Skyway to Springfield

Ok, so I've fallen a little behind on updating our travels, but then again, we haven't really gone anywhere in the past month, I think it's acceptable!

So, a run-down of our latest general-aviation adventure!  On September 24th we flew to Medicine Lodge, KS, to witness the Medicine Lodge Peace Treaty Pageant.  This spectacle runs every 5 years and reenacts the signing of a peace treaty between the U.S. government and local native tribes in 1867.  I may post pictures and more information about that festival in a later post, but for today I will just say that it was very fun, but that if you're into general aviation, be warned- the airport there is really only a runway and a few hangers.  There is no FBO, no rental or courtesy cars, so unless you know someone in town with a car, you will find yourself walking quite a ways into town.


After the pageant finished, we hopped back into the plane and took off for Springfield, Missouri.  It was a sunny day in Kansas, but by the time we crossed into Missouri the sky was clouding up and we were dodging rain-showers.  We made it to Springfield, however, and landed at the airport in the late evening.  As usual, I had to snap a few aerial photos as we came in to land, as I enjoy seeing everything from up above.  

 Once we were safely on the ground, we proceeded to their general aviation complex.  There we parked the plane for the night, refueled, and made our way into the terminal.  I have to say, from the FBO's I've visited to this point, the Springfield FBO ranks high on my list.  A nice facility, clean and professional.  The staff was friendly, and, as we had rented a car, they had even taken care of the arrangements the car to be delivered and waiting for us out front when we arrived.

(Photo from owners)

We continued from the airport to the bed and breakfast we'd selected for our trip to Springfield: the Mansion at Elfindale.  The B&B looked very promising from the pictures on their website and google maps!  A nice Victorian mansion converted at one time into a school and currently owned by a church and run as a bed and breakfast.

When we arrived at dusk, however, I felt the building had taken on a little bit of the atmosphere of a "haunted house".  The grey stone construction seemed to reflect the darkening sky,  and I will admit I have an overactive imagination.  But the parking lot and outside part of the property was pretty deserted, and it did make a shiver run down my spine.

Once we entered, we were greeted by a nice staff member, shown to our room on the second floor, and basically left to our own devices.  We were informed that the staff was not on-site overnight, but that we could call from the phone in our room if we needed anything.

We settled into our room and then I decided to explore the house a bit.  We had been told we could go into any open rooms, and there were only 2 other couples staying in the house that night.  The house itself had three main floors, with guest rooms on the second and third story and the dining and public areas on the first floor.  It was filled with Victorian decor and furnishings, which were beautiful and enjoyable.  Unfortunately, I still felt the chill of a ghostly aura, and, as the house was eerily quiet and I was alone, I tended to snap a photo in each room and quickly move on, back into the more well-lit hallway.  (My husband thought it was quite funny, and thought himself a real comedian when he stepped out from behind our door when I returned to the room and nearly gave me a heart attack!)

Some pictures from different rooms of the mansion:

We dined at Mexican Villa, a restaurant chain that started in Springfield back in the 1950's and spread into the Ozarks.  Some of the food was pretty good- if you read my post about the restaurant in Lindsborg, the food was very similar.  Not overly spicy- in fact my burrito had beef that was pretty much unseasoned (which is the way I prefer it).  But in other areas, it was lacking.  My hubby didn't care for his entree as much, and the pre-meal chips and dip left much to be desired.  The chips were lacking flavor (we had to salt them) and the dip was more of a runny sauce that was very watery and somewhat sweet- like juice from a tomato with a few extra seasonings added.

The rest of the evening we spent enjoying the amenities of our room- the haunted house feeling having left me for the night. Our room was the "John O Day" suite, with wallpaper that was similar to Victorian-era paper, with an India theme- peacocks and elephants.















The next morning we were treated to a very superior breakfast.  We had a first course with orange juice and a peach and yogurt parfait.  This was followed with eggs and bacon and a very nice French Toast.  Everything seemed well-cooked and had a good flavor.  We enjoyed breakfast quite a bit.

Once we checked out, we returned to the airport and proceeded to fly home.  Overall it was a great trip, and I would like to be able to return to Springfield at some point with more than one night available so we could experience some of the local attractions.