Six hours of the first part of our day was spent exploring the absolutely enormous Bass Pro Shops in its original location in Springfield, MO. There was tons to do in this elaborate complex that spanned well beyond shopping. There were several small but very well executed museums covering subjects like fly fishing, firearms, bass fishing, archery and the company history of Bass Pro Shops including the merger with Cabela’s. We saw Annie Oakley’s gun and Geronimo’s bow as well as vast collections of guns, arrow heads, and both live and stuffed fish and animals - all free to see in the store’s museums.
The complex also included the Johnny Morris Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium. This part blew our minds. It was an immersive experience into numerous land and aquatic habitats and frankly, it left us speechless. No expense had been spared putting together the museum and aquarium. For example, our favourite room was a three storey path that wound around the branches and trunk of an enormous artificial (though very real looking) tree “growing” in the center of the room. The branches were lit by glowing lanterns and even the hand rails looked like branches. The aquariums and animal habitats were woven seamlessly into the tree architecture and the glass was so clean it looked like it wasn’t there. The animals were so close and the water was so clear it looked like the fish were swimming through air. They had even built a real beaver dam for Bucky the Beaver - no joke.
The museum portion was akin to a natural history museum but with so many more taxidermied animals than I have ever seen in one place. Many were along a pathway where you were less than a foot away with no glass in between. It was incredibly well done and, sadly, puts both Ottawa’s Museum of Nature and Toronto’s Ripley’s Aquarium to shame. Neither Ian nor I were expecting the museum and aquarium to be so good - we have been to a LOT of aquariums and nature - but this one was a standout. Highly, highly recommend.
After an afternoon drive from Springfield to Kansas City through torrential rain followed by three major accidents on the interstate because of the rain, we made it to Kauffman Stadium for the Royal’s home game against the Detroit Tigers. Alistair caught a free bag of peanuts - Woot! Woot! It was a nail biter of a game in the last few innings culminating in a win for the Royals at the bottom of the ninth with a walk off single. It was standing ovation worthy and was followed by a Friday Night Fireworks show that rivalled Canada Day. Americans sure know how to do fireworks - they were fantastic!
A little late night driving will take us into Kansas in preparation for a guided fishing excursion tomorrow morning.
