Day 31 Summer Vacation 2008

Today is Day 31 Wednesday August 6 2008

Time to head back north and get back onto Route 66. After breakfast we loaded up the car with our luggage and that is when we noticed some damage to our car. I checked for a note on our car windshield, but of course there was not one. We now have a 4 inch scratch on the rear fender. So sad, but I suppose it could have been a lot worse.

First stop was the Conoco gas station in Branson to fuel up the car for the day. Can’t go too far without any gas. Then we headed back to Lebanon Missouri so that we could pick up Route 66 where we had left off. From Lebanon we drove on the Devil’s Elbow part and found some really neat old steel truss bridges.

Then it was into Cuba Missouri to check out The Route 66 Fudge Shop. We met the owner Marcia Wilson and bought some of her delicious fudge and chocolates. mm mm good. So good that since visiting her store, we have placed online orders so that we can continue enjoying the great taste at home.

We then went to check out the Worlds Largest Rocking Chair just on the outskirts of Cuba.

Can you see Karen sitting on the bench under the chair? Shortly after our visit, I learnt that Guinness Book of Records has confirmed that this is indeed the worlds largest rocking chair

We checked out some of the murals in Cuba, in particular I liked this one on the restored Phillips 66 Station, and I also liked their choice of shingles on the roof of the building.

We left Cuba Missouri and headed eastward towards Bourbon Missouri. I especially enjoyed the thought of this water tower being filled with Bourbon.

I am going to start a little side project and try to find the towns of Rum, Vodka, Gin etc and take photos of their water towers.

Then it was into Stanton MO to check out the Toy and Truck Museum. We learnt that it was For Sale but that the owner could not find a buyer and he was going to have to close. Too bad, this was a trip back in time to my childhood to see all of the toys that I had played with all those years ago.

Then we came to Meramac Caverns, another iconic Route 66 roadside attraction. We participated in the guided tour into the cave and learnt about its history. Meramac Caverns is the largest commercial cave in the State of Missouri and it is just a stones throw off of Route 66.. A must see.

To see all of our photos from today, you can click on the link to my FLICKR site

Day 30 Summer Vacation 2008

Today is Day 30 Tuesday August 5 2008

Another not too terribly exciting day in Branson. It is our last day and we will be heading North tomorrow morning to get back on Route 66 and continue our journey Eastward. We have been relaxing and reading, but today we must get some laundry done before we head out. A few days ago I gave this Ramada Inn the “Best Breakfast” award, but I am going to give this Ramada Inn the “Worst Laundry Room” award. We have had to do laundry several times on this trip and I have always thought that the laundry rooms in the various hotels were as would be expected, but this one hit an all time low. There are only 2 washers and 2 driers for this 400 room hotel complex. The laundry room was tiny and dirty, and one of the 2 driers had an out of order sign on it. The drier that was working, was not really working, it was not producing any hot air and was just tumbling the clothes. Good thing we started doing the laundry early in the morning, that gave our clothes all day to dry by hanging them over our balcony railing and on every available hanging spot in our room.

Aside from that, it was an uneventful day, we went back to Dick Clarks American Bandstand Grill for dinner.

Day 29 Summer Vacation 2008

Today is Day 29 Monday August 4 2008

Not much to write about today, no photos, no interesting sites to see. We did a bit of shopping, went to The Disney store etc. Had dinner at The Olive Garden. Like I said, not much to write about.

Day 28 Summer Vacation 2008

Today is Day 28 Sunday August 3 2008

The Ramada Inn in Branson sure puts on a breakfast spread fit for a King. They have a separate building for just this purpose. The breakfast is buffet style and the place is packed. Everything imaginable was presented, bacon, eggs, sausage, pancakes, waffles, fruits, different breads, buns, bagels, juices, tea or coffee. I have forgotten what else was offered, but I sure didn’t starve at this hotel. Best Breakfast Award for this trip goes to the Ramada Inn in Branson Missouri.

We went to the Titanic Museum after lunch. Unfortunately no photography is allowed inside the museum. They are quite happy to take your pictures and charge you for them should you wish to make the purchase. We did, there isn’t much point on being aboard the Titanic and not have yourself photographed. I especially liked the life-size replica that is the museum building. From the street it looks identical to the real ship. There is even a little fountain that replicates a wave as the ship moves through the water.

We then went to check out the Branson Wax Museum. I am not a big fan of wax museums, but this one was particularly terrible. The outside of the building was the best feature.

Once inside, we were hard pressed to identify who the wax statues were. Here is Bill Cosby and Johnny Carson…

Here is Kirk and Spock.

This wax museum is not worth the $15.00 each to enter.

After dinner we went to The Legends in Concert show. Billed as The Worlds Greatest Live Tribute Show. I wouldn’t give it that high a rating, but perhaps I was still feeling ticked off after the wax museum experience. We saw impersonations of Celine Dion, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and The Blues Brothers. The shows change from month to month so you never know who you are going to see. As I am beginning to learn, in Branson you cannot take photos inside the theatres.

To see all of our photos from today, you can check out my FLICKR site.

Day 27 Summer Vacation 2008

Today is Day 27 Saturday August 2 2008

We decided today that we should back track from Lebanon MO and go South from Route 66 and visit Branson Missouri. We got a good deal at The Ramada Inn for 4 nights. I couldn’t believe the traffic as we got into town, bumper to bumper and barely moving. There is only 1 main street through Branson and unless you know the back roads, you are stuck. We were too early to check into our room, so we got back out into the traffic and headed to Wal-Mart to load up on supplies that we will need for our 4 day stay. Had lunch at Denny’s, good old reliable Denny’s. We went to the IMAX Theatre and watched a movie about the Grand Canyon, then headed back to our hotel to check in. For dinner, we walked next door to Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Grill. What surprises me about Branson is that I always thought Branson was a Country & Western town, but there is nothing much around here that I can find that is Country and Western.. I would say that Branson is more of a 50’s & 60’s Rock and Roll town. After dinner we went to the American Bandstand Theatre and enjoyed Paul Revere and the Raiders. Bill Medley performed after the Raiders. Paul Revere put on a great show despite his aging years. He can still perform like a teenager and has some great routines and jokes. Don’t miss his show if he is in town while you are there.

There are no pictures today. Cameras were not allowed inside the theatre, I would have liked to get some shots of the stage performances.