Ozarks in the Fall

   We took a long weekend and went to Branson, MO with the family and our friends, Brenda and Nikki. On the way down, we stopped at Lambert's restaurant outside of Springfield. Lambert's is famous for their "Throwed Rolls". This is exactly what happens! Frequently, one of the staff comes out and announces "Hot Rolls!!" and you signal him/her that you want one. It will soon be on it's way to you via "Air Mail". The food is plentiful and really good. It is a popular tourist spot and several busloads of folks came while we were there. There might be a wait, but is is worth it!

   From Lambert's it was on to Branson.

   The grandkids really enjoyed Silver Dollar City. The Wildfire roller coaster really gets your blood going! At the bottom of the first drop the track looks like it is going to send you several hundred feet down into the valley. But at the last minute it twists and you go through all of the loops and twists you see in the picture.

   Amanda, Barb, and Brenda are in the second row. I volunteered to stay behind and watch the grandkids.

   Here Tori and Belle are captured hanging out at the Cornicopia. Filled with dozens of pumpkins and vegetables of all kinds it made for a good picture. We spent the day enjoying shows, checking out the crafts (it's the Harvest Festival where craftsmen from around the country set up booths and display their wares), and eating waaaaayyyyyy too much home baked goodies.

  That evening we had dinner at McFarlain's Family Restaurant in Branson. Here exists a little known secret in Branson. The Rising Table! It is best if you invite several of your unknowing friends to a meal at McFarlain's but when you check in ask the hostess if the Rising table is free. If so, you sit at what appears to be a normal dining table in an otherwise normal dining area of the restaurant. You and your friends order your meal and enjoy the food. (which is very good, especially the honey cornbread!!) Unknown to your guests, the table has begun to rise, ever so slightly and slowly. You don't really notice it but soon, your plate is almost at your mouth's level! It's fun to watch as the unknowing victims begin to realize that something is "different" but can't quite put their finger on it. Finally you all share a good laugh while the wait staff brings out a certificate for all to prove that you were there. Oh, two other things; first you usually have to publicly sing something (as a group) in order to get your certificate (Tori had us all do "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star") and the table goes back down just as slowly as it came up!

   Here is the table at McFarlain's. It started at Belle's waist and is now nearing her chin. Nobody has a clue yet what is happening but shortly they figured it out.

   I have tried building a web photo album page. Go to the link below and see if you can see anything in the "Back in KS" album.  Brad's Web Albums

Chillin' at the Lake

After arriving back in Kansas, we have filled our calendar with time for friends and family. One of these trips was a day trip to a small lake in Winfield, KS. Our friends, Steve and Roma, have a big pontoon boat that they use when their kids and grandkids come over. It has a large open deck where everyone can fish or just hang out. We brought our lawn chairs and Roma brought lunch. We did have to wait for just the right conditions because the summer has been hard on all of the reservoirs in Kansas this year. In fact, if you go a little closer to the shore in this photo, you will run aground as the water is only a few inches deep! How do I know this you may ask???  Well because we found out first hand! We were cruising along, minding our own business, when all of a sudden the motor began throwing up all manner of muddy water and we ceased our forward movement. We were a good 150-200 yards off the shore. So, while Steve gently reversed the motor, I grabbed a long aluminum pole. Doing my best Venician Gondola Driver imitation, I "polled" us off of the sandbar. Took us about 15 or 20 minutes but we eventually got free. All in all the winds stayed down, the sun was shining, and the temps were very pleasant for us this day. We just wandered around the lake, stopping and tying off in a small inlet to drown a few worms (i.e. fishing). We also shared many laughs and stories.

We had our picnic lunch on the lake and then headed back home. We had a great time and it will probably be one of the last boating days for this season.

Canoeing in the Ozarks

We have been on the go a lot since returning to Kansas, but we took some time out to troop out to the Ozarks with our friends Brenda and Geoff for a weekend canoe trip. We drove from Wichita to Springfield, MO where we met up with our friends. After a night’s stay, we set out for the Eleven Points River and the access point in Greer, MO. Here we unloaded all of the gear and then Geoff and I drove our vehicles to our planned exit point, near the town of Billmore (about a 40 minute drive away, but 38 miles via the river). Here we left Geoff’s truck and the canoe trailer for our return and we drove back to meet the ladies who were waiting for us at the put in point. 

    Here we have dropped the gear and are about to drive down to our planned exit point. 

    The put in point was sandy and made it very easy to get the canoes loaded.

    A loaded canoe and smooth water. It was a great day on the river. Unfortunately, both of us hit some rough spots and fast water later on and dumped the canoes. The gear got a little wetter than we had planned and the day was getting late, so we found a good campground and set up home. 

    Our weekend home. Notice everything drying on the line. 

    We even spread out around the fire and hoped that things would dry out a bit. Overnight the temps dipped to around 40 degrees and it was a bit chilly crawling out of the sleeping bag!

    The next morning warmed up nicely and Misty even began to enjoy the trip. You have to understand, she is NOT much of a water dog so even convincing her to get in the canoe was a major accomplishment!

    The scenery along the river was spectacular. In a couple of weeks, the fall colors will be in full force and the trees should be amazing. 

    We reached our second campsite in the early afternoon. It was warm and sunny and we were approaching the major rapids on the river (as marked on our maps). We decided to set up camp and get everything dried out before trying to dunk ourselves again. Also, the next marked campground was 10 miles down river and only a half mile from our put out point. No sense rushing things and ending too soon! So, we got everything dried out and took some time to explore the area around our campsite. We found a major feeder spring that looked like something out of Yellowstone. It was crystal clear and the deeper it went, the bluer the water. 

    This picture doesn’t do it any justice but it was a remarkable sight. 

    The next morning we awoke to 36 degrees! Luckily, the sun rose quickly and by the time we had our breakfast and loaded the canoes, it was warm and comfortable. We hit the rapids almost before we knew it and navigated them without incident. In fact, I think that we had rougher waters the day before. We saw deer in the river and came upon a bald eagle majestically surveying his territory. Paying us no heed, we slowed our canoes and took some pictures as we floated by. 

    Misty was really beginning to get used to this “canoeing” thing and relaxed enough to take a nap. It was pretty funny in fact, as Misty was snoring loud enough that Brenda could hear her from 30 yards away! She finally woke up in time for us to put out and load up. We had a great time and enjoyed getting out in the wilderness again. If only for a little while. 

New Blog, New Travels

   Welcome to the new "Brad & Barb" Blog. Hopefully, it should still have the same stories about our travels and lots of pictures for illustration and enjoyment as the old blog. We will see how this goes and it may change a bit over time as I get used to how things work in the world of Blogger. Please feel free to comment on the entries. We love to hear from everyone out there who are following our exploits. For now, we're hanging out in the Derby, KS area visiting with friends and family. Also getting some warranty work done on the coach since we have some time.


   By the way... I am in the process of moving all of the previous blog entries (hosted by MobileMe on the Apple servers) over to this Blogger site. (You can still see the previous postings in their original location, they will be supported by Apple until June 2012 then, I assume, they will disappear into cyberspace. )