Day 7

* This post is one day late because the Internet did not work in our room in Branson.


Junction City, KS to Branson, MO

355.7 miles

Time: N/A

     (We made stops along the way so I don't know how
     long a direct route from Junction City to Branson
     takes.)

Highest Temp: 91 (MO)

Pictures Taken: 72

We got off to a late start, but that was okay because we didn't have to be in Branson until later in the evening.

On our way to Junction City yesterday we noticed signs for the Oz museum. Once we realized it was on the way to Branson we decided to go. I'm not a big fan of "The Wizard of Oz" (LOVE "Wicked"), but I thought the museum would be enjoyable. I really liked it. It was very well done. They didn't have props from the movie, but they had a lot of autographed collector items, information about the actors, and posters/pictures of the different versions of the movie and book that were created over the years. They also had replicas of the main characters and a small section devoted to "Wicked" with props from the Broadway musical.

Tin Man

"Wicked" Display Case

On the way to the Oz museum I saw a super cute boutique down the street. When we left the Oz museum we decided we would only go to the boutique if we found a parking spot. As luck would have it, we found one! "New York Fashion Exchange" is the BEST store I have ever been to!!!! As soon as we walked in, we were offered water, soda, or wine. Of course I accepted the wine. They also had snacks placed throughout the store. The white chocolate fondue was so tasty! The woman who owns the store and her nephew are SO incredibly nice and fun to chat with! They make you feel like a million bucks. Multiple times I was called attractive, smart, and sweet. Can life get any better than wine, shopping, and a huge ego boost?! The store has a unique collection of clothes, jewelry, purses, shoes, food, and trinkets. About 90% of the items are new. The rest of the items are used, but in very good condition. I bought a used (great condition) Coach purse for $160. It was probably about $400-500 when it was new. Such a good deal! If you're ever in Wamego, KS you should totally check out this store! You won't be disappointed! :o)

The drive was super boring compared to earlier on in our trip. Once again, the flat lands didn't do it for me. We did see a few interesting things along the way, though. We saw a few signs like the one below and saw three men riding in a carriage led by a horse. We also came across two towns with unusual names. One was called "Peculiar", and the other was called "Humansville". I forgot to mention that while we were in CO we saw a town called "No Name". Today was the first day we did not see a car from California! At the show we went to (mentioned later) we met a woman from Milpitas, CA, which is about 30 minutes away from our hometown. It's always cool to meet people who live near me.

We made it to Branson with just enough time to change our clothes and walk to the show. "Dixie Stampede", Dolly Parton's production, was awesome! The show started with a pre-show outside the main room. The show lasted about 30 minutes and included two professional jugglers, one of which was only 14! He is super talented! For the main show, which lasted an hour and a half, the audience was divided into two groups: the North and the South. We sat on the North side. The show took us back in time to when Native Americans had ownership of the land and then moved forward in time to when the North and South were enemies. The last quarter of the show involved competitions between the North and South. The North won! :o) The show was so entertaining! It included horses, bison/buffalo (not sure which one), steer, chickens, pigs, and audience participation. Throughout the show we were served a true Southern dinner by an awesome waiter. It was such a neat experience!

I forgot to take a picture of the dashboard tonight. Sometime during the drive I realized that my speedometer re-set itself. My mom and I are pretty sure neither of us did it. We think it started over at 0 after reaching 2,000.