Branson, Missouri

Good morning, my friends, and welcome to the "Show Me" state. Just now I had to inquire of The Google to ask why Missouri is the "Show Me" state. I found a couple of answers right here.

We backtracked our way out of Arkansas's state park yesterday. Fairly soon, we found ourselves crossing over the Arkansas River.

Looking out my window, it looked like this. It's a fairly large river.

Looking out Mike's window, it looks like this:

The Arkansas River is the same river we saw when we visited the Royal Gorge Bridge in Canon City, Colorado. And that's a long way from Arkansas. Here's how it looked to us when we stood on the bridge.

At the time, I'd never heard of the Arkansas River. Now I've crossed over it at least twice.

Our drive was relatively short yesterday. As is my practice, I looked up the small towns we passed through along the way. We were well along when we passed through Harrison, Arkansas. And I'm sorry to pick on you Harrison, but my goodness. Y'all have a pretty bad rep on Wikipedia.

First off...Sam Walton opened only the second Wal-Mart store ever right here in Harrison. And there's nothing wrong with that, especially if you happen to like Wal-Mart. 

It was, however, disappointing to learn this about Harrison:

"The community has a history of racism: there were two race riots in the early 20th century and an influx of white supremacist organizations during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Because of this, a number of sources have called it 'the most racist town in the United States'."

The entry goes on to list the many race-related incidents that have taken place in Harrison over the centuries, but starts the 21st century with this notation:

"Harrison's Community Task Force on Race Relations was established in 2003 to 'promote diversity and respond to racial-bias accusations against the city.' City officials have made efforts to counteract organized racist activity with educational forums and billboards promoting tolerance. They also attempted to downplay the city's racist reputation and improve its image by editing the town's Wikipedia article."

Despite that, there were at least two disturbing billboards as we drove into town. Try to do better, Harrison. Don’t make me use my social worker voice. And don't blame me...I'm just the messenger.

Driving on, we were nearing the state line. Much of yesterday's drive looked like this: 

We passed by fields of yellow wildflowers.

We also saw more fields of red clover.

And it was a good day for barns.

This one was hiding. You cannot escape my shutter finger of doom.

We were very near our final destination of Branson when we came upon this pastoral scene. That hillside looks like a good place to be a cow.

Finally...here we are. And, Branson, I knew so little about you until I looked you up.

Here's what Wikipedia says about you:

"Branson has long been a popular destination for vacationers from Missouri and around the country. The collection of entertainment theaters along 76 Country Boulevard (and to a lesser extent along Shepherd of the Hills Expressway), including Dolly Parton's Stampede, has increased Branson's popularity as a tourist destination."

We hadn't planned on attending any shows (especially since I didn't even know about this). We may or may not, but we drove in along Hwy 76, and made a left turn where I snapped the image below. Look off in the background, and you can see one of the theaters. In any case, it looks like a fun place to walk around. 

Some of you have noticed Smitty's enhanced courage as we've traveled along. It's true he's more brave the longer we're on the road. When we arrived at the RV park here, he wanted to get out for a walk right away.

He sampled the Mewssouri grass and found it to his liking. Of course, the grass that grows beside the sewer connection is the greenest and most tasty.

Sadie seems resigned to her indoor-only status, and she doesn't cry or whine like she used to. Instead, she enjoyed the sunshine from her catio.

Right after Smitty had his walk, I turned to this most important of all tasks...adding Missouri to the map. Ta-Da!! You're looking good there, Missouri.  And, Kentucky, you're next.

There was some time to finish up Kitten #9 once we were all set up. It's been rinsed and dried now. I'll press it later today and then post an unwrinkled picture.

And that meant I needed to get Block #3 for Grandpa's bridges ready to go. I'm hoping to get started on this today.

We're moving kind of fast this morning. We have tickets to a cave tour early this morning. I'm not sure what all we're going to see, and I'm a little concerned I might have been snagged by a tourist trap. I'll say more about it when I know more. My expectation is this, however: We're going to tour a cave by golf cart. Yes, you read that right. I'll say more about it in my next post.

Right now, I need to get going on breakfast, and we need to get out the door. Getting some place early is extremely hard for retired people. I was telling Mike yesterday that when young Erik was born, I despaired of ever getting anywhere on time ever again. His needs subsumed everything else. The same thing has happened in retirement. Lazy mornings subsume everything else, and having obligations seems like a colossal inconvenience.

That said...I'm curious about the cave tour with golf carts. Aren't you? More later, my friends.