Decreasing Rain, Increasing Gas Prices

A rain morning welcomed the day, and stalked travels as far south as Springfield.  Patches of blue appeared more frequently on the northern edge of that town, during a brief visit to Ritter Springs Park.  An alleged waterfall at this location urged inspection of the premises.  The rumors proved themselves true, along with a day camp hosting over a hundred school children.  They were non-invasive though, and were invaded with success.

With much of the area in a mucky situation because of recent rains, and unprepared for such endeavors, inspection of an urban hiking arrangement offered a good opportunity for a break from the road.  Branson Landing is an interesting spot to take in that sort of scenery, as long as it a Tuesday after Memorial Day.  A lack of resulting population made for a pleasant afternoon arrangement.

The afternoon caught up though, as did the cumulus, which continued to pile up in the sky.  There might be more rain here in Arkansas this particular evening.  Pushing on to Clinton and subsequent acquisition of final sustenance for the day, clouds merged and shadows stretched out a little more.  Only an hour  of driving remained to base camp though.

Gas prices were an interesting concern along the route, raising questions about the whole theory of Supply and Demand.  Consistently $4.04 per gallon across most of Missouri, it rose to $4.24 per gallon near Arkansas, but could be obtained anywhere in that cost range.  The prices were all over the place. A little Shell station restored some faith in the system, with a cost of $3.86 per gallon. It was a bargain that could not be ignored.  The Casey's across the street offered an interesting contrast at $4.27 per gallon.  

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Further Reading

Ritter Springs Park

Springfield-Greene County Park Board

Branson Landing

BransonLanding.com

Memorial Day Shoes

Visiting with ancestors this Memorial Day at their usual haunts turned up a few new photos of interesting bits.  Most of the graveyards are of the flush-mount variety, yielding very little of interest beyond a name and a date.  The stones at Mt. St. Mary's always turns up something or another though.

The traditional pause for photographic reflection at the statue adorning the monument of one James Fanning enabled discovery of long lost shoes. There is likely some sort of story here, but it is probably long lost to time.

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Further Reading

Historic Mount St Mary’s

Final home of the founders and builders of Kansas City

jusTodd - Medium.com

Experiencing College Basketball

A field trip with a syndicate of 4th graders discovered new a few new aspects of this local sports museum that were not uncovered on the last visit.  With that group in attendance, along with 100 others from another school, the court and the activities felt much different than on awards night with The Firm several years ago.

The upstairs was basketball chaos for quite a while.  Taking a cue from the staff, the crew started their adventure with the basketball activities littering the ground floor, until they could properly add their statement to the mix upstairs.  Some were found enjoying a feature documentary on the sport and the teams, while others searched for their favorite stars in the Hall of Fame, when they weren't passing the ball, slam-dunking in the short court, shooting one free throw after another, or taking a stab at television broadcast journalism.

The Hall provided other bits of intrigue for them too, with banners, posters, medals, and the Ferris Mowers NABC National Championship Trophy.  It is not entirely clear if it was a replica or the real thing, but overall, of little concern; to them, this was the one KU brought home this year.  They enjoyed every minute of their time at this location and that it closely correlated to roughly 4 hours of recess they would not hesitate to do again.

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Further Reading

The College Basketball Experience

Mom's Day Arboretum

Looking to catch up with a local point of interest, we headed to the south part of town to look in on the Overland Park Arboretum this Mother's Day.  It was a perfect morning for the excursion.  Temperatures lingered in the teens Celsius with overcast skies, until sometime around 1 pm.  The sun finally began to breakthrough about then, for a more steamy afternoon.

A friend had recommended this spot a few years ago.  Living very close by, he enjoyed walking there every evening and encouraged us to come for a visit.  The whole masked hysteria began shortly thereafter and it fell of the radar.

The walk around the grounds proved quite interesting, with a variety of trails for every taste.  A diverse selection of plants littered the air in all directions, just beginning to show their colors. The first of June should manifest a spectacular display.

A massive model railroad display reflected the history of the area and old Overland Park, before boom times.  It is uncertain as to whether the trains run on a regular schedule.  Currently, the tracks traversing Harry S. Truman bridge are under water and most of the line appears in need of a good cleaning and a few pathway adjustments.  A bit of research and a return investigation are definitely in order.

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Further Reading

Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens

Parks and Recreation - Overland Park, KS