After parting ways with Sepehr, it was on the road yet again for the Welsh/Dumas crew. On the way out of the Grand Lake area, we stopped at a Buffalo Ranch that was connected to a truck weight / gas station. Maia saw her first up close group of Bisons. A baby calf wobbled her way over to her mama and demanded milk. It was an unexpected but fun little stop.
On our way out of Oklahoma, we tried to find a tourist attraction called “Stand on Three States” where you can stand on Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri all at once. GPS took us to some unmarked gravel road which made Adam a little nervous so we 5-point turned around to continue on our way. Oh well, it was worth a shot.
After driving through Joplin, we stopped in the small town of Lamar, MO for lunch at a top ranked BBQ joint called Tractor’s BBQ. As we pulled up into the oversized parking lot, I hesitated. The place looked like an abandoned gas station.
We were the only ones masked up walking into the place, and the moment we stepped in, the smell of fresh BBQ filled our noses. We sat down in a corner table and got straight to ordering a combination of fried cheese curds, chili baked potato, brisket, ribs, and mini corn dogs. Topped off with a ginormous blackberry custard sundae.
We all quickly agreed that this was hands down the BEST barbecue we have ordered on the trip to-date. We even struck up a conversation with a massive, sun-blackened, barrel-chested gentleman with piercing blue eyes who spoke with a gravely baritone. He wore a grease-covered torn-up work shirt; a bright white bandage covering the 7 stitches he got that morning loading propane cylinders into his truck. He had daughters of his own and related to Maia’s crazy toddler antics.
After we had our fill, Adam dropped in at a butcher next door for some fresh cut steaks and local green peppers and tomatoes.
We made it to our next home for the night, Weston Bend State Park, around 6pm. Upon arrival, Maia, Erinn & I went for a stroll down the street to get our bodies moving and came upon an old tobacco barn. A young couple lay in the grass behind the barn, canoodling over adult beverages. We stayed out of their way and explored the dilapidated structure.
Back at the campsite, the RV spaces were spread out and separated by dense forest, so we had a sense of privacy and seclusion. After Adam showed Maia a woolly bear caterpillar, he grilled up some delicious local chicken on the grill. Maia kept busy with her new crayons and sketchbook. After Maia went to sleep, while we sat inside the dining tent with just one lantern, surrounded by complete darkness, trees, frogs and crickets…the serenity was interrupted by the regular outbursts of barking by our neighbor’s poorly-trained dogs.
This was the first campground where service was extra spotty, and Erinn had a lot of work left to do for the week. Next morning she announced that she was ready to head back home to DC that day, so she booked a flight out of Omaha. As much as we didn’t want to say goodbye so soon, we all agreed that work was top priority and she got to see so much already on this trip with us. Sad to lose a member of the MD to NV crew 😦
My body was craving exercise, so I ran a 3.5 mile paved loop near the campground. The landscape was a bit unnerving, and a bit hard to describe. I felt like I was running in small loops, and every now and then the earth felt like it was floating in the clouds, as the park is nestled atop a hill as the Missouri River floated by along the west end of the park.
On the way to the airport the next day, we stopped by a highly rated Mexican restaurant called Sotelo in St. Joseph, MO. Erinn treated us to lunch and a couple of margaritas to go as a parting gift.
After we said our goodbyes at Omaha International, we continued our way North to beautiful Nebraska.
…and then there were three…
The Welshs Voyage West! 