Thursday July 9, 2009 9:33 PM

Don slept in this morning and I got up about the normal time and began working on all my pictures. I have taken over 300 on this trip. Thank the Lord for digital. So anyway, I was up until midnight last night working on them. I still didn't get finished by the time Don got up so we ate a quick breakfast and got ready to head to Olathe & Leavenworth. We got to Olathe about 11:30 and visited the Mahaffie Stagecoach. We toured the gift shop and took some pictures outside of the museum and then went over to the house and barn that still stands. The house was made of old block so it is still in great shape considering it's age. There were about 5 Percheron horses in the field and they all came up to the fence. Don was able to befriend one of them. After a few more pictures we went across the street to the Stagecoach Park. It was a beautiful park. Very open and a strong cool wind was blowing. It was a good thing because at 10:30 this morning it was about 86 degrees. By the time we arrived it the park it was about 12:30 so we stopped and ate lunch there. They had a small shelter with picnic tables. It was very nice just to sit out in the shade. Couldn't have stood it if it was in the sun. Back in the car we headed to Leavenworth. We saw a crop duster dusting a field of corn. That was really neat to see. By this time the temperature was well into the 90's. We finally arrived at Ft. Leavenworth first. We pulled up onto the base and I didn't realize it was still a working base. But anyway, we were in line and I began to realize that we would have to state the reason we were visiting the base and that they may search under the car with the mirrors on long shafts, but I never expected what came next. We were told that was fine but we would have to pull over and they would instruct us on what to do next. We have visited Paris Island several times with a relative but we were always in a church van so I guess they didn't need to search it like they would if we had been in a car. They search every single vehicle that doesn't have a decal to enter. They search the passenger area, the trunk, the hood - everything. Well as we were pulling up to that area, we both realized that there was a pistol in the glove compartment. So when they tell us to get out of the car so they can search it ( oh by the way we had to give them or driver's license too), Don asks may he unlock the glove box and that there was a gun in there. The gentleman said thank you for declaring it, now get out of the car, go to the front of the car and leave the gun there. They start calling folks over and telling us to stay back and that the military will now come over and investigate. A young fellow that didn't look older than Donnie Lee comes over in full uniform wearing a beret and a nine millimeter and tells us to stand back and asks where the gun is. He walks over to my side of the car and looks into the glove box. He asks is the clip inside the gun loaded. We said yes and told him that there is one already in the chamber (long story) and it has another clip on the side. So he asks Don to see his registration for the gun and Don begins to tell him NC law about having a gun. He just looks at Don like "OK" and states that we will not be getting on the base today with the gun in the car. We said we figured that but couldn't we leave it the gate like we did in Canada and just pick it up on our way out. He said NO! Our options were to take the gun and leave it somewhere, go to town and register it and then go back and get the gun and come back to base with registration and gun or just leave the gun in the motel room or something. We told him thanks and that we would just not be able to go on the base because of not staying in town. So they said fine and that as soon as they were finished with the paper work we were free to go. By this time it seemed like 1/2 a dozen folks were around us. They asked for Don's license again and began filling out the paper work and told us we could get back in the car and turn on the ac and lock the gun back up. After taking down everything about the car and us including Don's SS#, they held traffic for us to exit the base. So we leave not getting to see Ft. Leavenworth except "Check Point Charlie" and we head into the town of Leavenworth. Then the paranoia sets in for both of us. Me of course much worse than Don but I begin to feel like everybody is watching us and military folks are just popping up and whoever comes in after us or leaves right after we do is following us. So we head down to the waterfront area (MO river) in Leavenworth. Not a lot to see but they did have a nice waterfront park there. It was really too hot to enjoy it so we just took some more pictures and headed back to the car. A quick trip around the historic district and we were headed back to Lyndon. We got back to the camper about 5:00 and I began to work on pictures again. I finally finished them about 7:30 and we ate supper. After supper I came out to take some pictures of the campground since this was the first night in awhile we have been here before dark. Don and I have joked every time we come in about the sign out front for the campground. It states that they have a storm shelter and WIFI. What a combination. Anyway. I found the storm shelter tonight. It is right behind our camper. I took pictures of it so maybe I can post one of them on here. Hope we don't have to use it!!! However I think it will do the trick should we need to!! The picture at the top of this post is "Check Point Charlie" at Ft. Leavenworth.