Springfield, Missouri

We all slept great at the hotel last night. Fortunately, there was no hail overnight. The hotel stay was still a nice break from the camper and was worth it almost for the showers alone (and the synchronized swimming routine).

Our first stop after breakfast was a National Parks stop — the George Washington Carver Monument. We learned a lot about this “peanut man” (most well known for his work with the peanut plant). We learned that he had a rough start with his father dying just after his birth and his mother (a slave) being kidnapped and never seen again. He was kidnapped at the same time and was returned to his slave owners who brought the orphaned baby into their home and raised him.

The kids were surprised to learn that he left home at 12 years old to find an education for himself. He later taught at Tuskegee and became a great humanitarian, sharing farming techniques with impoverished black communities and speaking out against inequalities. The museum, which is free, is very interactive, has a great film which chronicled his life and has a walking path where you can tour Carver’s birthplace.

The kids and I took the 1 mile walk through the woods to the cabin where Carver was raised. We saw a muskrat in the creek! The photo doesn’t do it justice. It was amazing. There were tons of butterflies, dragonflies, and damselflies around too.

The girls got sworn in for this site and their shop had PINK Junior Ranger vests in their sizes so we got those. They spent the evening working on putting their badges on them. We will reveal them tomorrow.

It always takes longer at these sites than I budget for. I think “in and out in 1 hour” but it doesn’t feel like it is in the spirit of the Junior Ranger Program if we rush. The volunteer who was working at this park was very nice. This was one of the best overall experiences we have had at a National Park site.

Our next stop was Gary’s Gay Parita Route 66 stop. Gary was a Route 66 enthusiast. He has since passed away and his youngest daughter (Barbara) and her husband (George) now live there and maintain the “museum” which is Gary’s memorabilia on display, a replica Sinclair station, and a pavilion. The gas station is actually a small gift shop. They hadlve a little shop on site with several shelves of rubber duckies. George explained rubber duckies have become a symbol of Route 66.

George told us to stop and the pavilion and have a free ice cream treat from the freezer. He was very nice. The second nice person we met today!

Off we went to Springfield. We debated what to do next. Go to our overnight spot and leave the camper or keep the camper with us?? We decided to keep the camper with us and maybe avoid detaching it from the car (easier to pack up of we don’t). Our first Springfield stop was Steak and Shake on Route 66. We ate lunch here and skipped the shake since we just had an ice cream at Gary’s.

Then we went to the Route 66 visitor center. There was a very small museum and gift shop. The tourist info guy asked us some questions and gave us a handful of brochures of things to do, helpful advice, and some free post cards. Another nice person! Three in one day!

We got to the Boondockers Welcome site at about 3:30. It was very hot, even with air conditioning. Esme fell asleep and the rest of us decided we would just stay in tonight and make our plan for the rest of the trip. We are down to 4 nights left until we are home!