Final Days at Branson, MO

Sunday nite 9/27/09 we went to see the Chinese Acrobats at the Shanghi Circus. It was verry good. It is amazing to us how they can flex their bodies so much that they can place their feet over their shoulder and under their chin. We were also amazed at the balancing, and juggling they were able to do. Needless to say if you are in the Branson area this needs to be high on your list of shows to attend.

Monday 9/28/09 was a day of relaxing and taking care of errands. We went to Wal-Mart to fill the car with gas, and buy some groceries. We also drove around to see some sites we have so far missed. We went to Silver Dollar City just to get a look at the area, but it was closed on Monday and Tuesdays. Oh well I guess this will have to be on our agenda for the next Branson visit. We also went by the Branson Belle and purchased our tickets for the 4:00 PM dinner cruise and show on Tuesday 9/29/09. After returning to the RV we just sat around and relaxed by reading and working some Sudoku puzzles.

Tuesday 9/29/09 we rode our bicycles around the park for a while (5-10 Minutes) then returned to the RV to read and relax before going to our Dinner cruise and show on the Branson Belle. We arrived at the dock around 3:15 and were able to go directly on board the boat. We found where we would be sitting and we had excellent seats at the back of the theater and between the second and third decks. We were able to see the stage very nicely. We were served Chicken Cordon Bleu, Roast Beef, mixed steamed vegatibles, mashed patotoes, and a cheese cake for dessert. The show they put on was great. There was a lot of singing and dancing, and the final part was a ventriquilist that used live dogs as his dummies. He really made it look as if the dogs were talking. He asked Irv (Boston Terrier) what kind of dog he was. Irv replied that he was a Pit Bull Retreiver, I rip your leg off then bring it back to you! I thought that was pretty funny. They also brought up a man and woman from the audience to act as his dummies. That was hilarious. They did a good job. After the show we returned to the RV and began preperations for our departure on Wednesday morning.

Wednesday 9/30/09 05:00 AM - I was terribly sick. I don't know if it was from overeating, or food poisioning, but I was in bad shape. Again at about 07:10 I had another bought of sickness. We went to the pharmacy to get some Pepto-Bismol to see if it would help. Once we returned from the pharmacy we completed our departure preperations and got on the road at around 10:00 AM. We stopped for lunch at around 12:00 and after eating some Chicken Noodle Soup (without the noodles. Dianne ate them.) I took a nap for about 45 Minutes to an Hour before we proceeded on. We arrived at our destination of Pin Oak Campground in St. Louis at around 3:30. After getting everything set up and we were watching TV I had my third bout with sickness. Needless to say I was not feeling well and the Pepto was not working out as planned. For supper this night I only had Beef Broth.. I was able to get a pretty good night sleep this time.

Thursday 10/01/09 - Things went a lot better today. No sickness. I hope I am over that, because it was not fun. This was the first time either Dianne or I have been sick since we retired. I hope it is the last for a while. Today we traveled from St. Louis, MO through Illinois and part of Indiana to our campground just North East of Indianappolis at Timberline Family Campground in Anderson, IN. This was our longest day on the road, and after forgetting about the time change difference we did not arrive here until about 7:00 PM EDT. We are enjoying an evening of sitting around reading, and me working on the computer. Hope everyone is having a great day. We are having a blast. The weather today has been rainy all day, but we can't complain as this is the first day we have had this be the case.

Friday 10/02/09 - Today we drove from our campground in Indiana to where we will be staying in MI. Indian Creek Camp and Conference Center, Tecumseh, MI. We will be here for a week visiting with Dianne's brother Bob and his family.

Branson MO - Having a great time. The weather is Fantastic!.

We arrived in Branson, MO on Wednesday 9/23/09 at around 3:00 PM and checked into the Table Rock State Park where we are in Lot 120. Table Rock is a beautiful park, with concrete slabs for the RV and also has a patio attached. We relaxed on Wednesday evening, and went over the shows available to decide what we wanted to see and when.

On Wednesday evening we looked over the shows and picked the ones we wanted to attend. Then on Thursday morning we made reservations and then rode around the area to find the places we would be going. Then on Thursday evening we went to see the Oak Ridge Boys at their theater at 8:00 PM. They were great. The group started out as the Georgia Clodhoppers and recorded their first record in 1943. During the early 40's they were the only entertainment allowed into the Oak Ridge Nuclear Test Facility during the development of the Atomic Bomb. They performed each Saturday evening for the workers and their families. The name was changed to the Oak Ridge Quartet in 1945 and they focused on Gospel Music. The name was changed to the Oak Ridge Boys in 1961. In 1977 the Oak Ridge Boys switched to Country Music and began the ride to fame. You can get the full details at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oak_Ridge_Boys . The night we were there they had three men from the 50's and 60's group attending. They are in the picture attached. One is on the piano, and the other two are the ones wearing suits. They sang without rehearsing and did a great job joining right in. We really enjoyed this show.

On Friday morning we got up early and went to see Yakov Smirnoff the Russian Comedian. See photo to the right. He came to America in 1976 at the age of 27 with his parents and none of them spoke any english. He became an American Citizen in 1986, and has performed for President Regan. You can tell he really loves America and appreciates the opportunity to come here. We found his show to be very funny, and he did not have to use any curse words or vulgarity. There were some inuendos, but we felt they were done in good taste. I would not mind bringing my children or grandchildren to see this program.

On our way to see Yakov we took the following picture from a scenic overlook off Hwy 265 that goes into Branson. The view was breathtaking. We also stopped here on Thursday evening but decided the picture would not turn out due to the lack of light. The night view was very pretty, but our little camera was not up to the challenge of capturing it.

After the Yakov Smirnoff show on Friday morning we went to Baldknobbers Restaurant for their $4.99 Lunch special of Country Fried Steak, Mashed Patotoes, Green Beans, and a roll. After lunch we returned to the RV for a much needed nap of about two hours. I don't know why we were so tired, but we both fell asleep shortly after arriving home.

On Saturday we went back into Branson for a little shopping at Baldknobbers, and the Branson Craft Mall where we picked up some family Christmas Gifts. No you can't see them until Christmas! Saturday Evening we went to see the Circle B Chuckwagon Dinner and Show. While we were waiting outside for the theater to open we listened to a little of the Alabama vs Arkansas football game on the radio. Needless to say we were delighted with the score at half time, and reluctant to go into the show and miss the second half. However, we were glad to find out that Alabama won when we returned to our RV and talked to Jenny.

The Circle B Chuckwagon Dinner and Show featured a Roy Rogers & Dale Evans movie, then dinner was served while we watched the Lone Ranger. The food was Roast Beef, Baked Beans, Baked Potatoes, Cornbread Muffins, and a Cinnamon Bun for desert. It was very tasty. Then the folks there put on about an hour show that included Cowboy songs, jokes, and a poem. It is a family run operation that highlights Jesus Christ as their reason for being there. They also support mission efforts in Africa, and put on shows at county fairs, and other chuckwagon facilities thoroughout the western states. I enjoyed it very much, but the music was not Dianne's type. Although, she did enjoy the harmonizing that they did.

Sunday Morning we attended a non-denominational service at the Mansion Theater that is put on by the Backstage Ministries. We sang several praise and worship songs, had a prayer time, then the preacher presented a sermon on Leviticus 16:29-31 titled Day of Attonment. He presented the Old Testament requirement for this feast and then tied it into the Gospel by showing how it pictured the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross for our sins. It was a very good sermon. We both enjoyed it very much, and if we are ever up this way again would attend. We also highly recommend it to anyone who comes here in the future.

On our way back from church we stopped by the Table Rock Dam to take the attached

picture. The Dam was started in 1955 and completed in 1957 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It was built to provide flood control as its primary purpose, and hydroelectric power as a by product. They also have a visitors center at the western side of the Dam that shows how it was built. It was very interesting to see the exhibits, and the short film on the building of the Dam. At the bottom of the Dam you can see the electric distribution area, and next to it the Fish Hatchery that raises Stripped, and Brown Trout. We hope to visit the Fish Hatchery on Tuesday if possible.

Tonight (Sunday 9/27/09) we will be attending the Chinese Acrobat performance. We are looking forward to it. As for now I guess I will sign off and try to take a nap since we can not get the Nascar Race or any NFL Football games on our satellite today. Nor could we find the race on the radio.