Sunday, May 16, 2010

Kansas City/Independence, Missouri

First of all, welcome aboard to a new "Follower."  THANK YOU to JB for joining my group.  I appreciate the attention you give to reading my blog relating to our fulltime RV lifestyle.  I hope you will find something of interest and leave a comment or two letting me know if you like what you read.

After a late start Saturday, we arrived at our RV park in Independence, Missouri around 7:30 pm.  I'll post a review of this little park in a day or two.  We will be here for a 5-day visit. 

Thanks to Kenny and Angela for their kindness in offering suggestions during our stay here.  Kenny says to be sure to eat some good Kansas City BBQ while we are in town.  We'll be taking that suggestion!  We have a number of things on our list of things to see during the next 5 days.  We will be busy.

Today, we opted to sleep in and turned our alarm clock off.  We still woke up before 7:00 am.  We had some more rain here this morning but we still were able to get our 1 hour walk in before going to our favorite spot.....McDonald's...for breakfast.



Right near our RV park is the National Frontier Trails Museum and we went over for a look at it this afternoon.  This small museum was really filled with a lot of exhibits relating to the exploration by Lewis and Clark and the pioneers traveling the Santa Fe Trail, the Oregon Trail and the California Trail.  After viewing a 18-minute video we were free to wander the museum and take all the photos we wanted.


This display panel detailed the route of Lewis and Clark as directed by Thomas Jefferson.  It took the explorers 9 months to prepare for this journey of discovery which helped expand our nation.


Independence, Missouri was one of the "jumping-off" points for Western exploration and for the pioneers seeking new opportunities in the West.  According to the details we read in the museum, about 90% of the pioneers emigrating West survived the arduous journey.  The pioneers faced formidable conditions.  There were Indian attacks, deserts to cross, rugged mountains to cross, illness and harsh weather.  Within the museum were many journal pages to read that were written by children and adults during their journey.  These provided a lot of details on what these brave souls encountered along the trails.





The museum brochure has this to say about this epic part of America's history, "This extraordinary saga is believed to be the greatest voluntary, overland mass migration in the history of the world." 

Thanks for stopping by today, but before you go please keep a good thought for a fellow blogger who has faced some difficulties.  Phyllis writes The Easts Head West and I hope you will check out her blog.  They have recently faced residency problems, an ailing parent that requires their care and a run in with a cement barrier in their 5th wheel.  Phyllis could use a virtual hug right about now!

Until next time....so long for now!

10 comments:

Happytrails said...

Thanks for the information and pics of the National Frontier Trails Museum. What a great place to learn more about this era in our country's history. We recently viewed an IMax movie about Lewis and Clark....most amazing.

Have fun and enjoy!
Mike & Gerri

Rick said...

What a great start to your 5 days in Kansas City. Just imagine trying to RV in one of those covered wagons for a few days - with no hookups!! Pretty tough folks back then!

KarenInTheWoods said...

What a great place to check out! and soooo glad your jack problem got resolved so easily.


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Karen and Steve
(Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

Carol K said...

The Frontier Museum in Independence sounds very interesting. We are planning on stopping at the Oregon Trail Museum in Baker City, Oregon, on our way home this week. It's another fascinating museum where you can actually see the ruts from the covered wagons.

turquoisemoon said...

My top picks of Kansas City BBQ is 1. Oklahoma Joe's BBQ (Olathe, Ks)
2. Firella's Jack Stack
Enjoy!!!!
I've been following your adventures. I live in the K.C. area... Hope you enjoy your visit here. Lynn

JB said...

Glad to be along for the ride, my wife and I live fulltime in our RV and are hoping to pull our jacks up in the near future and start to see and re-see parts of Canada over the summer before heading south for the winter.

squawmama said...

Great information on the museum... I love stuff like that and it definately looked like a great place to visit! Loved the pictures... Have fun and Travel Safe
Donna

Al Bossence said...

With all the so called fancy schmancy 'food connoisseur' blogs & pics out here these days McDonald's generally takes quite a trashing so it's nice to know someone else enjoys breakfast at McDonald's too. Some museum's can be a little dry but I would certainly enjoy those early Pioneer ones.

Sam&Donna Weibel said...

There is so much to see in the KC/Independence area, I don't know how you will be able to decide, but I know you will enjoy that area. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

Paul and Mary said...

You two are in our old stomping grounds! Lots to see and do in the Kansas City area. I agree with turquoise moon's BBQ picks, and we haven't even tried Oklahoma Joe's yet! Don't miss the Country Club Plaza. Even if you're not a shopper, the architecture is lovely, the fountains a treat and the people watching is fun, too. The Jazz Museum and the Negro League Baseball Museum are housed together in the 18th & Vine district just east of downtown. Definitely worth a stop!

If you need any suggestions, just ask!

Enjoy the area.