Mountain Springs to Branson, MO – October 7-13, 2013

Our first morning at Mountain Springs RV Resort is a reminder that fall is in the air! We woke to 49 degrees, but beautiful sunshine. The leaves are just tinged with autumn color making the cloudless sky ever so much more blue.

Welcome sign at the entrance to Mountain Springs RV Resort.

We didn’t have WiFi at the park so we drove to Mountain View,  about 10 miles back down the road, to take advantage of internet access at the library. Walmart was also in the vicinity so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pick up a few things, and fuel the truck. By the time we had returned to the park the temps had warmed up to the high 60s. Beautiful!

Office at Mountain Springs, also included
a laundry and restrooms.

Live music every Friday night in the
buidling below.

By Tuesday the motorcycle was whining for us to get on and ride! So we did. We took a 45 mile ride through the hilly and curvy countryside. Once the leaves change I’m sure this would be a spectacular ride of non-stop color. That, however, was not the case today. We returned to the park to enjoy the sunshine and mid-70 degree weather, sitting outside to read and knit

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Our main focus Wednesday morning was to head to the library again, after breakfast at McDonald’s. The temps were in the high 40s so we opted to drive the truck rather than the motorcycle. Later, as I did laundry, Dick took a 115 mile ride through the countryside to West Plains, MO. He wasn’t planning to ride so far, but once he throws a leg over the bike there’s not much stopping him! That evening we begin to pack up for a morning departure, when we head to Branson, MO.

West Plains was ravaged by Union Troops in 1862 and subsequently burned in 1863. It remained uninhabited until 1865, when it was resettled, becoming one of Missouri’s livestock trading centers.

Historical marker in West Plains.

The drive to Branson on Thursday was uneventful: temperatures were in the low 50s when we started out, but by the time we arrived just a few hours later the temp had risen to the low 70s. Beautiful sunshine the entire way. (Marvin, you were right when you said this was really hilly country!)

We arrived at Treasure Lake RV Park shortly after noon, and got parked and unpacked in site #85. The park is quite lovely, situated on 340 acres, and very hilly with almost 600 sites including cabins. 

Our site at Treasure Lake

Our new sign hanging from the trailer tongue.

There’s something for everyone here, whether you want to play shuffleboard, Frisbee golf, tennis, bocce ball, basketball, volleyball, horseshoes, miniature golf, or swim in one of the 2 pools (one is indoors). There are 2 fishing ponds onsite, a ball field, a clubhouse, lodge, game room and country store.  It’s a gated and monitored RV park, with full-time security. That evening we decided to have dinner at a local Mexican restaurant, “The Little Hacienda,” so I wouldn’t have to cook. Because we’ll be here for about 10 days, we put off exploring Branson ‘til Friday or Saturday

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Welcome Center

Club House

Club House interior

Lodge

Road from Welcome Center to Phases I-IV RV sites

Security / Guard hut at entrance. Key card required
to enter park.

Friday dawned sunny and beautiful, with temperatures starting out in the high 50s, a day to just hang out in the park, ride our bicycles, and see what’s what. Charles and Jenny from Oklahoma, along with their 2 terriers Angel and Cisco, pulled in across from us. We realized that friends Hayden and Duane, whom we met in Texas last year, were parked just behind us, so we visited with them for a while, catching up on the past months since we last saw them. Uncanny, how out of the 600 sites we’re parked so close!

We were awakened Saturday at 7:15 by a torrential downpour, thunder and lightning. This is the first rain we’ve encountered since leaving Illinois. Strange to have a thunder storm in mid-October.  After breakfast we decided to find a Walmart to pick up a few items, and to cruise Branson to get our bearings.

Branson reminds me of a very hilly Las Vegas without casinos. The Branson Strip is lined with theaters offering entertainment, from music to acrobatics to museums to shopping and miniature golf. We have our eyes on a few shows and will fill you in on those in our next blog. The day continued to threaten rain so we returned to the park to watch football.

Bridge over Lake Taneycomo,
adjacent to Branson

Lake Taneycomo

Whoohoo! King Kong lives!

The famous Dick's 5 & 10...we will be going there!

Old town Branson

Sunday was another beautiful day here in Branson. By early afternoon the temps were in the mid-70s. We rode our bikes around the park, although Dick rode his much longer than me. Everywhere is uphill! After my ride my legs were like jelly for quite a while. Guess I need to build up those muscles!

Until next week, we send you love ‘n’ hugs.

Dick and Gail