Branson Mo. — June 2014
It was Monday, June 9th, that Connie and I took off to visit Branson Mo. We had; ready found a place t stay near Silver Dollar City just outside of Branson. It was a cabin with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a nice deck overlooking the lake It was probably one of the better places that we had stayed. This is the first time I have felt confused about when we did things. Some of the things I said happened on Tuesday may have happened on Wednesday and some of the things I said happened on Wednesday may have happened on Tuesday.
We left early on a Monday morning but not too early as it was a little after 7. It was drizzling rain pretty hard, so Connie and I decide not to take Central Expressway north but to stay on the service roads. We stayed on the service road until we reached Van Alystne which is about 30 minutes from home. We stopped at a Burger King and Connie got a croissant with cheese, bacon, and egg and she thought it was great. It was kind of funny as I so vividly remember here going on and on about the croissant and I have no idea what I got that morning. After we had finished breakfast the rain had slowed down so we got on Central Expressway.
It was a long trip with some nice 4 lane highways part of the time and then some two-lane roads part of the time/ At about11 we stopped to fill up with gas and got a soda. As we were approaching one of the towns my NUVI, say there was traffic ahead and did I want to take the alternate route. I said yes and that was a mistake as it had me going through the neighborhoods before putting me back on the right road. I should not have taken that suggestion. Just after we passed that town and hit a long stretch of a two-lane highway we stopped at McDonald’s for a quick lunch and then back on the road to Branson. We went through some really small towns and I am glad we did not have to stop in any of them because they did not look too friendly.
The trip according to the map is about 6 and one-half hours but we did not get there till almost 4 which meant it took us about 8 hours.
We picked up the keys to our little place (more like a little cabin) and we were thrilled when we saw the place. There was a nice big living room, two bedrooms with full baths, and a wonderful deck overlooking the lake. The deck even had a hammock on it.
After settling in we drove into Branson which was about 15 minutes away. We dove up and down the main strip just taking in the sights. We were tired so we stopped at a Fuddrucker for dinner and head back to the cabin early.
Tuesday morning we slept in and then took off later in the morning for Branson. First, before heading into Branson we drove down to the lake our cabin overlooked. It is called Table Rock Lake. There was a pier that was about 50 to 75 feet long leading to a restaurant, so Connie and I went there for breakfast. In Branson, we did some more driving around stopping at different stores and just looking around. We found this one shopping mall that was outdoors and was built next to the White river (I think that was the name of it). After Connie had finished shopping we took a boat tour of the river which last about two hours. It was a fun trip along the White river. We saw several eagles up close as they were taking food to their nest for their babies. There were also fireworks along the mall that were ok but fireworks at 2 in the afternoon are just not that spectacular.
After some more shopping in Branson for t-shirts and little trinkets, we had an early dinner around 4 pm. We stopped at what looked like a very nice steak restaurant but Connie and I both left disappointed with the food. We had wanted to get back to the cabin and also look around the area where we were staying which was only about a mile from the amusement park “Silver Dollar City”. The area we were staying in was very wooded and we saw lots of animals that evening.
It was fun being out in that area and we sat on the deck looking at the lake and all the lights. We had an enjoyable evening. We had a good laugh as Connie had gotten into the hammock and could not get out. I was laughing so hard that I had a hard time helping her get out.
The next day Wednesday we went into Branson a little bit earlier and were looking for a donut place. We did not see one, so we finally stopped at a grocery store and we each got a donut. The next thing we did was visit “Lady of the Lake Catholic Church”. Connie always like to visit a catholic church when we visited a new place and go in and say a prayer. I remember her saying that when you visit a new church you can say a prayer and it will be answered. Afterward, we did some more souvenir shopping that morning and bought tickets for a magic show that started around 3 pm. In the meantime, we decide to drive out to the College of the Ozarks which was just outside of Branson. This college is known because it does not charge full-time students tuition. It is paid for by donations and each full-time student has a job at the college.
Awe found the college campus very beautiful. I remember having lunch at a Culver in Branson before we went to the magic show.
After the magic show which we both enjoyed we had back to the cabin and then went to have dinner at the restaurant on the lake. It was now time to start packing and get ready to head home.
We gpt up Thursday and were on the road around 7 pm. We made a lot better time coming home than we did going. I do remember we stopped a little before 0 that morning and got some breakfast at Mcdonald’s. It was the same one we stopped at on our way up on Monday. We were home before 2 which is about the 6 and one-half hours the trip should take.
After we got home and unpacked, we went out to Cheddars one of our favorite restaurants for an early dinner.