Our first vacation of the year!

[BRDof3]

We're all loaded up and ready to hit the road for Branson, MO. Wagons Ho!

Took a wrong turn and ended up in the Bronx. But some nice local people gave us directions. Some guy named Honkey Lips even signed our car.

Had a little trouble with the State Police. They thought I had been dragging the dog on a chain down the road, but after I explained that it was just my mother-in-law they were cool.

I was worried how the new tow vehicle would handle the mountains, but it did just fine.

It rained a lot one day, but I had brought along a lot of good reading material to keep my 6 year-old occupied.

We even had Ft.Wilderness Guy and Gatordad in the campsites on either side of us.

The Campground Host was a bit stiff, but we managed to communicate pretty well. I got a bit testy when the camp store ran out of beer, though.

Now if you want the real trip report, it's here: http://rvusa.org/dev/forum/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=806

I want to go back!!!

 

[Just Beachy]

I love that movie!!!!

Rob!!! I can't believe you didn't get ANY pics of the camper/site!! I am very disappointed by this and think you need to go back if for no other reason than to get those pics!! Glad you all had a good time. The pics of the tired kids are priceless! That, my friend, is the proof of a successful trip. (And the fact that your wife wants a bigger TT! )

 

[vick]

Glad you had a nice trip! I didn't realize there was more to Branson than the shows. Did you catch any of the shows?

 

[BRDof3]

Oh yeah. We hit 3 big shows, and DW and DD made it to one of the smaller ones while I was out playing with the other 2. The Dixie Stampede was pretty good, though it was expensive. Never had a rodeo happening in the restaurant while I was eating. We also saw the chinese acrobats and a magic show.

Branson has grown up since we were there for our honeymoon in '93. Then, it was only the strip. Now they have 3 loops that have been developed, so the town itself is a lot bigger. They also have developed on the east side of town on the riverfront (though it is technically a lake). Silver Dollar City is a few miles west, a big amusement park.

Every square inch of the strip is developed and operating, and the loops are filling up. There are more restaurants and mini-golf places than we could do in a lifetime. I want the next trip to be during the season, just to see what the place looks like in full swing. We were a bit early, some of the things weren't running yet.

 

[vick]

Were you able to leave your dogs in the camper while you were away? I'd like to go to Branson someday. I have wondered what we'd do with our dog if we were away from the campground.

 

[BRDof3]

Were you able to leave your dogs in the camper while you were away? I'd like to go to Branson someday. I have wondered what we'd do with our dog if we were away from the campground.

They stayed in the kennels in the camper without any problems. Both of them are used to being in the kennel when nobody is home. Most of the other campers had a dog or two and we never heard any of them when the owners were away. Our older one is mostly a house dog and preferred to be in the camper. The puppy is the outdoor lover, and she did fine on the tie-out when we were at camp.

I would recommend either Cooper Creek or the KOA if you're camping. There are a lot of RV parks and CG's around there, but most of them are small loops clinging to the side of the hills. Table Rock State Park also looks nice, but it's pretty limited right now. The side with the better hook-ups is under construction, they're converting some of the w/e to full h/u. When they get done it will have more options, but for now one of the loops is pretty well out of comission.

 

[vick]

Thanks Rob. I'll keep those campgrounds in mind! I don't have any idea when we'll have a chance to go, but it is on out list of places we want to see.

 

[PolynesianPixie]

Ahhh! Brings back memories! Branson was our home away from home when we lived in Arkansas! Oh, and "full swing" as you say is overrated. Unless you enjoy sitting in bumper to bumper traffic going .05 mph!!! We learned all the backroads and cut throughs while we were there! lol. Did you do silver dollar city? It really is a nice one! You can even go to church there on Sunday!