Today was a driving day. We left Winfield at about 8:45 a.m. and headed east through Dexter to hook up with Highway 166 which we drove on for the remainder of our stay in Kansas. We drove through Coffeyville and got to see the flood damage from last year first-hand. It appears that the cleanup is progressing and there is quite a lot of new construction on the west side of town – above the flood line.
Our first stop was in Chetopa – the catfish and pecan capital of Kansas. The car needed some food ($3.99 per gallon), and so did the boys. We snacked on beef jerky, apples, plums and water on the banks of the Neosho River.
After our snack, we got back in the car and headed to I-44 and Missouri. On the very edge of Kansas the empty skyline was interrupted by a tall, pink 15-20 story tall hotel. Turns out it was the brand new Downstream Casino and Resort run by the Quapaw Tribe. It was by far the most unusual sight of the day.
We hit Springfield, Missouri at lunch time and stopped at Nathaniel Greene Park in the middle of town (just a few blocks west of the Bass Pro Shop). This is an out-of-the way park that has several gardens managed by the Botanical Society of Southwest Missouri. After sandwiches, we paid a small admission fee ($3 per adult) and toured the 7.5 acre Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden.
Springfield’s Sister City – Isesaki, Japan – assisted with the development of the park which was started in 1985. The garden uses stepping stones, lanterns and a very cool tea hut as decorative elements. The tea hut reminded the boys of the Kung Fu Panda movie which instantly threw them into reenactments of several of the karate moves from the movie. The garden surrounds several ponds and islands and uses what is called the “hide and reveal” concept that hides pieces of the garden from view until you round the next curve on the path.
Needless to say, we had a blast discovering the many hidden aspects of the garden. Of particular note was a r
ock pathway across one of the ponds to a grassy island in the middle. The five, rock stepping stones were approximately two feet in diameter and spaced one foot apart. The water was very deep around them so getting out to the island felt very much like we were taking part in an Indiana Jones blockbuster. On another side of the pond, our six-year-old discovered a small, wooden fishing dock tucked in amongst some trees and cattails – very, very cool. If you are ever in Springfield, you need to look it up.
After this successful lunch break, we jumped back in the car, beating a rainstorm by about 30 seconds, and transferred to Highway 60 to continue east across Missouri. We got as far as Van Buren before feeling the urge to get out of the car again for a snack. (It was about the time the boys woke up from a blissfully peaceful nap.)
The town of Van Buren holds a public access ramp to the lazy Current River which meanders its way through the Ozarks from headwaters in Dent County to the southern Missouri border and on south. We got out of the car to eat a snack and watched several vacationers float by on canoes and inner tubes. Nearby, was a pebble beach with a party of beer guzzling natives entrenched upon it – we stayed away from that area.
It was easy to see why the spot was so popular. The water was the clearest that we had seen in a while – a stark contrast to the muddy Neosho. It looked so good that we cut our stop short so we didn’t have to haul two boys from Kansas out from the rocky regions near the shoreline. They were not happy with us.
And so it was on to our first location for the evening – the Super 8 at Poplar Bluff. We got there at about 5:30 p.m. Not too fancy, but serviceable and quiet. We went out to eat at the 5 Star China Buffet. Kids buffets were $1 and there were endless amounts of food.
We all tried something that we had never eaten before. My husband choked down some sushi and a baked mussel. (This is the same man who’s idea of going to a fancy seafood restaurant is eating the shrimp & fish platter at Long John Silvers. I told him that I was proud of him for trying something new.) I also had sushi for the very first time. (Loved it – and unlike the person beside me – I did not entertain the table with funny faces while chewing and swallowing.) Our youngest tried sushi and, on a dare from his older brother, seaweed. Our oldest ate sea weed for the first time. Two of us will probably continue eating what we tried. The other two – not so much.
Most of the day was overcast and marked by low hanging rain clouds. The rain was intermittent and seemed to stop for us just long enough for us to take our breaks. It was a good day, we ended it with a very peaceful evening at the hotel.
Our first stop was in Chetopa – the catfish and pecan capital of Kansas. The car needed some food ($3.99 per gallon), and so did the boys. We snacked on beef jerky, apples, plums and water on the banks of the Neosho River.
After our snack, we got back in the car and headed to I-44 and Missouri. On the very edge of Kansas the empty skyline was interrupted by a tall, pink 15-20 story tall hotel. Turns out it was the brand new Downstream Casino and Resort run by the Quapaw Tribe. It was by far the most unusual sight of the day.
We hit Springfield, Missouri at lunch time and stopped at Nathaniel Greene Park in the middle of town (just a few blocks west of the Bass Pro Shop). This is an out-of-the way park that has several gardens managed by the Botanical Society of Southwest Missouri. After sandwiches, we paid a small admission fee ($3 per adult) and toured the 7.5 acre Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden.
Springfield’s Sister City – Isesaki, Japan – assisted with the development of the park which was started in 1985. The garden uses stepping stones, lanterns and a very cool tea hut as decorative elements. The tea hut reminded the boys of the Kung Fu Panda movie which instantly threw them into reenactments of several of the karate moves from the movie. The garden surrounds several ponds and islands and uses what is called the “hide and reveal” concept that hides pieces of the garden from view until you round the next curve on the path.
Needless to say, we had a blast discovering the many hidden aspects of the garden. Of particular note was a r
ock pathway across one of the ponds to a grassy island in the middle. The five, rock stepping stones were approximately two feet in diameter and spaced one foot apart. The water was very deep around them so getting out to the island felt very much like we were taking part in an Indiana Jones blockbuster. On another side of the pond, our six-year-old discovered a small, wooden fishing dock tucked in amongst some trees and cattails – very, very cool. If you are ever in Springfield, you need to look it up.After this successful lunch break, we jumped back in the car, beating a rainstorm by about 30 seconds, and transferred to Highway 60 to continue east across Missouri. We got as far as Van Buren before feeling the urge to get out of the car again for a snack. (It was about the time the boys woke up from a blissfully peaceful nap.)
The town of Van Buren holds a public access ramp to the lazy Current River which meanders its way through the Ozarks from headwaters in Dent County to the southern Missouri border and on south. We got out of the car to eat a snack and watched several vacationers float by on canoes and inner tubes. Nearby, was a pebble beach with a party of beer guzzling natives entrenched upon it – we stayed away from that area.
It was easy to see why the spot was so popular. The water was the clearest that we had seen in a while – a stark contrast to the muddy Neosho. It looked so good that we cut our stop short so we didn’t have to haul two boys from Kansas out from the rocky regions near the shoreline. They were not happy with us.
And so it was on to our first location for the evening – the Super 8 at Poplar Bluff. We got there at about 5:30 p.m. Not too fancy, but serviceable and quiet. We went out to eat at the 5 Star China Buffet. Kids buffets were $1 and there were endless amounts of food.
We all tried something that we had never eaten before. My husband choked down some sushi and a baked mussel. (This is the same man who’s idea of going to a fancy seafood restaurant is eating the shrimp & fish platter at Long John Silvers. I told him that I was proud of him for trying something new.) I also had sushi for the very first time. (Loved it – and unlike the person beside me – I did not entertain the table with funny faces while chewing and swallowing.) Our youngest tried sushi and, on a dare from his older brother, seaweed. Our oldest ate sea weed for the first time. Two of us will probably continue eating what we tried. The other two – not so much.
Most of the day was overcast and marked by low hanging rain clouds. The rain was intermittent and seemed to stop for us just long enough for us to take our breaks. It was a good day, we ended it with a very peaceful evening at the hotel.
