Get Your Kicks...

Well, if you ever plan to motor west,

Take my way, it's the highway, that's the best.

Get your kicks on Route 66.

Well, it winds from Chicago to L.A.

More than 2000 miles all the way,

Get your kicks on Route 66.

When we decided to drive one-way back to CA from IL for our summer vacation, I had originally entitled this our "Route 66" trip. But after planning out our itinerary to visit national park units along the way, I realized that we would be detouring from the Mother Road for a good portion of the time. So, it was rechristened as the "Help Me, I'm Melting" road trip because most likely it would be obscenely hot everywhere we went. That's been the case so far. Boo!

R loaded up our rental minivan first thing this morning (somehow we acquired my dad's classical record collection to go along with K's LPs, plus a toaster oven). After a hearty breakfast, we said goodbye to my parents and hit the road.

We made a quick stop in Springfield so that I could get the special centennial passport stamp from Lincoln Home National Historic Site. Yep, shame on me for a stamp-and-run.

Now you go through Saint Louie,

And Joplin, Missouri

While we didn't stop in St. Louis, we did break out our Avanti's gondolas to eat lunch as we drove through. We needed to keep moving because we wanted to have enough time this afternoon to explore Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, just southwest of Springfield, MO (and about 60 miles east of Joplin).

On August 10, 1861, the Battle of Wilson's Creek was fought between Federal forces under the command of Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon and the Missouri State Guard, led by Major General Sterling Price, along with Confederate troops under the command of Brigadier Generals Benjamin McCulloch and Nicholas Bartlett Pearce. It was the first Civil War battle in Missouri, but definitely not the last. By the end of the war, so many battles and skirmishes had been waged within its borders that it would rank as the third most fought-over state in the nation.

Our first stop was the visitor center, where we followed our usual routine. We picked up Jr. Ranger booklets for the boys and passport stamps for me. We went through the exhibits, which were really informative. The raised-relief map with lights showing troop movements and play-by-play narration of how the battle unfolded is always a big hit with the family! And we watched the park film, too. I really like the ones at the historical units because it really helps to establish the context and significance of the place we are visiting. 

Wilson's Creek

Then we were off to explore the battlefield, driving along the 4.9-mile loop road. Our first stop was Gibson's Mill, where Missouri State Guard Brig. General James S. Rains headquartered his 2500-man division. We braved the heat to hike in to see the mill site (and take control of the Pokémon gym).

Gibson's field

Wild turkeys

The next stop was the Ray House. The family's home served as a Confederate field hospital during the battle. Already wounded twice from fighting earlier in the day, Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon was killed while trying to rally his badly outnumbered troops during a countercharge on Bloody Hill. His body was brought to the house at the end of the battle. He was the first Union general to be killed in the Civil War. 

The room where Lyon's body was placed

Sigel's final position along the Wire Road

Because it was so hot, we skipped over the next two stops on the route and went on to stop #5, Sigel's Final Position. Colonel Franz Sigel was a German immigrant who commanded the Second Brigade of the Army of the West. Earlier in the battle, Sigel's troops had attacked the Confederates' flank, pushing them north. Here at his final position, his men mistook the approach of the 3rd Louisiana Infantry for the 1st Iowa Infantry because both wore gray uniforms, so they did not fire upon them until too late. They were routed by the Confederates and forced to flee.

Cannons!

Since it was getting close to 5:00PM, we headed back to the visitor center so that M and J could collect their Jr. Ranger swag before it closed. Fortunately, the auto tour road was open until dusk, so afterwards we just drove back around to where we left off. We walked in a little ways at "Bloody Hill," the high ground which Lyon's Union forces held during the battle, but we quickly decided to call it a day. Did I mention that it was super hot?!

From Wilson's Creek, we drove 30 miles further west to our motel in Monett, MO. I was so happy that we could spend the evening with some very dear friends of mine!

So nice to see you, C and K!

Today's route: 430 miles

And Oklahoma City looks oh so pretty...

You'll see Amarillo...

Gallup, New Mexico...

Flagstaff, Arizona,

Don't forget Winona,

Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino.

Won't you get hip to this timely tip

And take that California trip?

Get your kicks on Route 66!