Cuba MO. and a Few Miles of Route 66

 Today was exploration day here in central Missouri and our first stop was the small town of Cuba. Cuba is just like most of the small towns along the old Route 66, however it has the distinction of being known as Mural City. Of course this is from the several very well done murals which adorn many of the old building throughout the town.

 Many of them are so realistic you just have to take a second and third glance!!!

 After spending some time in Cuba, the map showed the town of Bourbon just up the road and with a name like that, we just had to check it out. We discovered the town was originally going to be named St Paul, however when the local storekeeper imported several barrels of bourbon whiskey for the Irish railroad workers and kept them displayed in front of his store, well the name was born.

 One of the things both Sheryl and I enjoy are small towns, old buildings and those old faded advertisements that adorn them. Bourbon had all three, with this old mansion in a sad state of repair.

 A little something you don't see everyday, and I had to take a second glance myself, is a large fish in a second story window of an old warehouse.

 Some pretty country along the old Mother Road, Route 66

Of course whats a trip along Route 66 without stopping by the local roadside attraction. This is the worlds largest rocking chair, as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. There was also a cute shop along with the chair where we found a few trinkets and gifts for a couple of friends.
Well, that was our day out, we love getting off the beaten path when we can. All these places are right off I-44, so if you happen to be buzzing down that portion of our interstate system, hop off and slow down a little, never know what else you may run into.

Take Care and we'll see you next time...............................

Carthage, MO

 We left OKC Monday, after a quick oil change at the Base Auto Hobby Shop and landed in Carthage, MO. and the Big Red Barn RV Park. I must give a quick shout out to the park and it's owners. The park is very nice and they also give a 30% Military Discount!!! OK, I know, I know, I said we were headed to a state park in Oklahoma. Well there's a method to our madness. You see Sheryl has been wanting a new and more comfortable couch and chair for the motorhome. We had just bought the ones we have last year and they are already falling apart.

 Well after a little searching, we ran across Colaw RV Surplus in Carthage, MO. Their website boasted a wide selection of pre-owned RV Furniture, so we thought we'd stop by since it wasn't that far out of the way. They did have a large selection, but only one that we liked, so out came the ole card and we were driving back to the RV park with a new couch and I must say it looks great in the rig.

 We also ran across a couple of unique set ups that we had never seen before. First was this truck camper and trailer. As you can see, the trailer is made to mimic a wooded backyard deck, It also has a canopy that can be put up for those hot days and a matching wood walkway over the trailer tongue. The best thing is nothing has to be removed for travel!!! How's that for thinking outside the Box.

 Speaking of outside the box, or outside something anyway, was this little contraption I ran across while photographing downtown Carthage. I also happened to meet the own of said contraption, He calls it a Quadyak or as he explained, an amphibious bicycle, and yes, it actually works!!! The owner saw me wandering the streets taking pictures, so he stopped and we chatted about photography for a bit, He also happened to be a one time Fulltime RVer, but found it wasn't for him. Interesting gentlemen to say the least.

Not really much going on other than that, so I leave you with a few shots of Downtown Carthage.

Tomorrow we head out to Natural Falls State Park for a few days with some of our kids and grand kids. Should be a fun time and we are both looking forward to it. Ok, I'll end it at that and we will see next time from the State Park........................................

Missouri and the Wilson Creek National Battlefield

  We entered Missouri around noon or so yesterday with a vague plan to make it into the Springfield area. We also decided to forgo the main highways and stuck mainly to the back roads. My plan was to stop along the way if we saw anything really interesting to look at or photograph, however that's easier said then done on small country roads with no shoulder or pull offs for a motorhome and connected toad. So we just enjoyed the scenery and pressed on. We did however stop in Old Town, MO. and shot this cute little post office. One of the locals saw me snapping the pictures and said "your taking a picture of our post office?" I explained to her I enjoy shooting old and unique buildings. She then proceeded to tell me about an even smaller post office in town! That would have been great, however it just happened to be a bit out of our way, and you can't just whip in and out of places with an RV, I thanked her for the chat and we moved on down the road.

 We ended up calling it a day in Ozark, MO. just south of Springfield, at the Ozark RV Park. We paid for 2 days as Sheryl wanted to visit the Wilson Creek National Battlefield. We got up Friday morning and headed over to the Battlefield. The Battle for Wilson Creek is mainly known for being the first major battle of the Civil War west of the Mississippi River and also for the first Union General to be killed in action during the Civil War.

 This home belong to the Ray family who just happened to be caught in the middle of the battle. the Family took refuge in the cellar as the battle raged around them. When it was over and both army's had retreated the area, the family emerged to find hundreds of wounded soldiers from both sides on and around their property. Their home quickly became a makeshift hospital for the wounded.

 One of the several areas the battle took place.

 Confederate Cannons of Guibor's Battery located on the crest of "Bloody Hill"

Union Cannon at Totten's Battery.

Sheryl is really interested in historical Civil War locations, so this was a great place to visit for her. As an added bonus to the visit, she talked with the site librarian who researched and gave her some family history from her past Missouri relatives.
Tomorrow we are off toward Western Missouri/Eastern Kansas making our way north up the border. So until then......................