"The Moose Out Front Shoulda Told Ya"

Ever see the movie "National Lampoon's Vacation"?  The original one?  I really feel like yesterday we did the edited 'just a day trip' version of that movie minus the hotel philandering, deceased relatives and pet demise.  OK it wasn't that bad.  But funny in a 'this can't all be coincidence' kind of ha-ha way.

We decided yesterday to drive to Springfield, MO for the day to go to the Bass Pro Outdoor Museum.  We used to take day trips like that just to go to the store because it has so much more than the store there, there's a great restaurant inside it, many huge fishtanks, turtle terrariums, duck ponds, etc. but a couple years back they added on a whole building that was nothing but an outdoor wildlife museum.  The boys went last year but I'd never been so this would have been my first trip inside that part.

We had a package that already had postage on it but it was too big to fit in our mailbox so we decided to drop it off along the way because we do pass through several small towns to get there and some of them have their post offices right along the highway.  The first P.O. we came across was CLOSED for lunch.  OK the entire building was only as big as a roadside taco stand so we can understand there's probably only one employee working there and they have to eat, right?  So we decide to hit the next one we come across in about 15 mins.  It's a HUGE post office in comparison to the last one.  About 20x as large.  We go in to drop off the package.  They're closed for lunch!  We can't believe it!  For all the time we've now wasted pulling off and trying to drop off a package we could have driven to the one in our town and been on our way!

At this point it's getting comedic.  We used the GPS on my phone and when we passed through another larger town about 45 mins later we followed the GPS directions to their Post Office (it was after 1pm by now) and we finally found a P.O. with actual postal employees that work during the day to take the package.

As we get closer to Springfield, I have to use the restroom.  I thought I could wait until we got there but about 15 mins away I decided we'd have to stop to take a 'break'.  I knew exactly where a Wal-Mart was along the highway thanks to a previous trip I'd taken last year to a crop retreat and had to make the same kind of stop :)  So the boys decide they could use a 'break' too and we all head inside.  Much to my dismay the Women's Restroom is closed for cleaning!  Another CLOSED!!!  Seriously.  I am marked for unavailability of everything today apparently.  I end up having to troop to the back of the store (it's a supercenter!) to find the other restroom before we can get on our way.

We finally make it to Bass Pro!  YAY!  The store is open!  YES.  But wait....why are there no cars in the museum parking lot?  What is that large sign over there?  Oh no way.  "Closed for Renovations" reads the billboard-sized sign.  The museum is closed.  It's apparently been closed for the past 3 weeks and closed rather abruptly due to some faulty original construction.  So after being open for only a few years they've shut the whole thing down and are tearing it apart.  They're not predicting a reopen until Spring 2009!!!

I mean, come on.  We had everything happen today except to see John Candy outside Bass Pro Saying "Sorry folks, park is closed today.  The moose out front shoulda told ya!"  And the irony in that is that there IS a huge moose statue out front of the Bass Pro museum!! LOL

So what is there left to do but start squeezing all these lemons we've collected and start making some lemonade.  We had a late lunch in the restaurant inside the store and sat at the bar so we could face the giant saltwater fishtank they have behind the bar for a wall.  Then we did a little shopping and a little sightseeing around the store.  A couple hours later there was nothing left to do but head home.

The boys have officially tagged me the "If you want it to be closed, take Mommy with us" parent :)  Fun day still...just not what we were hoping for.

Comments

[LuAnn]

Oh, wow- that is too funny- sounds as if you had a bunch of fun anyway!!