Hank Williams Sr., to Johnny Cash, to Elvis Presley, to Otis Redding.

After the museum, we went back to Beale St. Once we were done, we went to Desoto Park by the Mississippi River. Here mom took pictures. Then we went to China Inn Buffet for supper. Later, we went back to the motorhome so we could get things packed up and get ready to get up at 3:00 a.m. to drive home.

By Amanda - 8/8/08

Today was our final day in Memphis, Tennessee, which also makes it the last day of our trip. We spent our day exploring the music that made Memphis famous, and really shaped the rock, soul, R & B, and country music industries.

When you think of Memphis’s music, several names come to mind- Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the great Johnny Cash. In fact, one day Elvis decided to visit Sun City Records, where Cash, Perkins, and Lewis were all recording. The four had an unscheduled jam session resulting in one song. They were dubbed “The Million Dollar Quartet.”

Graceland, which is where Elvis lived, sits across from our campground. His two planes, the Lisa Marie (named after his daughter) and the Hound Dog 2, are right across the street. We didn’t do the tour of the grounds, but we went in all of the shops.

We also toured the Rock’n’Soul Museum in downtown Memphis. This museum tells the story of how the music came about, and has exhibits displaying some of the big names.

The music started out in the fields where black and white sharecroppers worked together, and sang while they worked. Sometimes, landlords wouldn’t give the workers their pay. When this happened, the workers would move to the city in search of better jobs, and they brought their music with them.

A few of these people went on to become big name producers, and many were singers or band members. All of the members of the Million Dollar Quarter played concerts here at one time or another, because this is where they got their start.

The tour had little devices that told you about each exhibit, if you didn’t want to read everything. There were also songs sung by artists from certain eras of music that you could play. I didn’t listen to much of the audio tour, but I listened to a lot of the music while I read everything… my kind of tour. I might have to download some Elvis when I get home!

By Amanda - 8/7/08

Memphis, Tennessee, happens to not only be home to great food and music, but also is the site of Graceland, Elvis Presley’s estate The King of Rock’n’Roll as he is called by his millions of fans, got his start here in Memphis’s own Sun Studio.

However, we’ll learn more about Elvis and the city’s music tomorrow. Today we visited several things in the downtown area of Memphis, starting with the Gibson Guitar Factory.

The tour is about a ½ hour long, and shows you step-by-step how the famous instruments are made. First, the top and bottom panels are cut and bowed. The bowed top has been adapted by almost all instrument companies, and is believed to improve the sound quality of the guitar. Next, the side panels are cut, and a stabilizing piece of wood is set in the middle of the guitar. The pieces are glued together, and then sanded to a smooth finish.

The neck is added to the guitar, and then a coating covers the entire piece, making it ready for painting. The instrument is meticulously painted by hand, and may be painted over and over again until the desired effect is achieved. Next, the paint is shaved off of the edges, and one person shaves off the paint for the signature “Gibson” logo.

From here, all the electronic parts are added. Next, workers test every guitar to make sure that the electronics work well, that there are no defects, and the workers also tune the instrument. The people working in this station are experiences musicians who actually get paid to play guitars all day! Can you believe it?

After the tour, we ate at Neely’s Barbecue (at my suggestion!) The owners have their own shows on my favorite channel… you guessed it- Food Network. (LOL Aunt Trina & Aunt Teri!) They have two locations in Memphis, as well as one in Nashville. I had my third beef brisket sandwich of the trip, which was really good. (So was the Sock-It-To-Me-Cake, a recipe by Gina Neely!) Look them up on http://www.foodnetwork.com/ if you want to learn more, or get the recipe for the cake. (Did I mention it was good?)

P.S. - To both my aunts who read this (Ok, fine, Uncle Scott too), maybe while you’re looking up the Neelys, you could check out Paula Deen! Haha, love you guys! ☺

By Rachel - 8/7/08

We left Missouri to go to Memphis today. It was almost a 6 hour drive. When we reached the campground, it was raining. Around 2:15, we left for Gibson Guitar. At 3:00 p.m. we had a tour. Before our tour started, we watched grandpa pose for pictures with a banjo. (He shouldn’t quit his day job…if he had one).

After our tour, we went to the famous Neely’s Barbeque. One of the owners and his wife (Pat & Gina Neely) have a show on Food Network called “Down Home with the Neely’s”. Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend the restaurant. At 6:00 p.m., we were looking through gift shops on Beale Street.

If you want something Elvis, this is the place to be. After looking through all the shops, we went back to the motorhome. Tomorrow will be the last day on our trip.

By Rachel - 8/6/08

Today we went souvenir shopping. We started out in Historic Downtown Branson. All a long the streets there are shops, restaurants and flea markets. Did I mention CANDY SHOPS??? Three of them to be exact. ! We looked, looked, and looked some more.

After shopping in Downtown Branson, we went back to the Strip in Branson. Here we went into about five different shops and bought our souvenirs. Then we went back to the motorhome & mom made Cheddarwurst and twice baked potatoes.

By Amanda - 8/6/08

For our final day in Missouri, we decided to spend it in historic downtown Branson. This part of the city is made up of shops and candy stores. There are plenty of souvenir shops, two leather stores, and several candy shops (all of which we visited!)

Each shop has something different to offer, so we went in most of them. We also looked in both of the leather stores. Leather is prominent in Branson, we almost every store carries some sort of leather goods, whether it is belts, coats, moccasins, or purses and wallets.

We also visited every candy store in downtown Branson… guess whose idea that was! Between the two shops that we went in, we found so many different taffy flavors, it was unbelievable. We hadn’t seen that much taffy since we were in Michigan two years ago. My favorite flavors (so far!) are caramel corn, cinnamon roll, and pumpkin pie. Believe it or not, all of the flavors taste really good! (They’re also good for talkative children with braces… just give them a few pieces and the candy gets stuck. Then they can’t open their mouths for a few minutes… just a thought.)

By Amanda - 8/5/08

This was our final day in Branson’s Silver Dollar City, so we spent almost all of today in the park. There were a few rides that we did not do yesterday. We also had to do a little bit of souvenir shopping, as well.

Mom wanted a picture of herself, Rachel and I on a ride, so after looking at which ones featured pictures, we chose the Great American Plunge. This is a log flume type of ride with a large hill at the end…which totally drenches you. The photo turned out pretty well, so we bought one to put up on our game room wall, along with our photos from Disney, Daytona, Sea World, etc.

We rode several of the rides in the newest section of the park. They put 10 new rides for all ages in at one time. We didn’t even find those rides yesterday. We also went in quite a few shops. There was one stand that sold nothing but honey, so we stopped and had a few samples. I think Vanilla Honey was the best. It would have been good on top of ice cream!

After today, we saw everything in the park. Tomorrow, we’re going to Downtown Branson and spending time at the campground in order to get ready to leave for Memphis on Thurs. After Memphis, it’s back to Greenville, SC!

By Rachel - 8/5/08

Today we went back to Silver Dollar City. We rode four new rides today. The four different ones were Swings, Electro Spin, Racing Regatta, and American Plunge. We rode the Giant Swing, Lost River of the Ozarks, and Thunderation again today also.

We spent more time in Kid Concoctions than we did yesterday. I MADE GOO! We met up with a girl named Brittany. Her grandparents work there and she comes with them every day. We went on all the rides I just named. We didn’t ride Powderkeg today. We went to go on it, but it was broken down. Because of this, Mom told us we weren’t allowed to go on it later.

After leaving the park, we went to Subway for supper, then back to the motorhome.

By Rachel - 8/4/08

Today we went to Silver Dollar City (sister park of Celebration City). The first ride we rode was Thunderation, which is a roller coaster. We rode it forwards and backwards. The next roller coaster we did was Powderkeg. This was my favorite ride.

We went to Kid Concoctions which has different activities. The first one we did was Floam. The next station had wicki-sticks. We spent at least an hour in there. We rode the Giant Swing, then left to meet up with Mom & Grandpa.

We left to go back and get our showers. We went out to eat at Peppercorns. We then left to go to the show. This show was started by the Presley family and is still run by the Presley’s. The show included humor and singing. We went back to the motorhome and went to bed.

By Amanda - 8/4/08

Today was our first day in Silver Dollar City, the largest amusement park in Branson. The park not only has rides, it has shops and activities also. We were lucky enough to come to SDC during Kid’s Festival, which means that free activities are stationed all over the park.

We wanted to check out some of the more popular rides before they got too busy, so we went for the nearest roller coaster, Thunderation. After riding that, we decided to get a little wet on “The Last River of the Ozarks”, which actually uses real water from the Ozarks. We had all day to dry off…I don’t think we ever did get completely dry though!

They have quite a few coasters at Silver Dollar City, and we rode all of them except for one because Rachel wasn’t tall enough for it. I think the best of them all was Powderkeg, a high-speed, quick-turning rollercoaster. Rachel really liked it, but she says the Rockin’ Rollercoaster at Disney was better, as if anything could beat that!

We spent quite a few hours in the park, and then went back to the motorhome to get ready for our dinner out, as well as one of Branson’s many shows, Presley’s Country Jubilee.

We ate at a restaurant along “The Strip” in Branson, which was a buffet called Peppercorns. The dinner was really good, especially the cobblers that they had for dessert – blackberry and apple topped with ice cream…YUM!

The show that we went to was really great! It was several different types of music (classic rock, gospel, and country) mixed with hilarious comedy. The Presley family had the first show on the Branson strip, and has been entertaining visitors for 40 years. The shoe features four generations of Presley’s, all of which did a great show!

By Amanda - 8/2/08

Branson, MO is a diverse city. Country music and a variety of other shows line every street, as do theme parks and restaurants. We visited Celebration City today, a sister park of Silver Dollar City. These parks are some of the most popular in Branson.

We ate breakfast at The Plantation Restaurant, a breakfast buffet. Country music roots run deep here, which is why many of the restaurants feature live entertainment, as ours did. After finishing our meal, we drove down “The Strip”, on which many shows and restaurants have placed themselves. We went in a shopping complex which contained many different shops and craftsmen. To name a few, there were glassblowers, toy makers, and one man made his own instruments.

Once we finished window shopping, we went back to the motorhome to spend a few hours at the campground. Rachel and I played ping-pong for the majority of the time. We’re actually becoming pretty good…just don’t challenge us to a tournament any time soon!

Celebration City opens at 3:00 in the afternoon, so we left early enough to get our tickets and be some of the first ones in the park. Park workers actually let people in early, but only to go in the air-conditioned shops. We waited for the ride openings in Kate’s Cookies ‘n’ Cream, an ice cream shop. Because we were there early, we actually got samples of the fresh ice cream (which was really good), although it hadn’t been frozen.

We decided to ride the two water rides first, that way we would have time to dry off. The first one was a short log flume which didn’t get us very wet. In contrast, however, Racing Falls felt like a torrential down-pour! At the end of the largest hill, I actually thought we were safe…not so! That water went up and came back down…right on top of us!

We rode a few smaller rides, including a go-kart track. I don’t think that I’m going to count that as part of my racing career. I finished last. We also rode the Ozark Wildcat, a wooden rollercoaster. For any of you who have been to Knoebels Amusement Park in Pennsylvania, the Wildcat was a combination of the Phoenix and The Twister. Anything similar to either of those coasters must be nothing short of thrilling, and the Wildcat did not disappoint!
We rode a few more rides such as the classic Tilt-A-Whirl, then grabbed some free ice water and drove back to the RV Park.

By Rachel - 8/2/08

Today we went out for breakfast and to Celebration City. We went to breakfast at the Plantation Restaurant, which is a buffet. After having breakfast, we looked through a few gift shops.

After that, we went back to the motorhome. During our down time, we played ping-pong at the game room. Celebration City doesn’t open until 3:00 p.m. We got there at 2:30.

The first ride we rode was Shoot-D-Chute which is a log flume. (It didn’t get us wet.) The next ride was Fireball, which takes you upside down. Next we went to Roaring Falls. Unlike Shoot-D-Chute, we got SOAKED! Accelerator was the next ride. Accelerator is one of the rides that goes up and then let’s you fall down. The next ride was Route 66 Go-Carts. I wasn’t tall enough to drive on my own, so I rode with Sis. The Stinger was the next ride we rode. It spins you while you swing back and forth. The first roller coaster we rode was the Jack Rabbit. This was in between a kiddie coaster and a regular roller coaster. For the first time, I was tall enough to drive bumper cars. The name of the bumper cars were Slick’s Slightly Used Bumper Cars. Our second roller coaster was Thunderbolt. (It was FUN!) The Last roller coaster was Ozark Wildcat. This is a wooden coaster and we rode it twice. It was A-MAAA-ZINGLY fun! The last ride we rode was the Tilt-A-Whirl.

We went back to the motorhome, got our showers, ate, and then went to bed.

By Tracy - 7/31/08

Can y'all tell the girls were drug (almost kicking and screaming) to see the Southfork Ranch? Okay, they weren't kicking and screaming, but they were definitely ready to leave. I'm dating myself...but, yes, several in my family were hooked on Dallas, and I remember being glued to the television every Friday night. It wore off though, and I never watched the last several seasons. But I definitely waited on pins & needles through the summer as we all speculated on "Who shot JR?"


The ranch was really neat to see and "experience". Very cool to stand on the balcony overlooking the pool where JR would have stood, or to walk across the driveway and know that's where Patrick Duffy (Bobby) parked that cool red convertible. Who cares about Jock's Lincoln...Bobby's car was hot (& I didn't think he was too bad either!) :o)


Only the outside scenes from the show were shot at Southfork, but much of the TV set in CA was modeled after the actual rooms inside the ranch house. However, Southfork is about 6000 square feet, and the TV set was 40,000 sq. ft.



Anyway, "I" thought it was fun, and after 24 hours, I think the girls have gotten over the torture. I'm sure they'll survive.

By Rachel - 7/31/08

For those that were born around 1970, boy are you going to have a flash back. We visited the outdoor set of “Dallas.” Last time I checked I was born in 1997; so I didn’t have much of a interest in it. I guess I didn’t care for much of it because I know nothing about it.

There was a short museum full of newspaper articles, pictures, and all kinds of other memorabilia. At 11:15 we had a tour. Just a short distance from the museum is the house where they filmed the outdoor scenes of Dallas. The house was already there, and a home for a family. Because of that they did not allow them to use the inside of their house. Instead they had a set in California which was five times the size of the real house.

After getting a small introduction to Dallas and the house; we went to explore the house. Some of the rooms had ropes at the doorway, and some didn’t. The house is 6000 square feet. They also have horses and longhorn. My favorite animal was the miniature pony.

Once we left the farm we went to El Paso Tex-Mex Café. I got nachos, rice, and a salad. Before we went back to the motorhome, we went Wal-Mart. At 5:30 we got back to the motorhome.

By Amanda - 7/31/08

For anyone who watched the TV show “Dallas”, you should know what the South Fork Ranch is. Look at a map of the United States and find Plano, TX, and then look for a town called Parker. The South Fork Ranch is located in Parker

I’ve never seen an episode of Dallas, and I only know Lucy, played by Charlene Tilton. She was a guest on a Food Network show that I watch. Anyway, we visited the ranch today.

The land that the ranch sits on used to occupy 100,000 acres, as opposed to today’s 365. However, the set of the show is still there. A 6,000 sq. ft. house sits toward the front of the property, but nothing was ever filmed inside of this house. Anything shown inside was filmed on a 40,000 sq. ft. set out in California. Everything else such as scenes out by the pool or scenes filmed anywhere on the ranch were filmed at South Fork.

The house on the property was built by the original owners, Mr. and Mrs. Douglass. Both had served in the army, and upon release, they began searching for a place to live. Finally, in the early 1970’s, they bought some land. Mr. Douglass worked for a construction company, and once he earned enough money, they built the house that stands today.

In the early 1980’s, the producers of Dallas were looking for a place to shoot their new show. While searching in a helicopter, they found the Douglass Ranch (as it was named at the time.) They landed the helicopter in the front yard, but immediately their question of, “May we shoot here?” was answered with a stern “No!”

After flying around and finding nothing as beautiful as the Douglass Ranch, the producers returned- this time with money in their hands. Mr. Douglass promptly invited them in for a cup of tea, and after discussing the terms, both parties came to an agreement. Dallas would be filmed there, but they could not shoot anything inside the house. Mr. Douglass didn’t want actors of filming crews in his house, and both Mr. & Mrs. Douglass did not want their 3 boys exposed to that environment. However, the rest is television history. Dallas ran for about 11 seasons, and was one of the most popular shows of its time.