Day 1 & 2 of the Western Adventure

Hey y'all! We are in day 2 of our Western Adventure '09. Yesterday we left home and traveled through Kentucky going south and west until we reached Paducah. Kentucky is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful states with its stately antebellum mansions and uberexpensive horse farms. Matt and I are always intrigued by the remnants of days long since passed with the slave-built rock walls lining much of historic Route 60 in Paris and Lexington. Kentucky has such varying landscapes. The closer to Missouri we drove, the flatter and more expansive the land became. We stayed our first night in Duck Creek RV Park. It was not the most luxurious of accommodations, but the people were very nice and the pool was a welcome destination for some hot and weary travelers.

Day 2 began with an extra hour of sleep because we crossed into the Central Time Zone a few miles east of Paducah. During the day of driving we crossed the Ohio River where it was at least twice as wide as the river is in southern Ohio. Then crossed another bridge where the Ohio and Missouri Rivers join the Mississippi. Lots of barges and tugs busy at work. Once we reached Missouri, I was expecting a boring day of corn fields and flat land. I saw some of that, but it was so beautiful. Vast flat lands with hundreds of round bales of hay rolled and ready for the thousands of cows and horses grazing nearby. As we approached the Ozarks, the land elevated and became more wooded. At times we could see for miles onto the ridges of the Ozarks. We stopped to grab a sandwich from the RV and were lucky enough to find a little farmer's market and purchased some fresh and plump tomatoes and cucumbers. The temperature reached a sweltering 100 degrees today. When we finally arrived at the KOA Kampground in Springfield, MO, we were greeted by some friendly locals and were thrilled to see a clean, well maintained park with plenty of ammenities: a pool (Aidan's favorite spot), a playground, game room, camp ice cream shoppe, and a doggie playground (Jimmy and Lucy are becoming quite the seasoned travelers themselves).

After dinner, we ventured to the Fantastic Caverns. WOW!! What an amazing site. I have seen many caves, and yes, many of them have the same features, but each is so unique and fascinating in its own right. And Fantastic Caverns did not dissapoint. Discovered in the 1860s by John Knox and his dog, kept a secret during the Civil War, and was then explored by a group of 12 women from the Missouri Athletic Club. I can only imagine how difficult the caves were to navigate in the voluminous dress of the period. Over time, the caverns were used as a speak easy, a KKK hideout, and a concert hall. The size of the caverns allows for driving tours. We were driven through in a Jeep and trailer. Because of this unique attribute, Fantastic Caverns are one of only four drive-through caves in the world and the only one in North America. What a gem hidden in the hills of the Ozarks. I feel truly blessed to have happened upon such a natural wonder.

Tomorrow... we tackle O-KLAHOMA, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain.