The Mother Road part 6: Springfield, Missouri.

Springfield Missouri was another Boondockers Welcome stop. A very handy spot on the east side of the city.

Among the many of the things I am learning on this trip, it turns out Springfield, MO claims to be the birthplace of route 66. In 1925 when the federal planners decided that the transcontinental highways would end in a ‘0’, there was a bit of discontent at the proposed highway from Chicago to LA being bumped from 60 to 62. John T. Woodruff, a local entrepreneur and Cyrus Avery, Oklahoma Highway chairman, met in Springfield and came up with 66 as a cool compromise to the situation.

The History Museum on the Square kept us occupied and entertained for a couple of hours. Worth the price of admission.

The downtown square was site of a couple of historic dramas. one being Wild Bill Hickok shooting a guy over a gambling debt, thus settling the dispute but leaving empty handed…..but alive. Wild Bill was a crack shot with very unreliable technology. We did our gun safety course back in Alberta at the beginning of the year. One of the things they cover is the evolution of firearms. Having looked at those old weapons and the way they worked it’s a wonder anyone ever shot anyone else intentionally.

Anyway…this is reported to be the first documented shoot out in the ‘Wild West’..!!

The other piece of dark history in the square was a lynching.

A brutal piece of history for sure.

To move on to something a little lighter….after missing Ted Drewes Frozen Custard in St Louis…we were curious …what actually is frozen custard…? Andys Frozen Custard is in Springfield so we headed down there to give it a try.

We became instant addicts…I’ll tell you this stuff is better than any ice cream I have ever had……yummy…it’s a good thing they don’t make this anywhere close to where I live, or I would be experiencing serious weight gain….

(Editor, I’m not a big dessert fan but the Frozen Custard was a revelation. That heavy feeling you can have after eating a little too much ice cream just doesn’t happen with Frozen Custard, no matter how much you eat. It also tastes much better)

While out after dark we did a little exploring, searching for some neon on the strip. Some of it iconic route 66, some of it just charmingly Americana.

Springfield Hike.

As I have said, our BW host was out on the edge of the city which put us in close proximity to some decent looking hiking trails (according to the Alltrails reviews) We picked a moderate one to stretch our legs on. No real elevation…a nice forest walk.

It was a pleasant, shaded walk on a very warm day.

There were some interesting fungi ( I do like the fungi..!!) and lichens along the way.

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…the last two km the rain started. Then the heavens opened (with a bit of banging and flashing……yes it was very disconcerting but on an out and back trail you can only go back as fast as you can. We were absolutely completely and utterly soaked …..boots overflowing with water …not a stitch we were wearing was dry. ……and there are no photographs ….cos it was pouring…..!!!!

We did reward ourselves with another frozen custard that night tho……. 😀

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