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[TBUTLER]

Several years ago we loaded up the motor home and headed to Oklahoma. Our daughter, her husband, their 5-year-old son, Ryan, and 1-year-old daughter would travel separately and join us to stay in the motor home each night. When we visited our daughter's family, we were always parked in my mother's driveway. So my grandson was used to seeing our motor home next to great-grandma's house.

We arrived at the campground in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, several hours ahead of our daughter and family. When they arrived, Ryan came running up to us and gave us both a hug. Then he looked around and asked, "Where is great-grandma's house?" Clearly in his mind, the motor home should always be parked at great grandma's house. We all had a good laugh at that one. An amazing glimpse into the 5-year-old mind.

On our trip we visited Woolarock near Bartlesville, the Will Rogers Museum and the Gun Museum in Claremore, and the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. At each museum there were great opportunities for a curious little boy to explore. He was broken-hearted when he couldn't sit in the bright red Phillips Petroleum truck in the museum. Dad is an avid hunter and Ryan loved all the living and preserved animals on the grounds at Woolarock and all the exotic animal trophies at the Gun Museum. He enjoyed naming each one. In the Will Rogers museum there is a stage and a fantastic collection of dress up clothes so the kids can put on their own play. There is a whole separate building for kids at the Cowboy Museum. They can dress up like a cowboy, sit on saddles, play with the chuck wagon.

We continued on to Amarillo, TX, where Ryan's dad went on a guided hunting trip. We took mom and the kids to Palo Duro Canyon for a hike to the lighthouse. Along the way Ryan enjoyed looking for animals including his imaginary horse Blackie. He even asked a couple on horseback if they had seen blackie. They played right along and said they saw him just a little way down the trail. He walked almost four miles that day, swung his arm and caught a few cactus needles in his hand and finally mom had to carry him. Not because he wouldn't walk, he was so busy looking at everything it was going to take us two hours to get back to the car. There were thunderstorms showing up in the late afternoon and we didn't want to get caught out in one. I carried his younger sister in a back pack most of the trip. She was all eyes looking around to see everything she could. Ryan's Halloween costume that fall was a cowboy, complete with chaps and a cowboy hat.

It was one great trip!

[dakegro]

We used to be camp hosts at a state park By we I mean my wife, myself, and 3 kids. The kids were boys 6,7,11, and they loved to be part of the host program. The things they learned were among others: kids, if they are friendly can get snacks from traveling grannies, seniors will teach you card games but don't trust them not to cheat. If you have time to talk you can learn a lot about a lot of things from older RVrs.