Oh, The Challenges We Have Met!

One of the big challenges we have encountered is trying to figure out what day it is.  Also what time.  Also where we are.  So it doesn’t help when the authorities put cities where they don’t belong and then call states by names that don’t appear on any maps.  You can imagine our confusion when we arrived in Kansas City, only to find out that it wasn’t in Kansas but it was in Missouri.  Even worse, Google doesn’t recognize Kansas City as being anywhere near Kansas or Missouri but tells you that you’re in Independence.  And if you ask anyone, they’ll tell you that you’re not in Missouri, you’re in Missourah, which doesn’t appear anywhere.  When you ask why they pronounce it Missourah, they look at you funny and say “We don’t say Missourah…. We say Missouraaah, because that’s how it’s spelled”.  By that definition, Mississippi should be Mississipaaah, I guess. 

After spending a couple of days in Kansas City and/or Independence and possibly in Missouri somewhere, we headed for Springfield, which is also in Missouri and doesn’t seem to come with any other names.  There is so much to do in that area!  But first we finally met one of our big challenges:  after only 18 months and 10 States, we found bottles of Smuckers Sugar Free Syrup in a little tiny grocery store near the RV resort.  This was a momentous occasion!  In fact, we went back there twice to stock up.

Then we spent a great afternoon taking a trolley tour through the Fantastic Caverns.  If you like rocks this is the place to see them.  And they weren’t just local rocks!  Nope….they even had rocks from Sudbury!   Or maybe it’s pronounced “Sudburaaah”.

 

An hour away, we spent a great day at the Precious Moments Museum and Chapel which is absolute proof that some people have way too much time on their hands.  The Precious Moments figurines are adorable and there is literally one for every occasion.  I think it is a bit over the top though, to see them featured in a reproduction of the Sistine Chapel.  Still, if you can’t get to Rome, this is the next best thing.  Being early October, it was also time to start thinking about Christmas (?) so they put up a gorgeous tree.  The most amazing part of the day, though, was that all three of us walked out of there without buying anything!  Another challenge met and conquered!