Since we had tickets to a show this evening, we thought we'd check out some of the surrounding countryside, and drove to the Ruth and Paul Henning Conservation area a short distance from our campground. It is a forested 1534 acre nature preserve with trails and an observation tower. The day was hot, but the first trail we took was shaded and, as an added bonus, paved, and led to the observation tower. I think the reason they paved the trail was that it is so hilly, that it would probably erode quickly without the hard surface. The observation tower was needed to get a view: the trees and underbrush were so thick. We climbed the metal observation tower, and got the touted 360 degree view of Branson and the Ozarks in the area. On the way back to the trailhead, we met a man who inquired about the trail and engaged him in conversation. He was visiting Branson with his family and was from Lincoln, Nebraska, about 400 miles away. He said he and his family didn't travel much and hadn't really been outside of Nebraska for a while. He and his wife couldn't imagine traveling with his 2 adolescent sons. That's just a completely different perspective from ours, and I know it's shared by a lot of people.
While at the conservation area, we tried another loop trail, this time, not paved, but rocky, hilly, and for us, sweaty. We remembered why we love to hike in the mountains out west in the summer. We'll have to come back to the Ozarks in the fall some time.
Back to the RV for a glass (or two) of wine, and then out for the evening dinner show of Dolly Parton's Stampede. They tell you to arrive early for the pre-show, and we're glad we did. On a central stage, flanked by tables and chairs on all sides, 3 brothers entertained with Bluegrass music. You haven't lived until you've heard a bluegrass rendition of Stayin' Alive or Smoke in the Water! That
was lots of fun. The Stampede show is dinner and live entertainment featuring thirty-two horses and dozens of riders performing trick riding and competitions inside a huge 35,000-square-foot arena. Dinner is served during the performance, and you eat without utensils. They serve up warm towels at the end of dinner to clean up. It was a family-friendly show, with interludes like a chicken race, where kids from the audience chased chickens to the finish line. Like much of the Midwest and south, there is no obvious cynicism about love of family, love of God, and love of country. The Dolly show ended with Dolly (not in person) singing a patriotic song with all the riders dressed in red, white and blue, and brandishing large American flags while galloping around the arena.
A few photos are here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/fkTCWgALc8Q4C1tAA
No comments:
Post a Comment