Our first 90-miles today were all Interstate driving and I knew we wouldn't have trouble finding an exit with something to eat.
Our route today had us leaving Interstate 44 at Exit 82, just short of the large town of Springfield, MO (pop. 170,067). While we were still 50-miles away I started seeing billboards informing drivers that there was a new Buc-ee's Travel Plaza in town at Exit 84.
Tricia was busy knitting all day and wasn't really paying any attention to what we were driving by, hence no photos from the road today, but she also wasn't seeing any of the numerous billboards announcing the new Buc-ee's we were approaching.
Then just about 5-miles from the exit Tricia questioned, without looking up from her knitting, what we were going to do for lunch? We had several choices, 1.) was to just snack through with what we had in the truck and eat a meal when we arrived at the campground, 2.) was to pull of at a rest stop and make sandwiches in THE POD for lunch and 3.) (Tricia's favorite) was to find a fast food place at one of the exits and call that lunch.
Before she even finished her lunch questioning she caught a glympse of the Buc-ee's billboard we passed and ruined the surprise of what my solution was going to be for lunch.
They just had the Grand Opening on December 11, 2023.
The Buc-ee's in Sevierville, TN (74,707 sq. ft.) is the largest convenience store in the world.
Several Buc-ee's have a maximum of 120 fuel pumps.
No Pepsi products at Buc-ee's because they have an exclusive contract with Coca-Cola.
There are currently 48 Buc-ee's in 7 of the United States. Texas alone has 37 of them.
Most Buc-ee's restrooms have between 50-80+ toilet stalls.
You'll never see an 18-wheeler at a Buc-ee's pump.
All Buc-ee's are corporate owned to control quality and cleanliness.
Most Buc-ee's have storage for a little under a quarter-million gallons of fuel.
After lunch at Buc-ee's we still had roughly 90-miles to go when we hit the 2-lane backroads of central Missouri. It was nearly 2-hours later before we were all set up in our new camping spot at Lake of the Ozarks State Park.
First up, as promised, is another cave tour, number 65 for us. This one is aptly named Bridal Cave, thanks to the fact they have performed over 4500 underground weddings in the cave since 1949.
Let me just say up front, out of all the caves we've visited, Bridal Cave is the most decorated when it comes to formations. Every inch of the inside of this cave seems to have some kind of formation, whether it's hanging from the ceiling, growing from the floor or flowing down the cave walls.
You'll understand better after watching the slideshow, so let's get started.
BRIDAL CAVE
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I'm not sure that any other cave entrance has a view like this one.
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Our knowledgable tour guide Tripcie with her "guide in training" named Buddy.
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Some of the pathways were very narrow.
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Repair work being done to broken formations.
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None of the "Top Ten" cave tour lists I found online mentioned visiting this cave. I'm not sure why, but I'm glad we took the time to visit today.
It definitely made the "TWO PEAS AND THE POD's Top Ten" list of the 65 caves we've been in and is a must see if you're ever in the area.
Our second stop today is just a few miles down the road at Ha Ha Tonka State Park.
"Wealthy Kansas City businessman Robert Snyder had a dream to construct a European-styled castle right in his beloved Missouri. To this end Snyder purchased 5,000 acres of land, including his very own lake, and began work on the evocative mansion in 1905. The businessman even imported stone masons from Europe to achieve the correct style, but unfortunately Snyder would not live to see his dream house to completion. Construction on the house had begun in earnest, but in 1906, Snyder was killed in one of Missouri’s first car accidents. However Snyder’s dream castle would not die with him.
After his death, Snyder’s sons continued work on the building and were able to complete the castle by 1920. After completing construction, one of Snyder’s sons took up residence in the huge castle until the family’s money ran out due to land rights lawsuits surrounding the castle’s property. After Snyder the younger’s depression and poverty drove him from the house the building was opened as a hotel and lodge until 1942 when the entire building was utterly destroyed by a fire.
The state purchased the property in the 1970’s and has worked to preserve the crumbled walls of Snyder’s dream home as a feature in their state park." - Taken from the Atlas Obscura website
HA HA TONKA CASTLE RUINS
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The littlest one seemed to linger just a bit longer than the rest as if he wished we might take him with us.
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