Hello, and welcome back to the Long Family Travelblog. If you’re reading this, chances are good that you’re a member of the Long family, and so, once again, I’ll address these entries to you, Natalie, Charles and Clare.
This is the second trip that Dad and I have taken without you in tow, after our excursion last July to San Diego and back. I’m not going to lie; it’s a lot easier to travel as a party of two than it is feed and entertain and educate and motivate a crew of sullen adolescents. But “easier” does not necessarily mean more interesting or more fun. We’ll miss you, of course, and all your energy and insights. Read along and travel vicariously with us over the next two weeks as we explore five national parks in West Texas, and southern New Mexico and Arizona. Here we go!
Dad and I aimed to get on the road by 8 this morning. Miracle of miracles, we were actually on the road at 8:06 (see “it’s a lot easier to travel as a party of two,” above).
We logged about 600 miles today, and with the exception of a lengthy debate about the best Gene Hackman movie as we drove through his hometown of Danville, Illinois, as well as some construction and traffic congestion around St. Louis, nothing about the drive was remarkable. (RIP, Gene. 1930-2025. What a legend.)
We pulled into the River’s Bend Family Resort and Campground in Joplin, Missouri, around 5:30 p.m. This place might aspire to be an actual campground, but it’s not quite there yet. It’s more of a restaurant & bar with a big yard.
Donna, who checked me in, lives in a trailer parked behind the bathhouse. She explained that a few years ago River’s Bend was just a bar, and that folks who were too drunk to go home at the end of the night would just camp out on the lawn. Donna’s family bought the property about three years ago, and they’ve spent time cleaning it up and trying to make it more of a family-friendly destination.
I have to admit, though, that I’m just not feeling the “family resort.” This place feels a little bleak. The restaurant has a rough “Road House” vibe – pool table, pull-tabs, and a gang of locals parked at the bar, hunched over their beers. But the bar also sells sunscreen and swim diapers, so … that counts as family-friendly, I guess.
I’m also not convinced that this bend is situated on anything that approximates a “river.” On the map, it’s called Shoal Creek, and in real life it looks more like a ditch that cuts across the lawn.
But hey, it’s the end of February, which is not exactly high resort season in southwest Missouri. Maybe this place really brightens up in July, when the campers come and the river flows and they pull out the innertubes and paddle boats. Tonight, it’s simply a safe-ish place to park the Teardrop. I don’t think that we’ll get caught in the middle of a biker brawl or anything. I hope. And the restaurant is a bonus. I wasn’t exactly planning on standing in the middle of the yard and cooking up dinner tonight.
Double bonus! The River’s Bend restaurant has three plastic “igloos” set out on their deck, overlooking the “river.” Dad and I reserved one for dinner, and we played cards and kept tabs on the Purdue/UCLA game while we ate. As it turns out, Donna’s not only the front desk attendant. She’s also the cook, and we enjoyed really good food, which was kind of a nice surprise.
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| We tried this "butter candle," and it was a swing and a miss. A garlic-butter-shaped candle is just cold garlic butter. The flame melts the butter, but barely. Eww. Thumbs down. Do not recommend. |
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