Road Notes On The No Country for White Socks Tour

[Bob Boze Bell]

June 10, 2012

   Been off the grid and on the road for the past week on the BLT (Bell Legacy Tour) in the Toaster. Got Thomas Charles and Pattarapan with Kathy and I.

   After a cool night in Flagstaff we hit the Hopi Res on Second Mesa, then out to Canyon de Chelly and Los Gigantes Buttes, Shiprock, Farmington and up into Colorado. Enjoyed Wolf Creek Pass and landed at Creede where Walt Disney was prepping the climatic scene of the Lone Ranger where Johnny Depp, as Tonto saves the Lone Ranger on a train bound for hell.

   From Creede we motored to Lake City and on to Gunnison, then north to Estes Park where we stayed for a day and relaxed. Took off last Wednesday for Kearney, Nebraska where we had a wonderful evening and a morning surprise for Kathy's birthday with a sign (pics to follow), and a Zumba class (video to follow).

   Left Kearney and landed at Lake Okoboji in Iowa at about four. Got in Mike Richards' boat and did a booze cruise at five and then had dinner at the Richard's cabin next to the water.

   On Saturday we took off at about nine and visited Swea City, Iowa where I attended the first three grades before we moved to Arizona (ran into an old baby sitter, ha, true, pic to follow), then on to Forrest City, where I was born and on to the Surf Ballrroom where Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper bought the farm after the gig. Drove out to the actual crash site about five miles north of town.

   Then back to Thompson where Froggy Hauan gave us the tour of the Hauan and Bell farms (thus the formal name of the tour—The Bell Family Farm Legacy Tour) and a dinner at the Branding Iron. Got back to Lake Okoboji at about ten. Got up this morning and took off down the back trail and landed at North Platte, Nebraska. And we're off to Denver tomorrow.

   The biggest change in road trips is the smart phone ability to find the cheapest gas in the surrounding area at any given time and also the best rates on motels and cabins and restaurants (including reviews). Totally changes where we stop and mostly for the better (two miles up the road the gas is 10 cents cheaper a gallon). And speaking of gas, we started off in Arizona at $3.86 a gallon, dropping to $3.76 in Colorado, then $3.50 in Kearney, Nebraska, and down to $3.25 in Grand Island and then an astounding $2.60 a gallon on the Winnebago Res just below Sioux City, Iowa.

"Welcome to the Roadside Beaver Tour and I can clearly see your nuts."

—Some smartass in our car

[Nicholas Narog]

Sounds like a great trip. I have been down to that part of Iowa many times. Just out of curiosity, what ap do you use for finding the best rates on motels?

[Bob Boze Bell]

I don't do much of any apps, but my son uses Google search for most things, like "motels North Platte" and they all come up almost immediately. I think he does advanced search from there, but it's pretty amazing what that simple search can bring up. He and Pattarapan also use Urban Spoon for restaurants, but it doesn't work very well out in the boonies, which is where 95% of our meals hit on a road trip like this.

[Stan H]

Sounds like a great trip, Bob,, hope you don't get tied up by that fire going wild down west of Ft Collins, CO.

[patrick mark pazen]

If you pass thru Denver the historic Buckhorn Exchange is a great place for lunch or dinner, and they don,t mind white socks but they might take a picture of you and put it on the walls with the other notable folks that have been there, three presidents and hundreds of other celebrity types cover the walls along wth all the trophy wild game heads.

[Bob Boze Bell]

Oh, and it turns out my son Thomas does use a gas ap called "Gas Buddy," which is a free ap.

[Nicholas Narog]

I have "Gas Buddy." It is a great free ap! I have saved a lot of money on the roads because of it. It would be great to find a free ap to find the best and cheapest hotel rates. It would be perfect for road trips!

[patrick mark pazen]

Funny I read the posting were you mentioned where the Bopper and the rest of the guys perished, Decided to go to the Home Depot after reading it and on the radio they where playing Bye Bye Miss Amirican PIE this was a 70,s song that was about the tragic plane crash, the song was supposed to have clues in it, one was what was the American Pie? Turns out it was the name of the plane that crashed, another one was " I took My Chevy To The Levy But The Levy Was Dry" cant remember the meaning of it its been to long ago.