"Today is a Good Day to Drive!" .....Van-Go

September 30, 2008 Fall is in the air and the leaves are shedding their green cloaks displaying their colors of autum. We found the neatest little back road with signs for Alt I44. It was a two-lane off the beatten path sort of road through the forest. The little town of Newberry looked like it did decades ago. We were looking for a little park or special spot to meet up with friends, but didn't find one to park a large motorhome in so we ended up in Rolla. We spent the day at the city park watching rainbows dance in the fountain.

September 29, 2008 Lebanon, Missouri has some nice murals around town done in 2004 by the highschool students. We took historic route 66 out of town past the speedway and across an old iron bridge.

September 29, 2008 We finished our coffee along the Niangua River and headed into Bennett Springs State Park. The first thing we noticed were fishermen and women lining the steam; we wondered if there was a contest, but found out it was just a slow day at this famous fishing spot in Missouri. The emerald waters bubble up out of the ground and trout fishing is abundant. There is a really educational nature center where we learned just what a spring is and how they are labled. Bennett Springs is a magnatude one, meaning it has over a million gallons of water coming out a day. We saw a drop of water magnified a million times so that the microscopic algae and protozoa looked about half a foot long! Ranger Diane was very helpful. She provided us with a treasure hunt questionair to fill out so we could get another signiture on our application for Missouri Explorer, like a junior ranger program. Look at the pretty butterfly we found!

September 28, 2008 We drove to Lucas Speedway; last weekend was the final race of the season. The place stood deserted, but we got to look around. When Lucas bought the land he put $7 million dollar in to it! We made a nice dinner tonight before moving on.

September 28, 2008 Today is a good day to drive! Wheatland, Missouri Settlers Village is a collection of thirteen authentic log buildings on the twon square. It all began in 1992 when several buildings were taken apart and reassembled here on site. The village has a replica of stagecoache relay station, Butterfield Overland Mail Station. A man who has a leather shop in one of the cabins showed us around telling us about each building. Today there ae barns and corn cribs, stables and cabins, a blacksmith shop and the relay station. It represents national rural heritage; it is a visible cause to appreciate our ancestors, who working with a broadax and hand tools created these buildings .

September 28, 2008 Nevada, Missouri is where Jayhawkers from Kansas and Confederate Bushwhackers came together in might clashes. The Bushwhacker Museum was closed so we didn't get our history lesson today. We did admire the murals around town and some of the historic buildings before driving on. We looked for signs for Osage Village, one of the earliest known Osage villages in the west, but must have missed them if they were out there on route 54.

Sept 27

September 27, 2008 Prairie State Park Jubilee is held on even years. We were lucky to catch it this year! A state park ranger back at Ozark Lake told us that the park had bison and that brought us driving this direction even though we usually avoid most large crowd events. The park consists of 3,964 acres of tall-grass prairie landscape, the largest in Missouri. The landscape was filled with grasses and wildflowers. When we arrived we went straight for the hayride out to see the bison. We got pretty close; we could hear them snort and chomp on the grasses. A ranger in an ATV kept them happy feeding them food pellets. There were about a dozen with a few young ones. Bison are fasinating creatures, so big and yet very gentle. From there we peeked inside the visitor center where there is a stuffed bison that you can stand right next to. He seemed small after being out with the real ones. The Living History Loop, part of the Jubilee, had a covered wagon, one-tent school, country doctor, ear...

September 26, 2007 Lamar is a nice little town with a town square. As we were leaving town after visiting the Birthplace of Harry S Truman we ran right into a Homecoming Parade. That ment a football game! We spent the day at the city park where we found out they offer free camping for two days with water and electric. We had our dinner then went over to the highschool and joined in cheering in the game of Lamar vs Cassville. The home team lost 0-35, but it was fun watching a live game.

September 26, 2008 The best part of Black Walnut Days in Stockton, Mo was the craft displays. We did the walk about the booths then headed over to Lamar. Harry S Truman was born May 8, 1884 in Lamar, MO. The house was built between 1880 and 1882. The Truman’s purchased it for just $685. there was no birth announcement in the local paper; his father was a mule trader and did place an ad that day to sell some of his mules. He also planted a pine tree in the yard that still stands today. The family lived here less than a year with newborn Harry. The house was sold to Water Earp, a first cousin of the famous Wyatt. The house was domated to the state in 1959 by the United Auto Workers. President Truman came for the dedication that April. We visited the birthplace where we viewed four downstairs rooms including the room where Harry was born and two rooms upstairs. Then, we went outside to see the smokehouse, well and outhouse. Although the furnishings are not the families, they are true to t...

September 25, 2008 We were just driving around Stockton Lake after relaxing a bit overlooking the water when all of sudden bang, bam, bang, bam just as we entered the bridge at the intersection of roads Y and H. Will stopped suddenly on the bridge; the driver's side rear tire was in shreds! We had to stand just so to get phone service, but we managed to call AAA that got us Biellier Towing. Tire changed we made our way back through Bolivar, MO where there was a Walmart. But, they didn't have a tire for us so we headed over to Parrish Tire and got one there. We own tires from Discount Tires, but they have no stores in Missouri so they said to get one and the next store we come to in our travels which will be in Texas to give them our reciept and they will give us a new Discount Tire. Will stopped at an Auto shop and got the correct tools for getting the lug nuts off so if the tow companies don't have them we do as suggested by Biellier.

July 22-23, 2008 All too soon our visit with Igor and Olga came to an end. We left with the feeling of being well fed, well sped and well read: Well fed on French, Italian and Russian cusine, well sped through Moscow, Noginsk, Chernogolovka and all points between, and well read on American music, American politics and Russian etiquette. Igor and Olga broght us to the train station in Moscow and waited with us late in the night. we learned about the train board: where to find the platform number and track number. Olga and Igor made sure we got on the train safely, thank goodness. Kathy showed the wagon lady, each car is called a wagon and has a stewardess that takes care of the passengers, her ticket and passport. she then boarded the wagon followed by Olga and Igor while Will showed his ticket to the wagon lady. Inside we found our compartment, a little room with four bunks: two on the bottom and two on the top. The couple in the compartment had the bottom bunks. They looked at Kathy a...