October 2015 -- 4th and 5th Days -- Branson, MO

Wednesday and Thursday, October 27 & 28, 2015 …

The resort had a bingo pancake breakfast this morning … pumpkin pancakes and candy corn for bingo markers … a little different entertainment!  Then we attended The #1 Hits of the 50s and 60s. It was a two-hour, very high energy show … seven singers and a three-piece band performing over 100 songs with over 100 costume changes of some hits from the 50s and many from the decade of the 60s, as well as a recollection of the many memorable events of those decades. All of us thoroughly enjoyed it … probably because we could sing the lyrics of practically every song … plus it brought back many good memories!  From their little brochure … “the Beatles, Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder, 5^th Dimension, Sonny & Cher, The Four Seasons, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Dion,  The Rascals, The Temptations, The Supremes, Mamas & Papas, The Monkees, Paul Anoka, Petulla Clark, The Association, The Coasters, Leslie Gore .....” Anyone remember????

 The #1 Hits of the 50s and 60s

Diane and I went to historic downtown Branson to check out Dick’s 5 and 10 … a cute store stuffed with relatively affordable goodies of every sort!  After a tasty dinner at the condo, we attended a presentation by Yakov Smirnoff, a comedian from the Ukraine who has been performing in Branson for about twenty years.  This is his last season in Branson; and we were privileged to see the first performance of his new venture, “Happily Ever Laughter.”  He is doing this as a PBS special to be aired next spring and will now be going around the country to bring laughter back into marriages.  While we knew much of what he was saying, he put a unique, humorous spin on it … lots of laughs.  Plus it was good to be reminded! 

Keith Allyn giving tribute to
Neil Diamond

After breakfast Thursday morning, we attended A Tribute to Neil Diamond.  Keith Allynn, who started his career as a tribute artist to Elvis, did an incredible job of singing Neil Diamond’s songs and of engaging the audience.  With his sense of humor and the stories of Neil Diamond’s life and of his own life, we felt as though we got to know both artists in a personal way.  The show was nonstop from Keith’s one-on-one with the audience prior to the show, to another personal discussion during intermission, from personally shaking every hand in the room in one routine. to his again greeting the people after the show. I was touched by the

way he honored his wife … a Neil Diamond song played a major part in that relationship … and his honoring of the veterans, country and God. Plus, he even looked like the Neil Diamond “of his age”!  Very, very enjoyable.

Next … off to Silver Dollar City where we enjoyed a lot of Ozark Mountain entertainment and crafts.  We saw several shows on the site, including Sons of the Silver Dollar, three men singing western, bluegrass and gospel music and The Homestead Pickers, authentic Ozark musicians!  It was a nice day, though it got cooler later in the day; but we enjoyed wandering around the beautiful wooded grounds, peeking in the various craft shops, watching the woodworking, barrel making and iron works demos, the making of sorghum syrup, a “shoot out” between the sheriff and bad guys on main street, glass blowing and more!  We stayed for the first half of the evening show. I was disappointed the show was not the lively country show I was expecting, but instead was a gospel singing group.  They sang beautifully, especially the bass, and we did enjoy it. However, we were getting cold and came back to the condo to “warm up” and relax, enjoying time with Jack and Diane.  My goodness … we have been very busy … but we certainly are having fun!

Crafting a wooden bucket

Show down on the street

 

Hot iron works

October 2015 -- 2nd & 3rd Days -- Branson, MO

Monday and Tuesday, October 26 & 27, 2015 …

We had another great breakfast at the condo, then took off to get ourselves show tickets.  Diane, being the queen of coupon and discount shopping, found half-priced tickets for three shows, a great veterans discount for another and half-priced tickets for Silver Dollar City.  So we ran around town to pick up all the tickets.  Happily, after sitting through a grueling time-share presentation on Tuesday, when all is said and done, it costs us less than $100 for this week’s entertainment!!!

After our errands on Monday, we ventured into the woodsy Ozarks to the Copper Run Distillery

.  Bob and I were there last year and thoroughly enjoyed it.  A year later they have certainly expanded their little business, which was good to hear.  A short tour of their facilities, a flight of moonshine, whiskey and rum and a cocktail afterwards made for a delightful couple hours.  Afterwards we stopped at the nearby Bear Creek Wine Company.  This too is set deep In the woods with a quaint tasting room and gift shop.  The wines were very, very good; the pizza was excellent; and enjoying both wine and pizza on their outdoor deck overlooking the amazing view of the mountains and chasing away the honey bees made this venture well worth while!!

Bear Creek Wine Company
Tasting Room & Gift Shop

Enjoying wine and pizza on the deck at
Bear Creek Wine Company

After the presentation on Tuesday morning, we had a delicious lunch at the Fall Creek Steak and Catfish House. Here you are surrounded with memorabilia on the walls and hanging from the ceiling … Coke and Pepsi products, a large statue of a pig, the blues Bros. and many other antiques and artifacts from the Ozark area.  Our pictures were taken, then framed and presented in hopes we’d pay the $20 for them! Fresh rolls were brought to our table, and the steaks were excellent.

The Six vehicles --- one for each
brother of Six, color coordinated
with the favorite color of the brother

Next … to the theater to watch Six. This show consists of six brothers who perform their song and dance routine with no musical instruments at all, just their vocal sounds. It was hard to believe that some drummer with cymbals wasn’t playing behind the curtains! Their singing ability was great. Creating the sound of a band accompanying them was amazing! And their tribute to their mother, who died in her 50s of cancer, and to their family (there are four more brothers!); their tribute to the military, their honor for our country and for God’s grace was touching. Very, very enjoyable.

It’s a rainy day today, so it was back to the condo for some relaxation, some hamburgers and salad for dinner and a quiet evening.  We love being here in Branson, and we love vacationing with Jack and Diane!

October, 2015 -- First Full Day in Branson, MO

Sunday, October 25, 2015 –

After church we had a delicious breakfast in the condo with Jack and Diane, then had a planning session on things we want to see, places to go and shows to watch during this week.  Shortly after noon we started out with wine tasting at Stone Hill Winery … sound familiar?  Yes, the same winery

Stone Hill Winery
Wine Tasting

Bob and I stopped at in Hermann yesterday.  The difference is at the outlet here in Branson we got a “free” tour of their facilities AND about 20 tastings of the different wines … Wow! The best part was watching the crowd of about 24 people loosen up and become very friendly and talkative after 7-8 tastings.  Fun! 

Our next venture was to Top of the Rock Lost Canyon Nature Trail and Cave. It consisted of a two-and-a-half mile ride in an electric golf cart with the four of us (Bob drove) along the Lost Canyon Nature Trail that hugged the side of the mountain.  The

Top of the Rock Lost
Canyon Natural Trail and
Cave

views of the forests, valleys and Table Rock Lake were spectacular, as was the sides of the hills layered in huge slabs of table top-like rocks stacked on top of each other. These rock formations were spectacular with an occasional water fall coming out from between the layers.  Upon entering the cave, the bartender at the bar readily served us beer and drinks, then we continued into the cave.  The center of the little cave is about four stories high with stalagmites and stalactites and a beautiful cascading waterfall that eventually winds its way out of the cave and down the rocky side of the mountain. After squeezing through the cave on our cart, we come to a cute covered bridge that crosses the gully area that has been washed out by thousands of years of running water. All of us thoroughly enjoyed this great adventure.   But we’re not done yet!

table rock formations

Lost Canyon Cave

Behind us, the Chapel of the
Ozarks

From here a shuttle bus took us even further up the hill to buildings that housed several restaurants, tables both inside and out, and a world-famous golf course. Jack, our golfer, was blown away by the Arnold Palmer Driving Range … and he was even more amazed when we came back to see it after dark. Sixteen fully lit greens and three tee decks with recessed lighting were a sight to behold.  By this time it is nearing sunset … which delighted us with a tradition on this rock.  While a gentleman  in kilts played the bag pipes,

Chapel of the Ozarks

three men wearing Confederate uniforms marched to the canon, loaded it and fired it as the sun was setting behind the hilltops.  The view of the mountains, forests, Table Rock Lake and the sunset alongside the stone chapel was spectacular. The three-story stone chapel with its tower perched on the side of the cliff is so cute.  The inside is lined with pews along both sides; there’s a fire place off to the side in front; and the altar area is bare except for a simple cross

Firing the cannon at sunset

encompassing the total glass wall overlooking Table Rock Lake and the valley below.  I understand this is a popular wedding venue! 

Next we strolled down the stone-lined stairway of the Buffalo Bar to the End of the Trail All-American Wine Cellar that was carved into a cave area.  Here only wine and whiskey are served, and the bartender shared a lot about Johnny Morris, who owns Bass Pro Shops and all of these facilities, who is passionate about nature, and who has personally designed this entire area, which also includes the Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum, commemorating the people and animals that came before us. All around these facilities are statues or dioramas or Native American artifacts. Outside the End of the Trail wWne Cellar is a large square pool featuring a magnificent “End of the trail” bronze statue commemorating the American Indian.  It was so gorgeous right after sunset as the blues and pinks reflected in both the water of the pool and the sky above.  This is a beautiful facility – I’d love to come back and spend more time meandering around it!

Bronze Statue commemorating the American Indian
End of the Trail All-American Wine Cellar

October, 2015 -- Hermann, Missouri

Friday and Saturday, October 23 and 24, 2015

Here we are on a road trip once again.  We love road trips, even if it means driving through areas we have seen before.  This time we are headed to Branson, Missouri, with a side trip to the famous wine country around Hermann.  Our adventure started mid-morning on Friday.  It is a dreary, rainy day, though we really don’t mind because it has been very dry this month.   Google routed us to entirely different route … through St. Paul to Rochester, MN and back roads to Iowa I380 in Waterloo. The advantage of staying off the freeway is the fun of meandering through the hills and farmlands with

virtually no traffic. While most of the color and leaves of the landscape in Minnesota is gone, the further south we went, the more variety of colors we saw in the forests. By early evening we were nearing New Florence in central Missouri … the sky, while still cloudy, was lit up by the setting sun in rays of pretty blues and pinks. It was a lovely day’s ride.

Hermann, Missouri

Vineyard and buildings on top of the
Hill ... stone Hill Winery
Hermann, MO

Saturday morning we drove to nearby Hermann, known for its picturesque foothills of the Ozarks along the banks of the Missouri River, its German heritage, its unique shopping experiences and its wineries!  There are a lot more red trees popping up along the hillsides on this cloudy, but dry day.  By 10 a.m. we were at the doors of the Stone Hill Winery for a wine tasting … which is situated on top of a hill with a great view of the area.  Stone Hill is a family owned, highly awarded winery that has been around since the 1800s (except for prohibition when they grew mushrooms). They grow their grapes in the area on almost 200 acres and provide a wide variety of wines.  Of course we had a purchase a couple bottles for Branson!

The drive to Oak Glen Winery
Hermann, MO

The view of the Missouri River
from Oak Glen Winery

Next we tooled around town, up and down very steep streets, checking it out.  We saw the beautiful setting for the Hermannhoff Winery where we stopped at what we thought was the tasting room.  It turned out to be a unique outdoor German restaurant … we never did find the tasting room.  A good reason to come back some day!  We then drove through the beautiful hills along the Missouri River east to a very long, narrow, hilly, curvy, gravel forest road that led us to Oak Glen Winery. That drive in itself was worth the trip … but then … oh my goodness … the grounds and vista overlooking the Missouri River were stunning!  The music was setting up and people were wondering in with their picnic goodies to settle in for a great fall day with friends, wine and music in this gorgeous setting.  The wine tasting was good … another bottle, of course, for Branson!!  

Acres and acres of vineyards
Hermann, MO, area

We continued east once more to another narrow road marked “closed during high water” which led to the river bottom, turning onto another narrow gravel road, across the railroad tracks and up the steep hill to Bias Winery.  At first we wondered if it was indeed a “business” or if it was a “hillbilly haven”.  But, yes, we had a great wine tasting … being treated to even more samples because we were the only ones there.  The wines were unique tasting and the gentleman providing the wines was very friendly and full of knowledge.  Yes, we bought another couples bottles … do you think we’re going to drink a lot this week??

There are several more wineries to explore … another reason to come back! But now it is time to

Water-spout light show,
Branson Landing, MO

head south to Branson where we were very excited to greet Jack and Diane, Bob’s brother and sister-in-law, who flew in from North Carolina.  After a couple hours of non-stop catching up, we­­­ meandered through Branson Landing, watched a delightful water-spout light show to music and had a delicious meal at the Texas Land and Cattle Steakhouse.  Another great day!