Mom and I had another nice day of driving! The drive to Springfield took longer than I thought it would, though (even though it was actually less miles; 490). We left at 8:03 am and arrived at the La Quinta South in Springfield at 5:07 pm. Some of this was likely due to the fact that we hit a lot more traffic (especially leaving Nashville) than we did yesterday plus there was some road work. Finally, several hours of the trip (after we crossed over the Mississippi into Missouri) were on a two lane road through winding, curving mountains (the Ozarks).
So, yep; left Nashville “on schedule”; got The Goose loaded up into the back of the Escape before we packed the car so that she’d figure out she was going, too (and calm down). It did the trick; she pretty much laid down and went to sleep while we re-configured a better way to load up.
The Goose Gets Ready to Rumble
We ate at McDonald’s for breakfast again; something about being on a road trip and eating breakfast at McDonald’s seems 100% natural to me. Bacon, egg and cheese biscuits this time!
We stopped around 1:00 pm for lunch; actually STOPPED, too. At a Sonic. I can’t remember the last time I’ve eaten at a place where a car hop brings your food out to your car! It was probably with mom sometime in the 70s! Anyway, the food was good (even though they did not have decaf coffee, which seemed strange to us). So, mom loaded up on the full strength stuff and I had a diet Cherry Limeade which was QUITE yummy. Plus food, of course.
Mom took over driving once we were in Missouri and took us on to the motel. License plates were scarce today; we only got two (LA and OR).
They were right when they advertised being “pet friendly”; they were excited to see Lucy! It seemed sort of weird to walk her into a motel with all interior rooms; I kept thinking we were doing something wrong and should be sneaking her in under a towel or something.
Our room is nice; a lot bigger than the Red Roof Inn (but also about double the price, so, there ya go).
Mom and I walked to the restaurant we’d picked for dinner (one of the reasons we picked it was it was within walking distance of the motel; less than ½ a mile). So, it wasn’t a long walk but it sure was a windy one; we had to walk INTO the wind, too. By the time we got there, we both wondered why we’d bothered fixing our hair.
The food at the restaurant, Valentine’s, was “ok”. The portions were absolutely HUGE; we both had the lasagna which was made with ground hamburger (not Italian sausage) so it was sort of bland. The mid-western take on Italian, I guess. The waiter was real friendly; although, he DID seem a bit perplexed that we’d driven all the way from Durham NC just to see the Laura Ingalls Wilder homes/museum. Review follows.
We must have looked pretty desperate or pathetic walking back to the motel after dinner; it was still quite windy and perhaps we were walking all huddled up or something, but, some young lady pulled up next to us and asked us if we needed a ride! We politely declined, of course, being that we were less than a block from our motel at that point (and I doubt I’d ever get into a stranger’s car, regardless of the situation or reason).
Lucy was happy to see us when we returned; she must have been despondent after we left her because she didn’t even take her Kong out of her food bowl! Hopefully she didn’t do anything more than mope around; I suppose if she caused any problem, we’d hear about it.
Both of us are really looking forward to tomorrow!
Mrs. B
“Would Give It Another Try” (3 out of 5 Stars)
Valentine's
Empress5150
Durham, North Carolina
Apr 23, 2008
My mom and I picked this restaurant because it was within walking distance of our motel plus we had a buy one get one free coupon. I had checked out the menu on-line before we left on our trip and thought it looked pretty decent.All in all, our experience was fine. Our waiter, Justin, was very friendly. The portions (we each ordered the lasagna) were HUGE; nothing came with it except a bread stick and definitely, unless one was VERY hungry, nothing else was needed.The wine list was ok; but, for an Italian restaurant, I would have expected more than one type of Chianti.Ok, the service was good and quick, the decor of the restaurant was interesting (even if the restaurant was located in a boring strip mall on a busy street) but, unfortunately, the lasagna was only so-so. Not very authentic Italian. In fact, I'm pretty sure it was made with ground hamburger (obviously Italian sausage would have been the better choice) and perhaps even canned or bottled sauce. In other words, although there was a lot of it, it was pretty boring and bland. I've had better at Olive Garden.Now, perhaps this was an off night for the chef and/or another selection might have been better so I wouldn't completely rule this place out (prices were reasonable, especially given the portion sizes; in fact, two moderate eaters could easily order, say, an appetizer to split or a large salad and share the lasagna, it was that large of a portion) and would likely try it again if I ever find myself in Springfield again!
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