Independence, Missouri

Santa Fe Trail - Click photo to get an idea...

Truman House Temple Quilt Display
Vaile Mansion Rod & Nicholas

Huge Margarita
Rod's El Camino

We have just spent 2 days in Independence, Missouri, which is a few miles East of Kansas City, and where we are storing our RV for the next 6 months. We knew it was a historic area as on a previous visit we had stayed in the same RV Park and walked to see the preserved tracks made by wagons of the Santa Fe, Oregon and California trails – all three trails began here in Independence. On the first day we went for a walk to see the trails again as it is quite mind boggling to stand there and imagine how things were then, helped by a trail marker that has a painting that captures the scene. We had our walking shoes on, so from there we kept walking north and accidentally came across the historic village square which still has the soda shop where America’s 33rd President, Harry S Truman worked as a teenager. He met his wife here and their home here in Independence was where they lived until their deaths. During his presidency the Truman home became known as the summer ‘White House’. We also saw the log courthouse where he worked when he was a county judge before becoming President. As we walked around we couldn’t help but notice the impressive 300’ spiraling tower of the Community of Christ Temple which was designed in the 1920’s. Did you wonder what the photo of the quilt display was all about? If you double click on the photo you may be able to read the signs that advertise quilting classes - this is just a regular house on the street and outside they had a table and women were sitting there quilting and quilts were hanging up for sale. Today is the first official day of autumn, so their days for sitting outside quilting are numbered...

On our second day in Independence we met the son & grandson of Avalyn & Wes, our North Dakotan friends. Rod & Nicholas picked us up and drove us to see the Truman home & Library, then to another famous landmark, the Vaile Mansion. It is a 30 room mansion built in 1881 and recognized as one of the finest examples of Second Empire Victorian architecture in the US. It even has a 48,000 gallon wine cellar – now that’s a wine cellar Joe Bill!

Rod & Nick then took us to their favourite eating haunt – a local Mexican restaurant. The food was very tasty and the beers and margarita were whoppers as you can see by the photo. My margarita wasn’t just big in size (I needed two hands to hold it), it was loaded with tequila. Thanks for the headache Rod! Next stop was Rod's home where he couldn’t help but show us his latest work in motion…an El Camino chevvy (coupé ute) he is restoring, so I took a photo for car fans out there. Rod has a great recipe for venison and when we come back next year he has offered to BBQ us a backstrap (fillet taken from either side of spine) of marinated venison which he assures us will melt in our mouths. Now he just has to wait for deer season.