Springfield, Missouri

Today it was slightly cooler, but still well over 100 degrees. We headed north to Springfield, Missouri. I wanted to visit the Wilson's Creek Battlefield - another Civil War battle - which will celebrate it's 150th anniversary next week (August 10). This battle was the first major battle west of the Mississippi River.





We stopped for lunch in Republic at McAlister's Deli. That was definitely a good choice. The sandwiches were really good.

After lunch we went to Bass Pro Shop. For those who have never been, it's an outdoor enthusiasts mecca. They carry everything you could possibly want for hunting, fishing, camping, etc. We've been to their stores before, but this one is the first, the biggest and it's expanding. Did I mention they have life animals?






According to the staff at the store, the male wood duck with the green feathers is almost eighteen years old. That's two and a half times their average lifespan.

So after shopping, shopping, shopping and dinner at Chick-fil-a, we headed back to our hotel and spent some time with the family. It was really good to see people we don't see often. In fact, it's been two years since we attended a reunion (we skipped last year's) so we had a lot to share. I learned that my 5th great grandfather is buried not far from where we were in Arkansas yesterday. I wish I'd known that day before yesterday and we could've visited the cemetery.