Roving reporter Mike Wendland stumbles upon tiny North Loup, Nebraska – the self-described Popcorn Capital of the U.S. and to a fun annual event called Popcorn Days that celebrates the annual popcorn harvest. Mike meets the man whose company grows a quarter of all the popcorn consumed in the USA. He explains who we can thank for pop corn and how it became a staple of movie goers.

Old West sharpshooter Annie Oakley was born just north of Greenville,
Ohio, and lived her final days there. She’s buried alongside her husband
Frank Butler in Brock cemetery, a short drive north of town just off U.S. route
127. RVtravel.com editor Chuck Woodbury visited there recently and recorded this video, revealing his
special “connection” with Annie. Besides her fame as a sharpshooter, Annie Oakley is considered the first American female superstar.

If you visit the grave, be sure to
stop at the wonderful Garth Museum in Greenville, where several rooms
document the life of Annie (another exhibit pays tribute to Greenville’s
other famous resident, radio broadcaster Lowell Thomas). You’ll see some
of Annie’s outfits, dishes from her home, plenty of photos, and, yes,
her pistols and rifles.

Later in her life, Annie Oakley melted down all her medals and trophies and donated the money to children’s homes in the Cincinnati area.

Adult admission to the Garth Museum is $7. It’s open all
year except in January.

RR greets you at the door

Anyone who grew up in the 1940s or early ’50s, especially boys, remembers Red Ryder, the cowboy hero of newspaper comic strips, comics, books, 38 feature movies, and for nine years a popular radio show. And countless millions of young boys ever since remember with fondness either owning or wanting to own their very own Red Ryder BB gun — as made famous by character Ralphie in the popular holiday movie “A Christmas Story.”

Harman’s studio for two decades

The man behind Red Ryder and his Indian sidekick Little Beaver was Fred Harman, who grew up and later spent much of his life in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Late in life, Harman gain fame as a serious western artist.

John Wayne slept here.

Early on, he struggled as an artist and businessman. When they were both getting started, he and his buddy Walt Disney formed a company that failed.

You can learn all about Harman and Red Ryder at the Fred Harman museum in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, on the western edge of town along state route 160. Admission is $3, less for kids.

Ralphie and BB gun.

Visit Harman’s studio and see his paintings and even originals of Red Ryder cartoons. Buy a genuine Daisy Red Ryder BB gun for $60, or spend $110 for a rare Ryder Ryder comic book. If you don’t want to buy a BB gun, then just admire the very first Red Ryder BB gun ever made. Harman’s serious art is displayed: one small painting sports a $10,000 pricetag. As an extra treat, sit or even lie down on the long couch that served John Wayne’s bed when he would visit.

The museum is open year round, but call first in the winter months to get the abbreviated schedule, (970) 731-5785.

RV parking appears limited when you drive in, but drive around back for more space, or just park on the grass — no problem.

The Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, celebrates the spirit of the American West by weaving together the stories of the western experience—history and myth, art and Native culture, firearms technology and natural history—into the rich tapestry that is the West.

Named for William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, the man who “took the West to the world,” the Center reveals these stories of the past and present. Learn all about Buffalo Bill, his Wild West Show, and the West he knew and loved. Follow his life from frontiersman to actor, showman to entrepreneur, real man to the legend he became.

Discover the art of the West through stunning, priceless masterworks of painting and sculpture, with subjects ranging from inspirational landscapes, unique wildlife, diverse peoples, and the fascinating heroes and legends of the West.

Share the life stories—the culture, history, and art—of the Northern Plains Indian peoples, past and present, and hear these stories in their own voices.

The story of the American West is incomplete without firearms. As you tour the most comprehensive collection of American-made firearms in the world, see how firearms factories, competition, and production innovations have as much to do with the West as the gun itself.

Learn more about Buffalo Bill Historical Center, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, at its website. And no problem with parking for large RVs. The park lot of spacious.