Friday, May 30, 2014

Westward Ho! (Day One)

by Pa Rock
Wagon Master

Boone and I left West Plains a little before 10:00 a.m. this morning and embarked on our road trip westward.  Although we are not intentionally following in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark, or along the wagon ruts of the Oregon Trail, we are destined to pass numerous historical markers for both along the way as we slowly make our way toward the Pacific Northwest.

Day One brought us in a northwesterly direction for nearly three hundred miles.  We parked our wagon in the street in front ofTim and Erin's house and released the oxen to roam the neighborhood and feast on Erin's beautiful outdoor plants.  Roeland Park, Kansas, has all of the necessary amenities to meet our needs, and we will remain here until Sunday morning.

Boone and I have both made the West Plains to Kansas City trek before, so we did not encounter much new or surprising today.  We did see an older Amish couple riding in their horse-drawn buckboard along the highway near Diggins, Missouri.  There are some beautiful Amish farms in the area between Diggins, Seymour, and Marshfield, Missouri.

Lunch was a disaster.   The place where we stopped, right at noon, was packed with a long waiting line and no available seating - and the men's bathroom resembled a water park that had just been trashed by a gang of hallucinating Hell's Angels.   I should name the fast food joint, but won't.  However, if the Missouri Health Department ever goes on tour, they might want to schedule an extra couple of hours for Bolivar.

But things got better.

Late this afternoon Tim took us to a place in Kansas City called "Culver's" (a local chain) where I enjoyed a truly delicious "butter burger."  It was much, much better than the overly-hyped "In 'n Out" burgers that are so popular in the southwest.

Tonight we will be going to Westport in Kansas City to stroll and shop.  That should be fun!

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