Saturday, May 1, 2010

We spent the night listening to rain beating on our motor home roof. It is actually a soothing sound and it’s much better for photographic purposes to have rain at night. Lol We want to photograph the highlights along the main drag in Branson before we continue west. Branson is of course an entertainment mecca, from Lawrence Welk to a tribute to the Beatles to many Country Western icons. Andy Williams has had a show palace since the town began and it still stands today. Up and down the strip, similar to the strip in Kissimmee Florida near Disney World, you can find shopping, restaurants, gift shops, hotels, fun parks, and of course, entertainment. There are shows starting at 10 o’clock in the morning! This time of the year, you can get an “economy” room for as little as $29.95 and it looks like the entertainment spots have lots of available tickets. In the next month or so, hotel prices will skyrocket and entertainment tickets will be at a premium. There is traffic gridlock on this main drag and so wisely, Branson has constructed several parallel roads above and below the main artery so that you don’t wait for two hours to travel a half-mile. We saw all ages in town. Lots of tour buses but lots of families in SUV’s.

After taking the pictures we wanted, we begin to head west towards Oklahoma City. We decide to take the winding roads through the beautiful Ozarks. Now, the Ozarks aren’t what I would call mountains. They are more like bumps.. But they do play havoc with the road terrain and there is no such thing as a straight road. I thought I would cleverly reheat some leftover coffee from this morning in the microwave while Dennis drove down the road. I hit the switch for the generator, so that I could nuke the java. Got it going, put the cup in the microwave and set it for one minute. While I stood there, I had to hang on to the doorframe as the twists and turns, ups and downs of the road were frequent and substantial. I was watching the cup go round and round in the microwave and thinking to myself, “I hope it doesn’t fall over.” Well, you can guess the rest of the story. Yes, it toppled over and no, a microwave is not airtight. Coffee began to drip, and then gush out of the microwave. I was hanging onto the doorframe while trying to hold a towel at the bottom of the microwave door, capturing the dripping coffee. All I could think of was Lucy and one of her episodes. I just didn’t have Ethel with me. Needless to say, I didn’t get the cup of coffee I craved.

As we traversed down the road, we realized that the GPS system was going to take us a bit southwest into Arkansas. As we crossed the state line, we found a remote National Military Park called Pea Ridge. We wondered if it was a park commemorating a skirmish with Native Americans or part of the Civil War. It seemed too far west for the Civil War. We learned that indeed it was the furthest westerly and southerly battle fought during the War Between the States. The entire battlefield is still intact…no shopping centers or housing developments have encroached on it…yet. 26,000 men fought there along with five generals. Almost 4,000 were killed or wounded.

Just a few miles from this battlefield is the absolute epicenter of commerce in the United States. Bentonville Arkansas is the home of none other, Walmart. Sam Walton opened his first store (called “Waltons”) in this picturesque town in 1950. His first store was a five and dime. His first Walmart was opened in 1962 in a nearby town of Rogers. It still stands today and looks like the 8,000 other Walmart stores.

The original store is now a Visitors’ Center for Walmart. Inside is a museum, celebrating the life and career of Sam Walton. It shows items that were sold; a cash register used and even has showcases honoring Mr. Walton. In fact, Sam Walton was awarded the Freedom Medal in 1992 by George Bush, Sr. and the medal is displayed at this center. The Freedom Medal is the highest honor a citizen can receive. Another Freedom Medal winner is Muhammad Ali. Whether or not you agree with the business model used by Sam Walton and his successors, his impact on this small town and the world today cannot be denied.

We took each other’s picture outside the store and then spied a hamburger shoppe called the Station Café next store. They bragged that they had the best steak burger in Northwest Arkansas and had the best “Freedom fries” (French fries) in the county. Now, if you look at a map of Northwest Arkansas and the population, I’m not sure this is much to brag about but since we were both hungry, we decided to check it out for ourselves. Dennis ordered a steak cheeseburger and I ordered a BLT. We split Freedom fries. Once again we hit the jackpot. This little hideaway sported all kinds of memorabilia on the walls including license plates from almost every state. Red-checkered tablecloths covered the booth tables and an antique gas pump was in the center of the room. Food was delish!

Now, were really headed for Oklahoma City and back to Route 66. We want to get there before dark. Tomorrow we will photograph the capitol building as well as the Murrah Federal Building bombed by Timothy McVeigh on April 19th, 1995. There is a memorial to the 168 people who died that fateful day.

We located a campground three miles from the Capital. Sounds like a winner.