The Munger Moss Motel (Lebanon, MO) - Amendment to 'Hop Back' Post

Had we made it to Lebanon, MO yesterday, this is what we would've said about The Munger Moss Motel and its owners of forty years - Ramona and Bob Lehman. We're posting it as an amendment to the previous post because it best fits there.



Ramona showing Lindsey the damage a recent storm did to her sign.

Joe and I pulled into the Munger Moss parking lot as a layer of ominous clouds developed above Lebanon, MO. Weeks ago, I emailed Ramona to book her best accommodations - a Route 66 themed room dedicated to Jim Powell, the founder of the Missouri Route 66 Association. In that email, I told her we would be thrilled to learn about her and Bob's lives on the road (the couple are considered Route 66 royalty by many historians across the state). She replied, "I'm so glad that you can now do a dream trip... would love to visit with you."

As we entered the Munger Moss office, we smelled fresh coffee and faint cigarette smoke and saw dozens of collectible trucks and awards recognizing the Munger Moss' contributions to Lebanon. Soon, a bright-blonde emerged dressed in a pink collared shirt. “You must be Ramona,” I said, as she took and held my hand. “I’m Lindsey, this is Joe.” She already knew who we were; she had my email printed out and gave us the key to her best room.

Lebanon is only 126 miles from Joplin - the town recently devastated by an F-5 tornado. For some time, she talked to us about the town and the stories she'd heard on Fox News - a recent high school graduate plucked from the sunroof in his car, a Walmart that collapsed on dozens of people. She looked absently at the counter as she relayed this news, revealing how deeply this disaster has affected her and the community of western Missouri.

Lindsey and Ramona in the office/store of the Munger Moss Motel.

As she filled a bucket of ice for us, Ramona explained how she and Bob became the owners of this classic motor court. Prior to the1970s, the couple lived as farmers in northern Iowa with four "munchkins" until Bob developed severe allergies to cattle dust and became a traveling salesman. During one unrelenting snow storm, Bob was involved in a 30-car accident and Ramona couldn't get to her kids at their grandmother's house. "That's it," Bob said when he returned home. "We're moving. South." Shortly thereafter, Ramona and Bob bought the Munger Moss. "You know, you have these dreams," Ramona told us. "Ours was to open a motel."

In the early years, business was incredible for the Lehmans. "There were really no hotels in Branson or in Springfield. Traffic would back up here in the summer," Ramona said. As those establishments sprang up, Ramona and Bob distinguished themselves by becoming one of the most well-regarded Route 66 motels in this part of the country. Ramona has hand-decorated a handful of rooms in Mother Road themes - dedicated to the old Coral Court motel, to historian Michael Wallis, and to each state along the road. She and Bob make many repairs and upgrades on their own. "He turned out to be a pretty good carpenter," she giggled. Recently, the Munger Moss was featured in a marketing video to generate tourism to Missouri and - because of this - Ramona's friends have taken to calling her "Movie Star."

The couple supports preservation efforts - at one time chairing 66 festivals - and have been immortalized in museums across the country. At a recent rest stop dedication not far from the motel, Bob saw a picture of him and his wife on the wall. "Shit. I'm going to hang there for ever," he said. While the Munger Moss' impact is evident by the number of replica neon signs at museums and rest stops and on magazine covers, Ramona remains full of humility and humour. "Where else could I live and meet this many people?" she asked. "People who love Route 66 are good people. We don't get the snooty ones."

After an hour or more with Ramona - talking about what we should see in Arizona and the pink cactus she stole there ("no one was lookin' at it where it was") - we hugged and parted ways. Joe and I were excited to open up our room and do a little bowling across the street.



Joe in our Route 66-themed room.