6:06 a.m. - Day 4 of vacation? Day 5? Anyway, yesterday was a nice day. In the morning, we got out early around 7:30 a.m. and drove out to Top of the Rock. The owner of Bass Pro Shops was the idea guy behind building this "area". It's all a bit weird and strange because it seems as though he is portrayed as this environmentalist and keeper of the outdoors, yet this place isn't really preservation of the outdoors. On this park is a golf path paved trail that visitors rent to go around the park. In the middle of the path within a cave is a little drive-thru mini bar. I have to admit that it was fun to drive the golf cart through the trees and hills and caves and have a drink. And the park is pretty, but it has all been groomed and landscaped. Then after the cart ride we were shuttled to the museum (and of course there is a gift shop). And around the museum there is a putting green as well as a nine-hole 3 par golf course. Also, there is a chapel that apparently was built just for the owner's daughter's wedding. In the museum, there was what amounts to four football fields of historical artifacts including Native Americans and "white". It's mostly Native American, and the museum is organized into various collections by folks - presumably white people. I was hoping it would be just a museum of local history and tell the story of the Ozarks, but it was much more than that. There was a "collection" on Lincoln and civil war weapons. There was a "collection" on Lee. There was even a "collection" on famous movie cowboys. So what I thought was going to be a history tour was actually a tour of various people's collections of historical artifacts. And according to one of the guides, it was about 20% of what they actually possess in artifacts that are periodically rotated in and out. It may sound like I'm being somewhat critical, and I guess I am. It was something that was fun, but I guess cynical me just couldn't help myself from being .... somewhat cynical in my mind.
Then we went back to the campground and hung out in the brutal heat - again - before getting ready to go to a show - Sight and Sound's production of David. Describing this event with words in a blog post isn't going to be possible. The whole thing was massive and astonishing. I decided to ask Amber if we could leave a little earlier than she thought, so I could get the truck in a little easier, and I'm glad we did that. We were 45 minutes early to the event, and there was a long line of cars waiting to enter the parking lot. Once we arrived, there is this huge auditorium that is impressive from the outside, but then the theater itself is this giant panoramic stage. And the performance was wonderful, but the staging and special effects were like nothing I had ever scene, and there were even live animals that made there way through the aisles of the crowd up on the stage or down from the state - goats, sheep, lamas, camels, etc.. - and sometimes there were no actors or actresses leading them. It was crazy! The production and the setting and the theater are all very heavily Christian faith-based which was fine for me, but I did wonder if non-Christian folk would be view the production differently. And the performance was over two and a half hours. While that was great, I had a lot of trouble with my knees sitting that long because the seating was pretty tight.
After the performance we ate at a family restaurant not too far away, and then we stopped by a Walgreens for Amber to pick up a few things.
That was a good vacation tourism day!
And on to today. Amber has talked about going to a park to ride bikes; she's talked about going to a beach; and I think we have reservations for a boat ride/show/dinner at 4 p.m. At least it's a little cooler today. Just walking outside to go to the bathhouse this morning to use the restroom was more comfortable that it has been since we started our trip.
OTHER THINGS
- pay Joe for vb clinic
When: Saturday, August 8th, 2026
Site: Galesburg High School (Kimbrough Fieldhouse)
Classroom and 3 Courts are all air conditioned
Registration: 8:00 AM
Cost: $35.00 in advance or $45.00 at the door
Dress: Casual * Please bring your whistle, soft soled shoes, and a writing utensil
Contact: Joe Thompson - joethompson7@comcast.net (309) 368-1714
Send checks payable to: Foremost Officials Clinic
Attention: Joe Thompson
1035 Dayton Drive
Galesburg, IL 61401-1310- call eye doctor about refill
- eye drops and meloxocam
- grease wheels to camper
- clean slide rails
- remove any unnecessary weight from camper
- get correct measurement of the correct wiper slide material
- order slide wiper conditioner
- get Amber's bike fixed
- mow the yard
- spray weeds
- spray Creeping Charlie
- finish paying knee medical bills and get reimbursed
- use Dick's gift certificate
- a hood light switch for the Ford
- July 18-27 - Trip to Branson, MO (and Strawberry, AK) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D3BB0_IuwRs0WDKqm1Euor9WUH84SeF1DIwKi7OWeS4/edit?tab=t.0
- July 28 - Bus Refresher Course
- July 31 - Adventureland trip
- Aug. 3 - WCOA Banquet in Macomb (Tony is interested)
- Aug. 8 - Galesburg volleyball clinic 8 a.m.
- Aug. 27 - 7:30 a.m. - Appointment with Hussain at ORA Moline
- Nov. 5 - 10 a.m. - Milan Optical
- What/Where is South Buffalo Prairie School and for that matter West Buffalo School and East Taylor Ridge School? ugh.
- Friday Tidbit on the RR History Network Page
- March 11 - 10:25 a.m. - ORA Moline - Consult
- April 1 - 1:45 p.m. - ORA Moline - MRI
- April 9 - Walk in labs at Tr
- April 15 - Dr. Wang pre-op physical (surgical clearance) 8:45 a.m.
- April 28 - 9:40 a.m. at ORA Silvis
- April 30 - 10 a.m. - Milan Optical
- May 4 - surgery on left knee at Trinity Moline
- May 5- returned home from hospital
- May 6 - home recovery
- May 7 - home recovery
- May 8 - home recovery - visited ICE for about an hour - 9-10 a.m.
- May 13 - 8:45 a.m. Post-Op Appt Hussein
- May 15 - 8:20 a.m. - ORA PT
- May 18 - noon - ORA PT
- May 20 - 8 a.m. - with Brandon; 9:20 - ORA PT
- May 22 - 9 a.m. - ORA PT
- May 26 - 3:20 p.m. - ORA PT
- May 27 - 9 a.m. - ORA PT
- May 29 - 8:20 a.m. - ORA PT
- June 1 - 8:20 a.m. - ORA PT
- June 3 - 8:40 a.m. - ORA PT
- June 5 - 8:20 a.m. - ORA PT
- June 8 - 9:20 a.m. - ORA PT
- June 10 - 8:40 a.m. - ORA PT
- June 12 - 8:20 a.m. - ORA PT
- June 16 - 10:20 a.m. - ORA
- June 24 - 9:00 a.m. - ORA PT- Cancelled
- June 25 - 9:25 a.m. - ORA appt with Hussein
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