Dad's Journal

Awake: 7:12am Temp 58 sleep 6+50 sunny overnight @ Gulfport, MS.

Driving the Suzuki, we head southwest on I-10 to US-90 & along the Mississippi Coast; we see workers steadily rebuilding the (26) mile-long sand beach. With little effort, we can easily spot numerous homes, business buildings, Deluxe Condos, closed roads, etc due to Hurricane Katrina over (3) yrs ago. What we missed the 1st few miles were the wooden carvings of: Pelicans, fish, dolphins, birds, sea horse, owl, etc; carved into the remaining trunks of live oak trees, the branches of which had been broken & blown off.

We temporarily reverse course to stop & take pictures of these stump carvings; roadwork in progress was in our favor for parking as one-lane was blocked off.

Next we park & visit St. Michael’s Catholic Church, commonly known as the “fisherman’s church.” The church was closed today but advertised a Sat & Sun Mass schedule. Damage was evident as we walked around the round structure; old stained glass windows broken, entry door battered, roof tiles missing, etc.

Doing a tour of Main Street in Biloxi was like touring a ghost town; very little activity on a Saturday. Many of the downtown buildings however, were either completely rebuilt or razed & started anew. We did our grid touring, seeing both cleanup & messed up. Also in downtown Biloxi, we stop @ the Katrina Memorial, take pictures & read the inscription.

Kathy programs our Lady Garmen to find the “inline ‘ice’ hockey without the ice.” Sure enough, hockey can now be played without the audience wearing heavy jackets, coats or blankets. We witnessed this happening & took pictures right there in Gulfport, MS as we watched an inline hockey competition. This complex also contains (2) large outdoor areas for skateboarding.

We make a short visit to Wal-Mart before returning to our bus. When it rains it pours: The campground manager: Big John, paid us a visit about (30) min before our leaving time for Saturday church. He’s such a nice guy; was stationed in Kodiak with the Navy & knows Alaska & just wanted to talk about it. After about (25) good min of reminiscing, he takes the hint & will meet us tomorrow. As we are walking out the door, buddy Barry calls traveling down I-95 to Miami, FL. We apologize that we can only talk for a few min; we’re on our way to church.

5:00pm vigil Mass @ Saint Joseph Catholic church was crowded. The officiating priest was from Nigeria & was very personable & very funny.

Dinner: spaghetti with leftover meat sauce & fresh spinach salad.

No movie tonight so we work crossword puzzles.

Lights out: 12:14am

Awake: 5:53am Temp 57 sleep 5+10 overcast overnight @ Byram, MS.

I make a call to Gulfport, MS & arrange to spend (3) nights @ their campground.

We leave the Swinging Bridge RV Park @ 9:50am, taking a shortcut on State Road-469 east to US-49 south to Gulfport, MS. I-55 is so bad & bumpy; we were delighted to learn that US-49 was just the opposite.

Arrive @ the Southern Oaks Mobile Home Community in Gulfport, MS @ 12:50pm. Big John, the manager, tells us they have over (200) campsites on their (46) acres. It's a big rig friendly campground with asphalt parking; John takes me around in their golf cart to select a vacant site & I select one with an open view.

Today’s Travel: 3+15 hrs 151 miles 25 gal used 5.9 mpg 46.4 avg speed.

Usually after parking, plugging in shore power & extending slides, I switch on the satellite system to make sure we have DirecTV for later viewing. However, today, “horrors,” no signal from space. I re-boot the receiver several times; check all the cables from both the DVR receiver & Home Theater System to no avail. Then I make a call to Newell; Chris tells me no one is working in the Service Facility today as they are still on the 4-day a week program. Ok, so for now, we will revert to our 2nd TV in the bedroom, which, when the Murphy bed is up & away, is an extra room.

K & I walk the campground for (30) min of exercise.

Dinner: Filled peppers, whole grain bread, & fresh mango..

Kathy calls Melissa in PA & they talk for over an hour about many things: their recent house inspection for the source of lead contamination, which seems to be mostly from the chipping, pealing exterior house paint; Katrina’s Christmas visit during which she will be bringing her teenage “little” sister; the boys; their Thanksgiving plans; etc

Late evening: we start watching: “Long Day’s Journey into Night” on our bedroom TV. (1) hr later, this provoking & somewhat redundant Long Day’s Journey….began to get nowhere & we had (2) more hrs to finish. So we rate this movie: not worth watching.

Lights out: 12:22am

Awake: 6:35am Temp 59 sleep 6+55 fog….then sunny overnight @ Vicksburg, MS.

We leave the Ameristar RV Park in Vicksburg @ 11:45am; following I-20 to Jackson & then Pearl, MS & the Flying “J” Plaza. 141.8 gal of diesel @ $ 2.73 per gal; we appreciate these lower fuel prices. Then we bump along on I-55 to the Swinging Bridge RV Park in Byram, MS arriving @ 1:45pm. Our campsite had a heavy duty concrete pad for parking & the coach was automatically on the level. I should take a picture & send it to the ABC campground in Branson, MO.

Today’s Travel: 1+ 50 time 60 miles 10 gal used 5.8 mpg 32.6 avg speed.

Without extending our slides, we motor in the Suzuki back north to Jackson, MS & prepare to visit the State Capital. Our quick lunch of sourdough pretzels & ½ of a banana was made even more delicious by getting a phone call from my sister Mary Jo in Lodi, CA. However, as soon as I heard her voice, I suspected something was abnormal; she has some not-so-good news: their daughter Jen, just recently had been in a car accident. Mary Jo tells me that Jen is banged up a lot with bruises but feels there are no serious injuries, only her car; it’s totaled. I told M J we would keep Jen in our prayers & then we moved on to more pleasant topics.

Entering the Jackson State Capital building, we go through a security check & then look for Ernestine, the lady who gives the tours. Ernestine tells us: “you have to tour yourselves, I only tour groups of (10) or more.” I told her: “my wife is like (9) & I am # 10.” She laughed but stood her ground.

K & I started walking around aimlessly; looking @ things we didn’t understand or comprehend. Within (10) min, Ernestine came up to us saying: “I have to deliver this folder, would you like to come with me & I’ll tour you along the way?” A good (1.5) hrs later, we were quite happy that Ernestine changed her mind; she gave us a terrific tour; even going into rooms & places where only the employees travel.

After the State Capital tour, we did an auto grid pattern of downtown, which is alive & well & all business during the daylight hrs; when night falls, it’s like a blackout.

Without prior discussion, we both expressed that: a good Pizza & beer would be great now? Try as we might, we could not find a suitable Pizza hangout & finally gave in to the chain: Mazzio’s. It was “just ok.”

The movie: “The Bridges of Toko-RI” which we started last night…..will have to wait to be continued; it was accidentally erased from the DVR list.

Late evening DVR: “Come & Get It” with William Wyler, Edward Arnold, Joel McCrea, Frances Farmer, Walter Brennan, etc. Arnold plays a self-made empire-builder who fights his way to the top in Wisconsin lumber business, sacrificing the one love of his life. Farmer has best screen showcase of her career, in dual role, as a saloon entertainer & (yrs later) her own daughter; Brennan won his 1st Best Supporting Actor Oscar playing Arnold’s simple Swedish pal. 1936. We like what we saw in this movie.

Lights out: 12:43am

Awake: 6:48am Temp 60 sleep 6+44 rain…lots of rain overnight @ Vicksburg.

Kathy does (2) loads of laundry.

I call Sirius Radio & sign up for (2) yrs. We both missed our satellite radio so it’s great having it back, especially when on the road again.

Talk with Nick while he is climbing Saint Anne Hill in Seattle.

I offer Kathy a slide show on our big screen of the pictures taken of Vicksburg. We didn’t take the time to read all those information plaques when taking the pictures; inside on the big screen, it’s a much better deal.

Dinner: Power burger with onions.

Evening DVR movie: “The Bridges of Toko-RI.” We watch ½.

Lights out: 11:40pm

Awake: 6:08am Temp 58 sleep 5+54 rain, off & on overnight @ Vicksburg, MS.

Breakfast @ the Ameristar Casino buffet was excellent; there were plenty of options, hot and cold &, as I mentioned, complimentary from the RV Park. A first for us!

Then we drive our Suzuki to downtown Vicksburg & self tour the place where Coca-Coca was bottled for the 1st time & distributed in cases. Joseph Biedenharn, born in 1866 & the eldest of (12) children of Vicksburg went into the candy business founded by his father & uncle while still in his teens. Later Mr. Biedenharn & his brothers acquired franchises to bottle Coca-Coca in Shreveport & Monroe, Louisiana & Texarkana, Wichita Falls, San Antonio, Temple, etc.

We toured the museum that featured the history of Coca-Coca along with equipment of the type Biedenharn used to bottle the 1st Coke in 1894. A wide variety of original Coca-Coca advertising & memorabilia is on display to allow the visitor to follow the evolution of Coke from 1890 to the present. No….we did not buy any duplicated memorabilia from the variety of opportunities.

Next we follow the signs downtown for the “Scenic Trail;” beautiful mansions, historic buildings, parks, etc. We also cover the city by driving a grid pattern. Unfortunately, here is another city trying desperately to keep its downtown alive & well.

The auto tour led us toward the downtown levee of the Mississippi River & the murals telling a story of how Vicksburg got its start & kept the growth going. Kathy assisted with my picture taking of the murals by holding the umbrella 50 times plus. Not only did I take a picture of the Murals but also of the brass information plaques. Anchored in the Mississippi River, just on the other side of the murals was a large riverboat on its last voyage down the mighty Miss. We talked with several passengers who were re-embarking after a city tour.

In our attempt to do all we can today, regardless of the weather, our next interest just happened to be: The Civil War Museum…inside. 1st a movie which was difficult to hear & understand due to poor equipment & heavy rain on a metal roof. After the movie, we realized there were plenty of things to read from other sources & that movie was setup for those who might want to nap in the darkness.

From here, we drive ¼ of a mile to the National Military Park & Visitors Center. There is a charge for this next adventure; due to rain, heavy @ times, we hesitate to continue, but then realize we might not have the opportunity as we do now. @ the visitors center, we watched another movie: this time, good audio & visual.

Then we began the (16) mile driving tour of the Vicksburg Battlefield. A smooth asphalt road led us to the many plaques & statues identifying the placement of the Union commanders & Confederate commanders & their armies; a blue plaque pertains to Union forces; a red plaque pertains to the Confederates. Large monuments have been erected identifying states from which volunteers came to help & certain battle zones where an overwhelming number of troops had lost their lives.

Unfortunately, we no sooner got started on this venture when another heavy downpour followed us; we couldn’t open the windows to read the plaques, couldn’t take pictures or identify things of importance, etc. On top of that, fog began rolling in; then darkness. Our timing was just a few hrs off. Of the nearly 17,000 Union soldiers buried in the cemetery of this battle field, 13,000 are unknown. Since the national cemetery system (at that time) was set up to bury those who lost their lives in service to their country, Confederate soldiers necessarily had to be buried behind Southern lines. A section in the Cedar Hill (Vicksburg City ) Cemetery was set aside to provide a fitting burial place for Confederate soldiers; of the estimated 5,000 Confederate soldiers interred there approximately 3,500 are unknown.

We return to our home-on-wheels after 5:00pm with rain.

My 1st cousin Florentz calls from PA to inform me that my 1st cousin Joe H. of Ohio passed away; he was (77). When I was a teenager, Joe was very good to us & made sure my brother & I got to ride on the tractor, wagon, & other equipment when visiting their dairy farm.

Dinner: Tilapia fish, rice, salad with mango slices, apple slices & Craisins.

Nick calls while walking home from work. Walking to & from his work helps keep him in shape & when he calls, it helps keep us up-to-date on “what’s happening?”

Late DVR movie: “Kill the Umpire” with William Bendix, Una Merkel, Ray Collins, Gloria Henry, etc. Lightweight comedy about baseball lover who becomes the sport’s most hated man, the umpire. 1950. Unless you love slap-stick, this story is not for you. We suffered thru it, however.
Lights out: 12:04am

Awake: 6:26am Temp low 30’s sleep 7:11 sunny overnight @ Greenville, MS Welcome Center.

Total generator time for last evening & this morning: 7.4 hrs. After breakfast, we drive the Suzuki (7) miles north of Greenville & visit the Winterville Mounds. As the brochure reads: these Mounds were named for a nearby community & is the site of a prehistoric ceremonial center built by a Native American civilization that thrived from about A.D. 1000 to 1450.

Twelve of the site’s largest mounds, including the 55-foot-high Temple Mound, are currently the focus of a long-range preservation plan being developed by the Mississippi Department of Archives & History. The Winterville Mounds museum we toured contained Native American artifacts including arrow heads, celts & adzes, chunky stones & ball sticks, clay pipes, shell beads & pots. After the museum visit, we climbed one of those mounds, probably the 55-foot one; which gave us some exercise & a great view of the nearby farming country but little else. It also gave us an appreciation of these Indians who built this mound & all of the mounds by carrying dirt one basket at a time; that’s lots of trips!

From here, we drive back into Greenville & do a grid auto tour of the city; the wide main shopping district was being totally renovated &, hopefully, will be back to its former self when finished; some of the buildings are beautiful & historic. We also found out that the Casino we planned to park at has another parking lot that is level & suitable for motorhome parking. Now, why didn’t that clerk Kathy talked with yesterday mention that?

Next we visit the newest Casino in town: “Harlow.” It was rumored that it was Art Deco architecture; very little, but it did have a bar (100) ft long. That was impressive!

Then we drive (8) miles to Leland, MS; the birthplace of Kermit the Frog. Muppet creator Jim Henson was born in Greenville & raised in Stoneville, just west of Leland. As a child, he spent hrs playing along the banks of Deer Creek. It was here that Henson dreamed of & created the character of Kermit the Frog. We visit the exhibit building that is loaded with photographs from the Henson Family Album, a video center with many of Jim Henson’s early works & a gift shop. Melissa spent her mid-morning hrs watching the Sesame Street program @ (2) yrs of age.

Back to our motorhome, we attach the Suzuki, wave our goodbyes to the Welcome Center people & leave @ 1:48pm; drive east on US-82, then south on US-61 to Vicksburg, MS arriving @ the Ameristar RV Park @ 3:43pm.

Today’s Travel: 2+06 hrs 98 miles 17 gal used 5.7 mpg 46.5 avg speed. As we sign in, we are given (2) coupons for a buffet breakfast @ the Ameristar Casino for tomorrow.

Zack calls just after we park in our campsite; we share talk time about (48) min each. We warned him….that’s what happens if you don’t return phone calls often enough.

Dinner: leftover meatloaf, asparagus & red peppers slices in Boursin sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy & salad.

DVR movie: “Miss Sadie Thompson” with Rita Hayworth, Jose Ferrer, Aldo Ray, Russell Collins, Charles Bronson. Rita gives a provocative performace in musical of Somerset Maugham’s RAIN. 1953. For a change of pace, this is what Wikipedia had to say about this film. Miss Sadie Thompson was produced during the era of the production code. To conform with censors' dictates, the character of Sadie Thompson was changed from a prostitute into a nightclub singer with a past, and Alfred Davidson was changed from a morally corrupt and sadistic reverend into an unaffiliated religious zealot (to avoid offense to any specific religious group). Even with the changes, the film still drew criticism. Lloyd T. Binford, the 85-year-old head of the Memphis Board of Censors, said, "It's rotten, lewd, immoral, just a plain raw dirty picture," called "The Heat Is On" a "filthy dance scene," and believed the film should be banned. Several state censorship boards banned the film outright. Remember, this was filmed in 1953.

Lights out: 12:14am

Awake: 6:36am Temp 32 sleep 6+10 sunny overnight @ Branson, MO.

We leave the ABC campground in Branson @ 9:10am going south on US-65 to I-40 in Conway, then thru Little Rock, AR & I-520/65 to Dumas, then US-82 to Greenville, MS.

En route Kathy did her best to find us a suitable campground in or around the city of Greenville to no avail. Finally we decide to spend the night @ a Casino parking lot…Kathy asks nearly every question in the book & then we follow the Casino’s directions; the Casino was on the Mississippi River & the parking lot had a 30 degree bank parking lot.

Next idea, the Welcome Center of Greenville for suggestions; as we were discussing suitable campgrounds not too near the city, the young lady suggests: "why don’t you just park your motorhome in our parking lot?" All Welcome Centers in MS are good for (24) hrs free parking & they have security. A real “Welcome!”

Today’s Travel: 7+17 hrs 327 miles 54 gal used 6.0 mpg 44.8 avg speed

Dinner: garlic chicken curry with spinach & fresh mango.

Melissa calls: we share talk time about their family & our adventures.

We watch: “The Huckabee Show.”

Then finish movie: “Some Came Running” with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Shirley MacLaine, Martha Hyer, Arthur Kennedy, etc. Slick adaptation of James Jones’ novel about disillusionment in a small midwestern town in the late 1940s; more character study than narrative. MacLaine is especially good as luckless floozie who’s stuck on Sinatra. 1958. Excellent cast but so-so for entertainment.

Lights out: 11:16pm

Awake: 6:57am Temp 39 sleep 7+17 cloudy & windy overnight @ Branson.

Before breakfast, K & I walk the campground for (35) min of exercise; a cool experience.

Mark B calls from his cell phone; their bus is loading & with an overnight stop in Saint Louis, MO it will take (2) days to return to their home in Ohio. He had little time to talk but did ask how we liked “Noah.” I gave him a “two thumbs up” reply.

We take turns talking with Katrina; she fills us in on her round trip to London visit with her friend Star & family.

I call the Foote family & leave a message.

I call John B in Nicktown & we exchange adventure stories.

Our next door neighbor Walter, a Newell owner, will soon be (82) yrs of age. He is in good shape for his age…but I volunteered to climb the ladder & clean off his slide tops of any debris before retracting the slides. We talk afterward & he invites us to visit him in Maryland any time we get close. I let him know we just might do that next yr.

Later, I climb the ladder again & clean off our slide tops of any debris. Then Kathy retracts # 1 & #4 slide.

Next, we drive to the other side of town & see Roy Rogers Jr. & Dustin Roy Rogers with the High Riders Band. This was free for us; Grace had won (2) tickets during a talent show the 1st day of our rally….which they ran out of time to use so we were the lucky spoils. You know, the show was pretty good. Roy Rogers Jr. was a good story teller; he talked about his 1st mother, then Dale Evans & his father, Roy; growing up with foster & adopted children that joined the Rogers family. There was a fair amount of singing, some RR favorites & some of RR, Jr; more story telling complete with short home videos.

The museum had an humongous collection of anything “Roy Rogers” from his personal & family items & collections to commercial wares endorsed by Roy, photos, even the real Trigger. There was also a small theatre showing home movies. We spent quite a lot of time going thru this museum; so much to see & reminisce. Thanks G & G for the extra show.

We attend 5:00pm Mass @ Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church & then return to our motorhome.

Dinner: Meatloaf, asparagus, rice & gravy.

After dinner; Skype with Nick for (31) min. I believe we cut it short due to Jerry being a little fussy. But hey, we’ll take any length of time we can get to see & talk with our family.

Late DVD movie: “Some Come Running.” We watch 1 hr, 1 min.

Lights out: 12:26am

Awake: 6:25am Temp 43 sleep 6+58 windy—sunny overnight @ Branson.

Kathy invites me to take an early walk with her around the campground for exercise; then we go to the clubhouse to bid farewell to our Newell friends & have a few pastries. This has been a delightful rally: a plethora of delicious food; an entertaining assortment of shows & activities; an assemblage of interesting people, both new & former acquaintances; & lots of lies, laughter, & fun.

After we finish our farewell & safe travel messages, we walk to the ABC office & sign up for another (2) nights of camping. We are not the only ones who are staying a few more days; about (8 or 9) other Newells are parked & have plans to remain & see some more Branson shows.

Our good friends Gary & Grace left early this morning (4:30) am to return to Landenberg, PA. I give a call (they are en route thru southern Indiana) & talk with Gary about parking procedures @ the Perry Georgia Rally. He’s been there several times & hopefully will join us @ this rally also.

After getting prompted with info from Gary, I sign up to attend the Perry Georgia FMCA (Family Motorhome Coach Association) rally in March 2009.

Mid afternoon, K & I drive (15) min to the Sight & Sound Theatre where “Noah, the Musical” is being performed. I wasn’t too keen about going to this musical (I don’t do well with musicals), but Kathy overheard some nice comments about it & then, Gary & Grace couldn’t say enough good about it…& when Gary gives his stamp of approval on matters of greatness, I listen. Plus, thanks to Kathy, we were able to get a 10% discount on our tickets & so I felt a little more secure that this show would be ok.

The theater is huge: even bigger than the Tri-Lakes Church we went to with Grace & Gary. The story line is about Noah & his family& how they endured persecution & ridicule to obey the call of God & build an Ark. You’ll feel like you’re sitting right inside the large floating vessel, surrounded by hundreds of live & animatronic animals of every color, shape & size. I could say more but you’ve got to see it to believe it; it was absolutely phenomenal.

Dinner: leftover smoked salmon & veggies from the catered Macaroni Grill.

Late DVD Movie “Another Language” with Helen Hayes, Robert Montgomery, Louise Closser Hale, John Beal, etc. Devastating picture of American family life (based on Rose Franken’s play), with Hayes as an outsider who marries Montgomery & faces hostility from matriarch Hale & her gossipy offspring. 1933. Interesting tale of how being married into a family with a dominating, manipulative mother can be hazardous to your happiness. You might be enlightened!
Lights out: 11:38pm

Awake: 6:24am Temp 55 sleep 7+14 rain…then sunny overnight @ Branson.

Before breakfast, Gary & I walk the campground for (30) min of exercise.

@ 8:45am, our bus departs for the Yakov Smirnoff show…(15) min away. Yakov, a Russian emigrant, has done well in the USA, especially when coming to Branson. He has some good stories to tell & he is funny but….his Christmas show & skits were blah. We applauded his stuff anyway. Then we are bused back to our campground.

@ 2:00pm, tech talk with John in the clubhouse; this tech talk is always good for us guys & some of the ladies. As these Newell motorhomes continue to be more high tech, it’s challenging for some of us to keep up to date with the latest and/or understand the present.

5:30pm, cocktails in the clubhouse…then our bus departs for dinner aboard the Titanic, downtown Branson. Jackets suggested for men, cocktail attire for the ladies.

The Branson Titanic is, of course, a scaled down, partial version with a few rooms copied to perfection as the real Titanic would have. You enter Titanic through a stucco iceberg wedged into the side of the ship. Once inside, you're invited to chill your hand on a wall of ice; a reminder of what brought this marvelous & unsinkable ship down to begin with.

You're issued a "boarding pass" with the name of a Titanic passenger or crew member, and won't find out if you live or die until you're almost to the gift shop. But you can make an educated guess about your fate. For instance, if you are Reverend somebody, you drowned after giving your life jacket to some heathen…

Kathy’s travel name: Edwina Celia “Winnie” Troutt; age 27. She boarded @ Southampton, England as a 2nd Class passenger; her destination: Auburndale, Massachusetts. Kathy will follow her activities as the cruise ship speeds toward America.

My travel name: Thomas Leonard Theobald; age 34. He also boarded the Titanic at Southampton, was married & living in Strood, Kent, England. Thomas is a 3rd class passenger.

Costumed historical interpreters wander about: men in double-breasted officer uniforms, women dressed as chambermaids. Audio atmospherics are everywhere: foghorns, clanking bells, muffled voices.

You ascend a replica of the Titanic's Grand Staircase & find yourself in First Class. There you'll see a sumptuous suite of rooms, and a guy resembling Titanic's captain Edward Smith, walking around, assuring everyone in a sonorous baritone that everything is fine.

The Sinking Room has a series of progressively steep sloping decks you can try to stand on, a lifeboat in which you can sit, and a bowl of 28 degree salt water where you can immerse a finger. Endurance is timed by a nearby clock, and you probably won't last a minute. It helps you to understand why nearly everyone in the water quickly succumbed.

The Memorial Room comes next -- where you can scan for your name on a glass wall to learn whether you're alive or dead -- and then the Recovery Room, which displays the 26-foot-long model of Titanic's collapsed bow used in the Cameron movie.

On the night of the sinking, Kathy’s travel name: “Winnie” retired to her cabin but did not completely undress. Her cabin mate, Nora Keane, heard a cock crowing earlier in the evening & took it as a bad omen. Shortly before midnight, Winnie felt the engines stop, investigated & returned quickly to warn her cabin mates of the situation’s urgency. She & Nora went to the boat deck together. Winnie resigned herself to dying, believing it was wrong for a single woman to board a lifeboat when so many married women & mothers should be saved. Suddenly someone handed her a small baby; feeling responsible, she then boarded a lifeboat & lived.

My traveling name: Thomas, on the night of the sinking, being a 3rd class passenger, proceeded through an open watertight doorway to stairs leading up to the 2nd class salon. Upon approaching a doorway guarded by a crew member, the men were held back. Thomas, fearing he might not be allowed in a lifeboat, took off his wedding band, handed the ring to a women he knew who would survive saying, “If I don’t see you in New York, will you see that my wife gets this?”

The "museum" contains 400 artifacts, more than in any previous Titanic attraction: a dollar bill carried by the Titanic's barber, a menu from the Titanic's dining room, some letters written on Titanic stationery, a couple of life vests, two deck chairs, a pocket watch from a dead passenger, etc.

We did enjoy a delicious dinner onboard the Titanic: Caesar salad in crisp Parmesan shell followed by an entrée of filet mignon, baked potato & green beans.

We returned to our campground @ approximately 10:40pm. What a great day this has been!

Lights out: 11:27pm