June 14 Sun - We had a more time than needed to get to our condo in Hollister so we took a couple of detours along the way. The first was a drive through the Oachita National Forest which proved to be dusty but had some good vistas. We did see a deer and only one other vehicle which followed us for a while. The roads reminded me of WV. The second detour was into the Holla Bend NWR. We hoped to find a bench to eat our Subway sandwiches but there aren’t any. There is a nice observation tower with scopes but in June the migrations are over so we only saw a few song birds, a hawk, and some vultures. We ended up eating on the swing on the porch of the visitor center. We crossed the state line about 4:15 and checked into the Emerald Point condo at 4:30. Lois showed up about 5:30 with Cheyenne and Dakota. Went to grocery store and ate in condo.
June 15 Mon - Ventured into Branson and bought tickets for some shows and rides ($275). There is a $300 discount for four if we will tour a resort tomorrow. Lunch at Fishhouse, Cheyenne paid ($45). Drove to the Dewey Short visitors’ center at the Table Rock Dam. Interesting exhibit and free.
June 16 Tues - Roger and I went to the Wyndham resort tour. It took over three hours and was very high pressure. At the end I kept saying we wanted to leave and to give us the slip that said we were entitled to the discounts. They were not happy that we walked away with out buying $50K or more worth of resort and hotel points. Four people tried to convince us that this was the best thing since sliced bread. It was exhausting and we went back to our place for lunch and a rest before going to pick up the tickets. I think our mistake was telling them that we travel a lot. The best thing would have been to say that we had saved for years for this trip and probably wouldn’t be making any more for a long time. Lesson learned. Lois drove to Springfield to take her son to the airport to fly back home. He just didn’t want to be here because there was nothing for him to do. We saw the Acrobats of China.
17 June Wed - Another full day. Started at the College of the Ozarks which requires all students to work at something on campus. The school is basically maintained by the students. It is an agricultural college with its own grist mill and green houses. They make their own jellies and sell them along with the grains in the shops. Plants are also available from the greenhouses. There is an old one room school exhibit and the wonderful Ralph Foster Museum which is billed as the Smithsonian of the Ozarks.
After that tour we went back to the Landing for lunch at the Black Oak Grill then too a cruise on Lake Taneycomo which ended at the fountain for the hourly display of shooting water and fire. That gave us just enough time to drive to the Shoji Tabuchi theater where we had dinner next door at Paradise Steak House. I had read something about this guy. He is from Japan and was trained as a classical violinist, fell in love with fiddle playing after seeing Roy Acuff and came to the US after college to learn more about American style music. It is amazing what sounds he gets from the instrument. He wasn’t as flamboyant as Liberace but I think he took lessons from him with all the costume changes.
June 15 Mon - Ventured into Branson and bought tickets for some shows and rides ($275). There is a $300 discount for four if we will tour a resort tomorrow. Lunch at Fishhouse, Cheyenne paid ($45). Drove to the Dewey Short visitors’ center at the Table Rock Dam. Interesting exhibit and free.
June 16 Tues - Roger and I went to the Wyndham resort tour. It took over three hours and was very high pressure. At the end I kept saying we wanted to leave and to give us the slip that said we were entitled to the discounts. They were not happy that we walked away with out buying $50K or more worth of resort and hotel points. Four people tried to convince us that this was the best thing since sliced bread. It was exhausting and we went back to our place for lunch and a rest before going to pick up the tickets. I think our mistake was telling them that we travel a lot. The best thing would have been to say that we had saved for years for this trip and probably wouldn’t be making any more for a long time. Lesson learned. Lois drove to Springfield to take her son to the airport to fly back home. He just didn’t want to be here because there was nothing for him to do. We saw the Acrobats of China.
17 June Wed - Another full day. Started at the College of the Ozarks which requires all students to work at something on campus. The school is basically maintained by the students. It is an agricultural college with its own grist mill and green houses. They make their own jellies and sell them along with the grains in the shops. Plants are also available from the greenhouses. There is an old one room school exhibit and the wonderful Ralph Foster Museum which is billed as the Smithsonian of the Ozarks.
After that tour we went back to the Landing for lunch at the Black Oak Grill then too a cruise on Lake Taneycomo which ended at the fountain for the hourly display of shooting water and fire. That gave us just enough time to drive to the Shoji Tabuchi theater where we had dinner next door at Paradise Steak House. I had read something about this guy. He is from Japan and was trained as a classical violinist, fell in love with fiddle playing after seeing Roy Acuff and came to the US after college to learn more about American style music. It is amazing what sounds he gets from the instrument. He wasn’t as flamboyant as Liberace but I think he took lessons from him with all the costume changes.
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