We spent the morning shopping in Eureka. I’m not a big shopper, but Eureka’s stores are enticing, at least to me. They’re all unique, artsy, folksy, crafty places, stone and brickfronts squeezed together on their hilly streets, with the nicest shop owners in every one. Trolleys run along the main route if you don’t want to drive. My favorite store was the one selling sauces such as Butt rub seasoning (it’s tasty!)
We stopped at the Branson waterfront for lunch. The food at Shorty Smalls was quite good, though the brown blobs of floating who-knows-what-but-it-looked-like-shit were a bit disturbing. People were fishing though, so I guess it’s not too toxic. We drove through Branson, which is a show town of local talent and old, forgotten talent. Cheesy signs broadcasting this or that act line the highway. There’s a Hollywood wax museum with large Mount Rushmore-esque faces of people who vaguely resemble famous people such as Elvis and Marilyn Monroe, along with a 40 foot King Kong climbing on the outside of the building, a Haunted House (no thanks, had enough of that), a Titanic museum with a large version of half the boat to entice people inside, and a Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater. Branson reminded us of Las Vegas, except in miniature, without the gambling.
It was an entertaining drive through Branson, and then the fun ended and the serious driving began, as we headed towards our next destination – Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky.
While Derek has carried the brunt of the drive, with all of the intensity and attention that requires, I’ve had the brunt of the navigation. I have relearned the art of atlas reading, determining our path, and determining mileage, summing up those little pink numbers. I have had nightmares about the tangled, squiggly strings of road, with pink numbers grow larger and larger to overwhelm my vision. I think I may have a permanent squint from reading all the tiny words. All in all, though, we make a good team.
The roads became more crowded with towns, and driving through so many seemed loud and claustrophobic after all of the open space. Our ipod, which had worked perfectly until now on unused radio stations, now caught the static of civilization. It wa slower going, though we were still determined to take scenic drives and back roads, even if it cost us time.
Our diet has gone to hell. When we stop at gas stations, our routine is for Derek to fill up while I pee (every time, just to be safe) and then pile up on our typical driving snacks – m&m’s, sweet and sour patch kids, beef jerky, lots of gum, sugary cappuccinos, sunflower seeds and more beef jerky…snacking helps keep us occupied.
We decided to spend the night near Land between the Lakes, an inland peninsula between Lake Kentucky and Lake Barkley, that runs through Kentucky and Tennessee and has become a National Recreation area. With that in mind, we chose the town of London, Kentucky, cause we thought it would be cool to say we spent the night in London.
Captions:
1. Eureka Springs, AR
2. Derek, beard growth
3. The Titanic Museum in Branson, MO
4. The Hollywood Wax Museum in Branson, MO
5. Driving through Missouri or Kentucky or somewhere
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