Day One-Hundred-Twenty-Nine to One-Hundred- - A Summer of Bluegrass, Camping and Friends - Wednesday 9/04/2024 - Saturday 9/07/2024

On Wednesday, September 4th, it was a chilly 61° for my 248th walk of 2024. It was my first of ten walks in Branson. I followed the Table Rock Lakeshore Trail. The trail winds through Table Rock State Park under a lush tree canopy. Keep an eye out for wildlife, including bald eagles in the tall oaks, foxes, and deer. I passed the Branson Belle and turned around at the Dewey Short Visitor Center and Table Rock Dam. The trail was busy, yet tranquil.

Winding down through the valleys and hollows of the Ozark Mountains, from Branson, MO to Eureka Springs, AR, the Table Rock Lake project is massive, consisting of more than 62,000 acres and 758 miles of shoreline. Table Rock Lake is one of the most popular vacation destinations in the United States. With the Ozark Mountains as the backdrop, Table Rock Lake offers visitors incredible outdoor recreation opportunities that cover everything from water sports to hiking, camping, and picnicking.

The Dewey Short Visitor Center is located just south of Table Rock Dam. It was too early for me to go inside, but the visitor center offers three stories of interactive displays. The trail ends there and you can't get any closer to the dam than this.

On my way back, I caught the backside, the paddlewheel, of the Showboat Branson Belle. Themed after the majestic showboats of the 1800s, the Showboat Branson Belle evokes the spirit of a bygone era when riverboat adventure, glamorous travel and dazzling entertainment converged into what we remember as Those Grand Old Showboatin’ Days! Here is an interesting fact: The Showboat Branson Belle was launched from her lake side shipyard August 13, 1994, using two tons of bananas as a lubricant for the nine second slide into the water. She traveled 14 mph during the launch, faster than she'll ever travel on water.

Charlie and I had to do laundry and we needed to visit a few of our vendors in Branson. So, we combined a few activities. We did the laundry at the Launderette 2, near the Branson KOA. After our laundry was done, we stopped into the KOA and confirmed we were all set with Danielle.

After our KOA visit, we needed to verify our lunch time on Thursday at Jackie B Goode's Uptown Cafe for the group. As Charlie would say, "a mans got to eat". So, we grabbed some lunch while we were there. 

They have live music during various times of the day, so we enjoyed lunch and music. 

Charlie had his favorite, a Steakburger with fries. 

I had the soup (broccoli cheese) and salad. These are 2 of our options when we bring the group. 

Thursday the 5th of September, it was a perfect 67° for my 249th walk of 2024. It was my second of ten walks in Branson. I focused on preparing mentally for our upcoming caravan. I have never relished the number one role. My role in this caravan will change that old, useless mindset.

We finished up some last minute items for the caravan this morning. This afternoon, we ventured to Branson Landing. Charlie and I have never really spent much time here, so we decided to walk it a bit. Branson Landing... Where Shopping, Dining, and Entertainment Take Center Stage! You will have a whole new world to explore with over 100 specialty shops and restaurants. Branson Landing features a scenic boardwalk along the 1.5-mile Taneycomo Lakefront. At the heart of the Landing is a vibrant town square terracing down to the $7.5 million spectacular water attraction that features the first-ever merging of water, fire, light, and music. They say there is an amazing and dazzling interplay of water Fountains shooting 120-foot geysers and fire cannons blasting, all choreographed to light and music. The water and fire spectacle is a creation of internationally renowned Wet Design, the producers of world-class shows for Downtown Disney marketplace in Orlando, Universal CityWalk in California, and the Bellagio in Las Vegas. We were too late for one water show and too early for the next, so we settled for a picture of the water that shoots up all the time!

We looked in a few stores and enjoyed lunch at the Brickhouse Brewery. They are famous for their meatloaf, but Charlie was in the mood for brick oven pizza. 

I had a great Strawberry, Blueberry and Pecan Chicken Salad.

Friday the 6th of September, it was a perfect 67° for my 250th walk of 2024. It was my third of ten walks in Branson, but my last walk on the Table Rock Lakeshore Trail. I focused on all the positives in my life. I found this rock on my walk, it says it all.... be satisfied.

We moved to the Branson KOA. We will be here for 7 nights. These first 2 nights are with our staff, as we prepare for our American Mountain Music Caravan.

We spent time assigning duties and reviewing our processes, since none of us have worked together as a team. 

After our meeting, Charlie and I treated Bob, Tammy, Tim and Debbie to dinner at Falls Creek Catfish and Steak House. It's the home of "tossed rolls." Because Lambert's has trademarked "thrown rolls!"

Saturday the 7th of September, it was a chilly 59° for my 251st walk of 2024. It was my fourth of ten walks in Branson, but my first walk at the KOA. There is a vintage camper event here too. It reminded me to lose the old thoughts of my capabilities and focus on what I now know to be true. "It is easily overlooked that what is now called vintage was once brand new." -- Tony Visconti

It's an annual event at this KOA. Annual Vintage Camper Event asks enthusiasts to bring their oldie but goodie and have some fun with other vintage camper enthusiasts. Campers 1976 & older receive rollback pricing on their nightly camping rate.

Today from 11am-2pm you can tour the Vintage Campers, by making a donation to KOA Care Camps. These rigs are spectacular!

This trailer had a flock of flamingos.... just for our friend Karen!

This one and it's twin (parked on the site just below it) look like my brother's vintage trailer in Florida!

We have a few guests from our caravan that arrived yesterday and are arriving today. Bob, Tammy, Tim and Debbie have a few more actions to take today, to be ready for the start of our event tomorrow.

We did take some time for dinner with some of the guests that are here already! We went to Grand Country Buffet, because we knew we could get a big group seated easily! Tomorrow, the work really begins!

Stay tuned for more #TwoLaneAdventures