October 11-13 Branson MO

We left Amana on Sunday morning and passed an Amish farm holding services- there must have been 40 buggies (and their teams) parked there!  As we entered Missouri the temps rose to 85 degrees.  After 8 hours of driving we arrived at Branson Landing RV Park which is city-owned and right next to the river (Lake Taneycomo) right in town.  Very tight spaces- I took the dogs for a walk while Kirk tried to squeeze in with help from the staff.  They had some pretty big trees which were making it very difficult to park!!  Handy location- we walked to the Fish House Restaurant which was on a pontoon setup moored right next to the Bass Pro Shops.  The decor inside was awesome- lots of fishing related relics including entire boats hanging from the ceiling! The food was good too.  Nice evening after a long drive, got back to the camper at 8:45 and it was still 74 degrees!
On Monday Kirk and I drove along the "strip" in Branson to check out all the attractions, theaters, restaurants, etc.  We described it as "Wisconsin Dells on steroids"!  We drove to the ABC Campground where Bill and Deb Eastwood were staying for a week in their new camper. Visited with them until lunchtime, then came back to camper to do a load of laundry.  We met Bill and Deb and Joe and Nancy at the Branson Belle (paddlewheel boat)

for a late afternoon dinner cruise. The show was excellent- very talented musicians, singers and dancers doing a variety of musical styles.  After dinner we had a chance to go up on the deck and enjoy the view of the reservoir. It was a lovely warm day.  After we got back to the campground Kirk and I walked over to Branson Landing (a shopping mall just past the Bass Pro Shops) to see the water fountain/laser light show that runs every hour for about 5 minutes.  Enjoyed a few drinks at a dueling piano bar before returning to our campsite.  Evening cooled off- we slept well without A/C.
On Tuesday we took the Branson Scenic train tour which was 1 3/4 hours going south into Arkansas. Not too much to see except hills and trees. It was relaxing though.

After we got back we did a quick trip through the Farmer's Market in the city lot next door, then we met Bill and Deb at Outback for dinner before going to see The Haygoods show.  Very talented family with a good variety of music. Lots of pyrotechnics and laser lights too.  Interesting fact- none of the attractions we went to in Branson served alcohol (other than the two restaurants). Bible belt, you know!