Missouri 12th to 16th August

MISSOURI

Branson 

Branson the ‘poor man’s Vegas!’  What a wacky place.  The neon-lit Strip had at least 50 theatres dating back to the 50's & 60's hosting 100+ country music, magic and dodgy comedy shows!! 


 


  I say dodgy because would you watch a show called “Baldknobbers Jamboree?” 

 

The majority of entertainers are either retired or have never really made it in the first place.  Shows are performed 3 times a day, 7 days a week.  

We played safe and decided to see Legends in Concert – a tribute to Michael Jackson, Elvis, The Blues Brothers and a country singing duo.  Unfortunately I still have no idea who they were supposed to be. 

Allen bought 2 tickets through an Agent earlier in the day.  He phoned us saying the tickets would be at the Box Office for collection prior to the show.  We arrive at the Theatre and, you’ve guessed it, NO TICKETS.  The lady at the Box Office tried to phone the Agent at least 4 times but no reply.  We waited 10-15 minutes with more attempts at contacting our man….zilch.

 
Time was ticking and with only 3 minutes before the start of the Concert we bought another 2 tickets!!  The kind lady, who by this time was starting to stress, gave us priority seating. 

Elvis

We were ushered to the 3^rd row, perfect seats and we were delighted there was a family of midgets in front of us.  

  

Great Jam session

The show was excellent although I must admit we had our doubts especially when we heard Elvis was an Aussie.  I told you it was tacky.   

 



But it was our lucky day, while Michael Jackson was busy clutching his crotch, our Agent had phoned the Theatre and apologized for his mistake and we had our money refunded for all 4 tickets, so it cost us nothing!  FANTASTIC!!  

We met Elvis in the Foyer after the show, he was signing autographs for some giggly girls and Allen walked up behind him and yelled “Aussie Aussie Aussie”. 



The poor guy looked mortified and whispered oi oi oi and disappeared.  Elvis has left the building!! 

So with some extra cash in our pocket we couldn’t decide whether to see Baldknobbers or Andy Williams or the dog in a frilly dress who dances on 2 legs!!  hahaha   

      

Ozark Country Campground was our home for 4 nights.  We have to be careful because if we stay more than 3 nights in the same spot we feel the urge to put our roots down. It was a great camp and one of the attractions was a lovely big pool.

  
I must say we felt very at home.   Allen even persuaded me to get in the pool and I discovered I could swim (it’s been so long I couldn’t remember).  Not a pretty sight but it was definitely worth a mention. 

I was very proudof my Gal!

In the morning we headed back to The Strip and boarded the Titanic Museum. 
 

As we entered the ship-shape museum we were handed a Boarding Pass bearing the name of one of the original passengers.  Our task was to find out if we survived the voyage. 

The 17,000 sq ft attraction was a real hands-on museum and we were encouraged to walk up a full-size replica of the famous staircase.  We also turned the Captain’s wheel on the bridge and sent an SOS.  The photographs and memorabilia were amazing.  All the staff on board were dressed in naval uniform. 

At the end of the tour we read the Survivor’s Wall of Stories.  Allen’s Boarding Pass had the name Henry Noss who we discovered was a Fireman/Stoker and luckily he survived.  I was a young Nurse called Violet Jessop who escaped on a lifeboat and later wrote a book.  I guess nobody gets handed a dud but it’s a clever way of getting everyone involved. 

 
 

Branson was hit by a huge tornado in February 2012.  The Hilton Hotel and the Hilton Convention Centre had extensive damage.  They had to replace over 3,000 panes of glass and have only recently returned to normal business.  
 

Hilton Hotel at Branson Landing

Other older theatres/restaurants were demolished and some are still undergoing restoration.

Branson Landing is where all the new restaurants and shops are located.  We watched the 12 noon Water & Fire Show from a Mexican Restaurant overlooking the river. 

 

We only wanted a coffee but they served us complimentary corn chips and hot spicy dip.  We scoffed the lot and left.    

  

 

                    End of 17th Post

Kansas 6th to 11th August

Kansas

We were warned the journey from Colorado to Kansas could be boring…...we can confirm this is true.  Add hot, dry and dusty weather and the fact that Kansas is in the middle of a serious drought, just about sums it up.   

The landscape consisted of wheat fields, a couple of thousand grain silos and hundreds of huge Cattle Feeding Yards. 

Our first night was spent in Garden City, Finney County but it was nothing like our Garden City back home.  I was disappointed as I was dying to hit the shops but it was like so many other towns we’ve travelled through, a shadow of their former self due to the financial downturn.      

On the other hand Dodge City was buzzing and heaps of fun.  Lots of old cowboys still re-living the days of Gunsmoke with pictures of Marshall Matt Dillon posted around town.  

Boot Hill Museum was packed with artifacts portraying the culture of the real wild west.  .  

Front Street was an excellent replica of downtown Dodge City in 1876

The spirit of gunfighters and cattle rustlers still live on in this little town. 

 


On three consecutive days the temperature reached 97˚F/36˚C but we had apparently missed the really hot weather.  WHAT!  

We booked a 2 hour tour on the famous Trolley Bus, it took us to all the places of interest and then without warning a big dust storm blew up.  

The driver pulled over to the side of the road and waited for it to settle.  It rocked the bus for about 5 minutes and then disappeared.  Locals say the weather is quite unpredictable in these parts.  They have real tornadoes here, ever seen Twister??

 
The next day we went to an authentic Cattle Auction at Winter Livestock.  This was the real McCoy…..real cattle, real auctioneers, real smell……OK you get 3 million cattle in one place on a scorching hot day, the aroma wafting downwind was unbelievable.   Trust me, even Clint Eastwood would have gagged on the stench!! 

 

The Boots!

 Our plan was to try and blend in with the locals so we wore our cowboy hats and pretended to walk like John Wayne!  Unfortunately we stood out like dogs balls…..we should have worn our blue jeans (if only I could get into mine!!)  Sadly we had ‘Tourist’ stamped across our forehead.  


 

 

Allen was able to record the amazing Auctioneer in high speed mode.  How can anybody talk that fast? 

Real Cowboys

I managed to stop retching long enough to enjoy the Auction and I somehow managed to eat Lunch in the Cafeteria.  I noticed there was a Gent’s Restroom but NO Ladies Restroom.  Good job I wasn’t busting!!  Hey girls, it’s a man’s world out here!

Dodge City lies on the 100^th   Meridian west of Greenwich, England and although an imaginary line on the surface of the earth, it has long symbolized the end of East and the beginning of West in the US.  

Real Cowgirls!

Outside Kitty's Saloon

We went into the Catholic Church in town and spent some time at the holy grotto (by now I WAS busting and praying for a Ladies Restroom).   

Remember Matt Dillon?

 


 

We stayed 3 nights at Watersports RV Park, the name was slightly exaggerated as there was not a single drop of water in the Lake. 

 

Have you seen birds walk across the bottom of a Lake and not get wet?




 

Black Jacks Liquor Store - you are the best, even though you serve Kinky stuff(!) we’ll forgive you.    The pretty girl who served us was a slim, 23 year old, and we asked her if it was a dangerous job working in the Liquor Store?  

Wyatt Earp

She replied, “Oh No.  Most of the shootings happen outside the Store.  It’s fine in here!”   And then she produced a baseball bat from behind the counter……..OK, we’re going peacefully. 

 

We absolutely loved Dodge City.  People, place, atmosphere, everything.  Top Marks. 

Spent one night at Fall River Lake in Greenwood County.  The Dam in the photograph was constructed in 1946 for flood control purposes.  It was designed and built by the US Army Corps of Engineers.  The spillway is a gravity type and flood waters are controlled by 8 swinging steel gates.  Normal flows are controlled by seven sluice gates, one through each spillway pier.

Due to the droughts they have been experiencing in the past few years the dam is only at 20% capacity, so it’s hard to imagine there ever being a flood again. 

 








Everywhere is becoming a dustbowl - Sad to see.  

                
                          End of 16th Post