"It's just one of those days..."



Day 30

Oklahoma City, OK to Ridgedale, MO (291 miles, 5,231 total) 

After another long day of driving (for Jon, for me it was just another long day of sitting), we were both eager to arrive at Big Cedar Lodge, one of the few properties we were staying at during our six week adventure across America. Much of the back-end of the trip had, in fact, been built around this stay which Jon had selected because it was a "golf destination resort" in the Ozarks. The course he coveted was a tough one to reserve, so we had organized our stops before and after around the tee time he'd been able to snag. 

You can imagine, then, our dismay when it occurred to us later that this sunset was the last nice thing that happened today.


As we drove through dark, winding roads, we realized that this was not so much a "lodge" as it was a small city. A small, Candyland city across which Christmas had exploded. With carols playing on speakers across the property and twinkle lights strung across every possible building and branch, I thought it was magical and festive; Jon thought it was his worst nightmare. He immediately announced that this was a mistake and we should look into somewhere else to stay, even if we had to boondock.

I suggested we check out our accommodations and give it a shot, at least for the night. 


I was certain he'd be elated beyond words that the lodge staff had been so thoughtful as to have included a Christmas tree for us to enjoy on the comfort of our own room.

While Jon was losing it over holiday cheer, my blood pressure was going up as I read the welcome note that had been left for us.


I was very excited to be staying in a place where masks were entirely optional, particularly as I'd already seen several guests exercising their right to spread Covid freely.

During the drive earlier that afternoon, I'd commented on how funny it was that Waze mispronounced the name of the state to sound more like "misery" than "Missouri." Standing there in the room, we both considered the possibility that this had been a warning and not a mispronunciation after all.





















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