Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Cabernet in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO-HOO, what a ride!!"

Sunday, August 8, 2010

WEEKEND ROAD TRIP

 

Friday we took off to take Annie to a dog park in Shawnee ,Ks just over the Missouri state line.

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First stop was for lunch in an old neighborhood of Kansas City,Ks called Turner. We stopped at Christy’s Tasty Queen witch has been there for more than 30 years.

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This is where you go for the biggest tenderloin sandwich in town. The sandwich big enough to feed two people,its twice the size of the bun. You have to get it to go because they have no place to sit inside.Out back they have some picnic tables on the grass under the trees .

 

After lunch we headed out for the dog park. It was the first time we have been to this park and it was not what I expected.After you park you have to walk a mile down a trail to get to the water so she could swim.

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The black dot in the water is Annie..

It was a nice beach area and had several dogs for her to swim and play with. Only thing is next time I will take my swim suit,it was a long hot walk coming and going.

 

Saturday we were up early and off to check out Wallace State Park it’s about one hour drive from home .

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It has a small but real nice camp ground with a lot of shade. It has room for large rv’s there was a couple 40 foot rigs there.

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This is a old school house and church.

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Road inside the park .

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Found these two hitch hiking.

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We live here in Jesse James country,in one of are road trips we will visit with the James gang.

On the way home we stopped at Basswood Resort 

http://www.basswoodresort.com/default.aspx

It has a lot of history, but Saturday it was full and a mad house. I don’t think I could stay in a park with everything going on there and you need a shoe horn to park you rig. 

According to PEAK Magazine, “Basswood provides perhaps the most beautiful wooded lakefront setting in the Kansas City area.”

The property was named after the Basswood trees that grow there; and the access street, Interurban Road, is so named for the Interurban Railway that ran in its place from 1913 to 1933, linking Kansas City with St. Joseph to the north.

The spring-fed Lakes at Basswood were dug by horse lines in the early 1930s and the facilities functioned as a private fish hatchery from 1935 to 1945. Each lake was then stocked with a different type of fish.

In 1979, former owners, Don and Betty Soper (thinking that Basswood would be their retirement home), purchased the property, then run-down and overgrown. The Sopers, who had previously owned two motels and an RV park, decided that retirement was still a long way off.

Betty Soper, a history buff was excited about the idea transforming the property into a charming bed and breakfast inn, integrating the seclusion enjoyed by celebrities in days gone by with the Missouri friendliness that is appreciated by visitors today. On the other hand, Don Soper, quickly whittled out a large section of the estate for his own vision, that of a modern RV resort. They spent the next eight years restoring the lakes and 73 acres to the enchanting vacation spot it is today.

The result, according to PEAK, “is a sampler of the best of Missouri country life: authentic, truly comfortable, unpretentious, but with every modern convenience.”

Bing Crosby, highlighted at right, was a frequent visitor to Basswood. Also pictured is Charley “O” Finley (back row) with his wife to his left. Finley was the owner of the Kansas City A's (later the Oakland A's).

 

 ONE DAY CLOSER TO THE DREAM


6 comments:

Dennis and Donna said...

Great history and old photos of Basswood...I must write that in my must see places...It's always good to get away for a bit...Right now is been a BIT too long for my liking!!! Keep that dream alive, girl!!!

Along the Way with JnK said...

Very interesting place and the photos are great!

Look forward to someday meeting you guys in our travels.

Rick said...

Interesting blog and great pictures. I had to go back and take another few looks at that Tenderloin sandwich - that is just huge!!

Sue and Doug said...

thanks for the great tour!..and as for the swim in the water.? Tucker is SO THERE!!!

Happytrails said...

What a nice road trip!! Love the pics!!
Another great place for doggies to swim and enjoy being themselves. :-)
Love the history of Basswood...very interesting.
I'm like you though, I don't like to be squeezed into a spot. May be better to visit in off season. We certainly will keep this place in mind as we travel. Thanks!

Mike & Gerri (happytrails)

Kathy said...

Looks like another interesting place to add to "The List." Thanks for the tour! Kathy