Navy Reunion for USS Princeton - Branson, MO - Overview

Tomorrow we'll be heading out on our trip to Branson for our sixth Navy reunion get-together. We have been to Seattle (WA), Corpus Cristi (TX), Virginia Beach (VA [Williamsburg area]), Portland (OR), Green Bay (WI), and now Branson.

The reunion officially lasts four days. We will attend five of the many shows offered by the reunion group. Friends of ours, Pixie & Oscar, will join us to go to one show without the group. The group has a business meeting the final day (where we will choose our next destination). Following the meeting the group holds a fund-raising raffle of donated items. The reunion is topped off with a scrumptious banquet. The day after the reunion ends, the four of us will spend an afternoon at the Shepherd of the Hills attraction and attend the outdoor drama (based upon the book by the same name).

We had planned to travel to the reunion in our RV because we have pets (one dog & one cat), but due to a miswiring on our new home's 30 Amp plug for 220 V instead of 110 V, that all changed. When we plugged in to start getting the unit ready, we burnt up all the appliances in the RV. So, it's in the repair shop.

We have done an all-out scramble to find motels that will take the pets, especially because we decided we'd take the back roads as long as we were not hauling the trailer behind us. We were able to find Super 8 motels that would take our critters. The motels are not the most up-scale, but we are grateful for decent accommodations. Most motels charge $10 per pet extra per night. So our $18 per night at RV parks turned into $90 per night in a motel! Of course this also means eating out instead of being able to cook most of our meals and lunches in the RV. More unplanned expense. The gasoline bill will be less, but not enough to off-set all of the added extras.

Stay tuned for more updates as our travels progress. We are "supposed" to have WIFI connections at all of the motels, but we have had experiences where by the time you arrive the WIFI is mysteriously and "temporarily down."