Sharp's Travels

Today was another annual motorcycle ride. Nikki, Cece and Cheri rode with us. Our first stop was the cookie factory outlet store in Ripon. This was a new stop for us guys but when getting cookies for less than half price we couldn’t pass it up. Then it was on to Berlin to stop at the cheese store to get some fresh cheese curd and string cheese. We stuck out on the cheese curd as they don’t make it on Wednesdays. What bummer that was, but that means we get to have another bike ride for cheese curd. Then we headed to Brandon and stopped at the meat market which is the best place to buy meat. Darren and I both had to buy a bunch of beef sticks. We also bought brat patties to do on the grill. We were going to buy brats but Coz already had some at home so we passed on that for now. Then we headed back to Fond du Lac to have a late lunch at the Pizza Ranch. Then Cheri and headed home and then Coz, Nikki, Cece and Darren went back to their place to pick up Harper and bring her over to the fairground where we are so she could run. They brought the big ball along so we could play some kick ball. We managed to fall down during the game; we had a blast until Harper broke her collar and got the ball we were using. Before we could get it away from her she had holes in it from biting it. So that was the end of the kick ball game. We had to go to Pet Mart to get Harper a new collar. By the time we were all done with that it was time to get the grill fired up for hamburgers and brats. After supper Cheri and headed over to Buttermilk Park to watch the Saline Fiddlers perform. The Saline Fiddlers are nationally renowned for their energetic, polished show that includes music, song and dance from the traditions of American folk fiddle, bluegrass, jazz, western swing and Celtic music. The performers are all students from the Saline High School located just outside Ann Arbor Michigan.



For pictures of the day click on http://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on the album: Family ride.

The plan for the day is to go to the beach at Mauthe Lake State Park which is in the Kettle Marine a few miles east of Fond du Lac. Nikki, Cece and Cheri took the car and headed over to the park. We guys took the long way so we could have a motorcycle ride down through the Kettle Marine area. The state park is one that has a day use of $7.00 for each vehicle. Not wanting to pay $7.00 for each motorcycle, we parked outside the park and had Nikki came and get us. Coz and Cece swam and played in the water. The rest of us soaked up the sun rays as it was very windy and in the mid 70’s. In fact I had a coat on the whole time we were there. We had a nice picnic lunch. After lunch we loaded up and head back to Fond du Lac. We guys once again took the long way home and made a stop at the Harley shop in West Bend. It was near 4:30 pm before we got back and had a nice 94 mile ride. Nikki, Cece and Cheri took Harper out for a walk before we got home. Then the girls went shopping at a second hand store and we guys set outside and had a couple of drinks. Nikki had put a turkey breast in the crock pot this morning. So we had turkey, broccoli, mashed potatoes, and fresh baked biscuits for supper. We have had so many great meals and the scales also shows it.
I have uploaded pictures of the day. Click on http://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on the album: A Day at the Beach

Well the weather report was for rain today so we decided not ride motorcycles. It was overcast and looked like rain but it never did rain. In fact around 3:00 pm the sun came out for a very nice afternoon. This morning Cheri made a lemon moraine pie and Nikki made a cherry pie for supper. We guys hung out at Coz and Nikki’s for most of the day while Nikki, Cece and Cheri went shopping again. Darren went shopping for a couple of shirts as he and Jodi have a wedding to attend this Friday. When he got back he called the Harley dealer to see about getting the oil changed in his bike. It was going to cost $103.00 and they didn’t have an opening until the 12th of July. So Darren and I went and got the oil and filter and changed it ourselves in Coz’s garage. So Darren saved $60.00. This evening we had a big steak fry on the grill with baked potatoes, broccoli, and pie for dessert. Ray and Espie along with Coz’s mother joined us for supper. After supper we sat outside to visit and watch Cece play with Harper. It was another great day with family and friends.

It was 53 degrees this morning but the sun was shining and it quickly warmed up to the mid 70’s for a wonderful day. Darren, Coz and I headed for Appleton on the motorcycles and Nikki, Jodi, Cece, and Cheri followed us in the car. It is an annual thing we do. We eat breakfast at the Queen Bee restaurant which is Darren’s favorite place for breakfast. Then we all ride over to Sam’s to pick up some groceries. Then the girls head in one direction shopping and we guys head to the Harley shop and then ride the county side back to Coz and Nikki’s. We did a 114 mile ride and were back at 2:30 pm as Darren needed to let Harper out so she could do her thing. We sat and visited until the girls got home and then it was time to start getting thing ready for supper. Coz grilled meat and chicken that he had marinated in his special sauce which he won’t tell anyone how it’s made. Nikki also makes a special bean dip that she won’t tell anyone how it’s made. So we had all the home made fixings for fajitas. Jodi’s mom and dad (Pam and Jim) also came for supper. It sure was good to see them and catch up on what they have been up to the last year. After supper we sat outside visiting and watching Cece play with Harper. Then we went inside to play a game of SOB. Jim and Pam had never played the game before and had fun playing. In fact Pam won and Jim came in second. It was near 10:00 pm before we got home. It was another wonderful day God made for to spend with family and friends.



I have uploaded pictures from the last two days. Click here http://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels than click on album: Day with family and friends

Rain, Rain go away!! It was raining when I got up this morning and rained all day, not a hard rain, a good soaking rain. It made for a miserable day. Nikki has to work two more days then she will be on vacation with the rest of us. So Coz and Cece came over for breakfast. Cece helped Grandma (Cheri) fix pancakes, sausage, eggs and toast. We visited for a while after breakfast and then played a game of SOB which Cece loves to play. Then Coz had some errands he had to do. I did some work on the computer and then went nuts because I couldn’t get outside. Cheri fixed soup for lunch which was good on cool damp (wet) day. Coz came back to have lunch with us then he left to finish his errands and I went to Wal-Mart to get my medicine. I stopped at Fleet Farm store which is another one of my favorite stores looking for new LED tail lights for the truck as some of the LEDs are burned out. They did have some but not to my liking. So on to Wal-Mart, while waiting for my medicine I did some looking around and found the led tail lights I think will work in the truck. While I was gone Cheri and Cece went for a walk in the rain. When I got home Cheri and Cece were playing Mexican train. Cece had never played it before and now I think that is her new favorite game. Later this afternoon Cheri and Cece made chicken and dumplings to have for supper. Coz got back here around 4:00 pm and Nikki arrived around 5:30 pm. After supper we played another game of SOB which Cece won. She was really excited about that. Coz, Nikki and Cece headed for home around 8:00 pm. The bright spot of the day was being able to spend it with family. Yep it was still raining when we went to bed.

Yea!!! Summer is here. Todd brought Jordan to work today because it’s his birthday. So the four of us went out to the local restaurant for breakfast, Jordan told the waitress that is was his birthday so when she bought out his pancake it had a candle in it, we all sang happy birthday to him. It is his eleventh birthday. Cheri did a lot of laundry and started work on a quilt kit that she picked up in the Lake of the Ozarks. I worked on Todd’s phone system showing Tamme (office manage) how to program the voice mail. Everything seems to be work OK so I renumbered some of the extensions on the main phone system. I also worked on the toilet as it would leak water when it was being flushed. I had to put in a new fitting that distributes the water in the bowl. It leaked when the 5^th wheel was new and had to order the part for it. So in the mean time I took it apart and did a patch job on it using some PVC cement which held for two years. This afternoon Jordan came out to the 5^th wheel to watch a movie. Cheri had some chicken breast going all day in the crock pot that we had for supper very good. This evening we are putting things away so we can move to Fond du Lac tomorrow. I have added a picture of the all the doll clothes that Cheri made including the outfit that the doll has on and the bag to keep all the clothes in. I am sure Cece will like them.



Todd and Jordan





Meadow Land Community Church




Kari and Tim



It rained & thundered all night long. We closed up the 5th wheel in the rain, but hadn’t unhooked so Gay just had to disconnect the water & electric and we were on our way.

We drove towards the blue sky about 1/2hr before we were out of the rain.

We pulled off the interstate at a Casey’s for donuts this morning. Thiers’s are the best and we were hungry.

We crossed over into Wisconsin at noon and stopped in Platteville in a Menards parking lot for lunch. It is 72 degrees and very windy.

We reached Barneveld about 1:30 pm and got set up and after Todd got done with work we headed over to his house to pick up his son and they took us to a new Mexican Restaurant that opened in their area. It was very good.

We enjoyed our visit with Jordan & Todd and then headed home.

It started to thunder when Gay was about to get into the shower this morning. It rained a little and then cleared off. We thought we were good to go but the thunder began again, along with a light rain as we began closing up. Gay had just got the bike loaded and it began to pour. We both sat in the truck for a bit, hoping the rain would stop. It came down so hard and began to hail. As soon as it let up a little Gay pulled the truck up by the office and finished tying down the bike. Gay was drenched. With the slides in, he could not get to any dry clothes. He put the heater on in the truck, in hopes of drying out a bit.

We drove in and out of rain until 11:15am and the temperature dropped to 62 degrees. When we reached Mexico, MO, there was a detour due to a bridge being out because of the heavy rains. The detour took us into the country on a narrow, windy road for about 15 miles and back onto HWY 19.

We traveled HWY 19 to CTY- H. This was another windy road. We did see a couple of deer along the road side and it began to rain again. We were looking for a place to pull in for lunch, but no luck. We turned right onto US 24 and then merged onto US 61.

We arrived at the Wal-Mart in Keokuk, IA at 2:15 pm. We had planned to spend the night here but found out they did not allow over night campers. We took time to have a sub sandwich in Wal-Mart and then headed out of town about 2 miles to a campground for the night.

We had a quiet morning, and then got ready to pick up a few groceries at HyVee grocery store. They have a big buffet there that included salads, fruits, chicken, pork, pizza and Chinese. We settled on the Chinese. We ate before we shopped and it was all very good.

They have such a great meat market there and a wide variety of everything. We should have one of these by us in Florida.

We caught up on a couple of TV shows in the afternoon and then headed for the Bagnell Dam Strip to catch the Sanctified Blues Band. Their show was at an outdoor stage area.

There was a Christian Children’s Choir from Bowling Green, Mo performing just before the band went on. They ranged from 2nd grade to 4th grade. They also did a puppet show set to music. They were fun to watch.

We enjoyed a dish of ice cream while the band preformed. It was a nice outing.



It cooled down to 72 degrees so we had to wear jackets for the ride home.

We were up and ready to go to Stewart’s Restaurant down on the Bagnell Dam strip by 8:30am. That is the home of the famous huge Cinnamon Roll. We ordered one of those to share. It put us on a sugar high for the morning.

While we were sitting there in the restaurant, Gay saw a deer run across the road right there in town!

We needed to revisit the Willmore Lodge Museum at the dam. We didn’t have our camera with us the first time.

The logs for the Lodge were cut and assembled into a lodge in Oregon, before being shipped to Missouri. Once the lodge was inspected, it was dismantled, numbered and transported by train to its present site. It was built in 3 months in 1930 at a total cost of $135,000 and used by the Union Electric Co as an administrative & entertainment center. Its 29 rooms are held together by wooden pegs. It now houses the museum of the history of this area and the building of the dam. There is a beautiful view of the lake from the big picture window in the main room.

We then revisited the Bagnell Dam overlook. The Dam project created a man-made lake with a shoreline rivaling that of Lake Michigan’s in length and spawned a new economy of tourism in Central Missouri. Bagnell Dam was the largest and last major dam in America built entirely with private capitol with a final price of $30 million. It took 2 years to complete.

We took a drive down by the base of the dam. It was quite impressive. You could see all the fish hook and lines snagged on the wires by the dam.

We stopped at Wal-Mart to fuel up and headed back home to throw the sheets in the washing machine and then were on our way again.

We were in search of another swinging bridge. We turned on a dirt road, went a total of 8 miles, but didn’t find the bridge. We did see another deer that jumped out into the road ahead of us and almost had a head on crash with a road grader coming at us around a corner on our side of the road. That was scary! It made a mess of the roads and made it hard to maneuver the bike on the gravel roads.

We got back on Hwy 42 and tried again but NO BRIDGE ROAD. No more swinging bridges for us!

We decided to try a BBQ place called Woobly Boots for dinner. Gay loves BBQ ribs and we had skipped lunch saving ourselves for those ribs and pulled pork meals.

  Gay has uploaded pictures of the day, click here http://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravelsthen click on the album you want to look at, there is two new albums for today: Bagnell Dam and Museum, Lake of the Ozarks car show.

WOW!!!!



Mike - Pam - Cheri - Gay

It is another beautiful day. We left about 9:30am on the motorcycle and headed to Camdenton. There is a quilt shop there we missed the other day. It is 5 miles south of Camdenton and we had to go back onto another dirt road. It was located in a personal residence. It was a nice little shop. I bought a kit to do a throw. It was fun looking around in there. Gay took some pictures of a few quilts hanging on the walls to use as reference when I make the floating box quilt.

We stopped at DQ for a quick hamburger & shake for lunch and then headed for Bridal Cave. It was not far from where we were. It was $13 for the 1 hour tour. It is a steady 60 degrees in there.

Among the attractions in this cave are the Bridal Chapel, (they had 71 weddings in the cave in one day), and the Mystery Lake. The cave is rated as one of the most scenic caves in America.

We squeezed through small openings and walked through low 4 ft tunnels. It was an amazing tour.

On the way back to the 5th wheel we stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up a few items and then Gay dropped me off at the quilt shop near the campground. I was able to find a sewing machine foot I have been looking for and 1 yard of material I found interesting looking to use in some future project.

We showered and changed to get ready to meet Pam, Mike, Jenny & Mason at El Jimador, a Mexican restaurant on Hwy 54. The food was good and it had a very nice atmosphere.

We purchased tickets for the country & western show at the Main Street Music Hall, so we made our way over there and walked around in the shops till show time.

Once again, the show was good. They did neat impressions of famous singers, the comedy skits kept us laughing and all the singers had great voices.

We got home by 10:15pm and were ready for bed.

For pictures of the day click here http://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on the album: Bridal Cave

We decided to do a little bike riding today. Our first stop was a shop called Evergreen. It had lots of home décor and artificial flowers and greenery. Things were so closely packed it was hard to take it all in. Gay found the men’s lounge in the back and waited for me to check it all out. I didn’t buy anything and Gay thought that was a “GOOD THING”.


There was a write up about a swinging bridge in one of the magazines I’d picked up so we went in search of it.
We got out on the back roads, the scenery was beautiful, but no swinging bridge. We ended up in the town of Richland. There is a cave restaurant there we had visited back in 1986-87, so we decided to check it out again. We had to travel about 2 ½ miles back in on a dirt road. They pick you up in their parking lot and drive you back up to the stairs or elevator you take up to the entrance of the cave. They are under new management now and are trying to make improvements on the property. The restaurant needs lots of work and our food was not good at all. All in all, we were very disappointed. We talked about bringing our friends here, but are so glad we decided against it. We know we will not have to come back here again.


We are still in search of that swinging bridge. The temperature has climbed to 94 degrees and the heat is getting to me. We stopped for water at a gas station and she told us where the bridge was located. It was another dirt road. The bridge was 1 mile back in on the road. We were expecting a walking bridge but it was a big bridge for cars. The bridge’s design was neat. That’s about all I can say about it!


We got back to the 5th wheel at 2:30pm. We rested up, showed and changed. We met Pam, Mike, Jenny & Mason and headed to Coconuts Caribbean Beach Bar & Grill for dinner. It’s an outside tiki style restaurant on the lake. It has a swim-up pool bar & beach. It has lots of palm trees that made you think you were actually in the Caribbean Islands. The food was excellent. This was a great choice.


We headed back to Pam and Mike’s to play a few games of SOB. By 10pm it was time to go back to the 5th wheel.

 For the pictures of the day click on http://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels and then click on the album: Cave Restaurant and Suspension bridge

We made a run to the grocery store after breakfast this morning to get supplies for our picnic tonight. Gay got the grill packed into the back of the truck and at noon we headed over to Pam & Mike’s. We all headed to H. Toads for lunch. It’s a restaurant right on the water. Our table was right by the window, with a great view of the lake. The food was delicious.

We spent a little time checking out the shops on the Bagnell Dam Strip and stopped in the famous fudge shop. Of course we had to buy some. It was so good!


After taking in a few more must see shops, we headed back to play a few cards games of Hand & Foot. The afternoon just flew by.


By 6:30pm we packed up our picnic items and headed for the lake. Gay got the grill going and cooked hot dogs and hamburgers. It was a great time.


We finished up the night by teaching Pam & Mike’s daughter Jenny, how to play SOB. We enjoyed the evening and by 10pm we had to head for home.
For pictures of the day click here http://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels than click on the album: Fun day with Pam, Mike, Jenny and Mason.

We left for church at 8:15am. We met Pam and Mike at the Walk on the Water Faith Church at 8:30am.

We were looking forward to hearing Pastor Larry Ollison preach. He had a wonderful service. He and the congregation made us feel a part of their church family.

After church we made our way to the Tan Tara Resort for brunch. They put on quite a spread. We all ate too much. It was hard to resist, you wanted to try a little of everything.

Pam had a few more little shops she wanted to show us and then we headed to the Bagnell Dam Overlook. What a great view of the lake. The Wilmore Lodge serves as the Bagnell Dam Historical Museum. We checked it all out. It was interesting about how they started and built the dam.

We headed back to Pam and Mike’s for a few games of Hand and Foot and S.O.B. It had been too many weeks since we’d been together to play cards. We had lots of laughs, and lots of fun.

We were home by 9:30pm. It was a great day with some very dear friends.

We slept in a little this morning. We relaxed, enjoyed a few cups of coffee and got ready to meet Pam & Mike and Mason at the Yankee Peddler for lunch. The restaurant had a neat interior and the food was good.

There were a number of shops in that area and Pam & I wandered through them and made a few purchases, while the guys sat on the benches outside and waited for us. We’ve got some great guys here!

It was around 2:30 pm when Pam heard from their daughter. She had just arrived in town and they took off to meet up with her. Gay and I headed back to the 5th wheel. Due to the sleepless nights we needed a nap because we had a busy night planned.

At 7:30 pm we headed on over to the Main Street Music Hall to see a cast of great performers singing songs from the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s. They did some comedy, and impressions of Michael Jackson, Blues Brothers, Sonny & Cher, Beatles, Tina Turner and more. It was a fantastic show. We really enjoyed it. In fact we have book seats for their Wednesday night show where they will be doing Country & Western music.

We were home by 10 pm and it was time to call it a day.

We are doing a little exploring around Osage Beach today. The temperature is in the mid 70’s and it is beautiful riding.
We rode about 14 miles to the small town of Camdenton, to what else but a QUILT SHOP! It was called Fabrics & Friends. I made quite a few purchases in there. It was a neat shop. Even Gay enjoyed it.

I pulled an advertisement out of one of the books I picked up for a place called “We are Bazaar”. You should have seen the decorative fans inside the bodies of tin animals. We will be going back there before we leave.

We climbed back on the bike and headed for Ha Ha Tonka State Park. In the early 1900’s Robert Snyder purchased 5000 acres there. He started to build a European style castle there and not long after he began this project he was killed in an auto accident. His sons ended up finishing the castle. In 1942 it was all destroyed by a fire. The state of Missouri purchased the estate in 1978 and opened it as a State Park. People can now tour the castle ruins and tour the grounds on their many hiking trails.

There was also an eighty foot water tower built on the estate. You could walk around that structure also.

We rode down to the natural bridge formation and hiked down to explore that also.

It was time for lunch so we made a quick stop at Dairy Queen for a burger and shake.

We went north of Camdenton to Thunder Mountain Conservation Area. There we climbed an 80 ft fire tower. We certainly got a bird’s eye view of all the surrounding area. The wind was blowing really hard up there and it was so much cooler than down on the ground. We went up 90 steps, which took us to within 3 flights of stairs from the top. They had those last flights blocked off so no one could go to the very top. That’s ok, we could still see forever! It was much easier going down, then going up!

We saw a new Harley Shop on the way back home, so we pulled in and yes Bud, Gay bought a shirt.

It was 94 degrees when we got back to the 5th wheel. We needed something to drink and a chance to cool down a bit.

Pam called at 3:15pm and we will be meeting them at 6:30pm for dinner at JB HOOKS. It’s right on the water. We sat out on the deck and what a view up and down the lake.

(Gay Here) After Dinner we went over to where Pam & Mike and their Grandson Mason are staying, so we would know how to get there. Then they took us for a ride around the area until it got dark and then back to their place to visit for a while and make plans for tomorrow.

It was near 10:00 pm when we got home and put on 72 miles on the motorcycle in our travels today.

I wasn’t feeling very good when we got home in fact I was having some pain while we were with Mike and Pam. Yep it turned out to be another kidney stone. I took my pain pill and weathered the storm. I finally got to feeling better around midnight and headed for bed. I got up at 2:30 am unable to sleep, so figured as long as I am up I might as well finish the blog for the day.

I took some additional pictures this evening at JB Hooks so here they are.

Cheri, Gay, Pam, Mason, Mike

Flowers out side of JB Hooks

Flowers out side of JB Hooks

Flowers out side of JB Hooks

Flowers out side of JB Hooks

Flowers out side of JB Hooks

Gay has uploaded pictures of the day click here http://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on the album Ha Ha Tonka State Park, Thunder mountain fire tower.

Today it is suppose to rain in the afternoon. We want to do the Topeka Zoo before the rain sets in.

We arrived at the zoo by 9:30am. There were very few cars in the parking lot. That was a plus for us. The zoo is small with lots of shade as your walking around. It houses over 400 animals from all over the world and a tropical Rain Forest.

We saw the giraffes first. I think they are always the coolest animals in the zoo, but today my favorite was the baby hippo chasing the ball around in the water.

We entered the Rain Forrest and there was a bird that whistled at us and said “Hello”. I was enjoying the variety of birds, flamingos and turtles. We were almost through looking around in there and there was a stairway to an upper level---of course we took it and could see all the bird in the tops of the trees. I was good with that until we spotted the bats hanging from the ceiling. I was ready to go right now. Down the stairs and out I went! They are defiantly my least favorite animal here.

We checked out the apes, lions, elephants, antelope, and otters, then headed to the other side of the park to see the eagles, swans, and walk through the Black Bear Woods.

It took us about 2 hours to go through the zoo and when we came out the parking lot was full. It was time to move on.

We headed for the Harley-Davidson Yesterday’s Museum and shop. They had some neat old bikes and of course Gay had to have a Topeka Harley tee-shirt.

It was back to the 5th wheel and I got some laundry done, along with getting things picked up and put away so we’ll be ready to hit the road tomorrow.