Ten-ish Things: Branson

We drove 24 hours round trip in a 15 passenger van with Honey's parents to Branson, MO.  We learned some lessons along the way...

1.  Driving from our West Texas town to Branson is like taking a tour of natural disasters.  We saw damage left from flood, tornado, drought, and wildfires.

2. I need a car charger for my phone.  Between using it as the map for our road trip and checking off car bingo items and license plates, there was no battery left for Facebook checking.

3. The license plate game is a great distraction from the TWELVE HOUR DRIVE for children as well as moms and grandmas.  We found 40 states while riding in the car and while stretching our legs in the parking lots of rest stops, eating places, gas stations, and motels.

4. When searching for The Bass Pro Shops flagship store in Springfield, MO.  Do not enter "Bass Pro Shops" in the phone/GPS device you are using.  You will end up at the main office and employee training center...which was really pretty, but did not house the restaurant we were anticipating.  Search for "Outdoor World" if you want the retail establishment.

5. A 15 passenger van is the perfect size to drive 7 people and their luggage for 24 hours...unless those people are grumpy and stressed because lunch is an hour late.  Then even a 15 passenger van isn't enough space.

6.  There are some toll roads in Oklahoma...and by some, I mean many.

7.  There's a ton of stuff to do in Branson.  It's not just shows.  We rode zip lines, took a Ride the Ducks tour, and visited the Titanic Museum.

8. The shows we did see were very family friendly...no inappropriate language, jokes, or clothes.  It was a breath of fresh air.

9.  Bubba insisted on posing for every picture we took while on this trip.  I thought Branson would kick us out of their family friendly town.  We really belong in a red neck joke...or performing in the Three Redneck Tenors act.

10.  I'm a sucker for the overpriced pictures they sell at the end of every single tour.  Probably because my rule was that Bubba had to pose in a respectable way for the pictures we paid for.

11.  I did get a couple of "normal" pictures though.