On earth there is no heaven, but there are pieces of it. -Jules Renard, French author

September 5th, 2021

Greetings again, dear family and friends.

Hope this finds you doing well and having a great day.☺️ For the past five weeks we’ve been enjoying the heck out of Branson since we’d been given permission to stay even though the dam Visitors Center remained closed. I still don’t get it. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Every place else is business as usual…especially this weekend since it’s a holiday weekend. There aren’t many people wearing masks around here, and I haven’t seen another business ‘temporarily closed,’ so… 🤷🏻‍♀️

Even if we had been workamping, we’d still have all kinds of time to explore the area. Besides the shows, Silver Dollar City, and the lake, there are three attractions that ought to be on every visitors’ Must See list when they come to Branson: Dogwood Canyon Nature Park, Big Cedar Lodge, and Top of the Rock. All were inspired by the founder of Bass Pro Shop, Johnnie Morris, who grew up around here, fishing on Table Rock Lake. All three are stunning, breathtakingly beautiful, warm, and inviting.

At the suggestion of our neighbor Glenn, another volunteer, we rented a golf cart and explored the Lost Cave and Nature Trail at Top of the Rock the other day. The timing could not have been better; the third and fourth weeks of August are delightfully slow in and around Branson because the kids are back in school. And on this particular day the temps were in the low 80’s. Perfect.

Our electronic dashboard guide awaited us as we climbed aboard the golf cart, and off we went. Pictures don’t do this place justice. What a paradise! (Note: To enlarge images, double tap.)

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The route was two-and-a-half miles of stunning rock formations, waterfalls, sturdy Amish-built bridges, and panoramic views of Table Rock Lake and the Ozark Plateau.

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Early on the morning on May 22, 2015 the earth opened, leaving a gaping sinkhole 80’ wide by 35’ deep. Archeologists were called in to assess what had been partially uncovered. Rather than filling in the hole, MORE dirt was removed, revealing an underground wonder! That work continues today, with the goal of eventually connecting the “Cathedral of Nature” to the Lost Canyon Cave golf cart route.

Our summer in Branson has been surprisingly super enjoyable for us. Discovering all the natural beauty in this part of Missouri and Arkansas has been such a delightful adventure, over and above actually living AT the lake (which has been awesome!) We have enjoyed all of it.

After a little more than four months, we’re leaving tomorrow, but only up to Springfield (60 miles) where we’ll visit Cummins and get Felix serviced. So it’s more of a shakedown cruise, which is always a good idea after sitting awhile.

From there, we plan to be at Giant City State Park in Southern Illinois from 9/10-17, Grand Rivers, KY from 9/17-24, and Cadiz, KY from 9/24-10/1. We’re really looking forward to seeing family and friends before we head south for the winter.

As usual, I’ll be sure to write along the way. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Take care and stay healthy. ❤️ 🤗 and ☮️

Maria 😃