Michelle and Mike
RV Adventures
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***Soon to Come: A new Blog format that will be easier to navigate to past blogs and will link posts with complementing photos! Bear with me as I learn and complete this process. I am also working on fixing some kinks such as not being able to enlarge photos on the MORE PHOTOS page or that the preview pictures cut off some of the entire photo. Wish me luck as I continue to learn more about the wonderful world of blogging! Thanks for visiting our Blog!! We appreciate you!!
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Check out the Photo Gallery page for many more pictures of our journey. Also check out the More Photos page for more recent pictures.
This is how our new Adventure Began in the Spring of 2022
We Sold Our House
In March 2022, we decided to sell our house and most of our belongings! It was a big decision but we were ready for a big change. We moved on May 13, 2022.
Our New 5th Wheel
We purchased our Keystone Alpine 37 foot 5th Wheel in March 2022.
Let the Journey Begin
On May 27, 2022 we started out on our new adventure. First stop.....Texas!
Mike's Message......
Life is not a problem to be solved: it’s an adventure to be lived.
Recent Posts
Check out the Past Posts page for older posts
Top of the Rock, Dogwood Canyon & Big Cedar Lodge
Posted: September 27, 2022
Perhaps you aren’t aware that the founder and owner of Bass Pro Shops, Johnny Morris, not only owns retails stores, but he is a huge conservationist. Not until we looked into things to do in the northern Arkansas and southern Missouri area did we realize that Johnny Morris has two large nature preserves. One is called Top of the Rock Ozark Heritage Preserve and the other is called Dogwood Canyon Nature Park. He also is owner to the spectacular Big Cedar Lodge Premier Wilderness Resort. All three of these locations are within a 15 minute drive of one another and combined consist of over 15,000 acres of lush Ozark Mountain landscape in south Missouri very close to Branson.
Taking a “selfie” break along the Top of the Rock trail.
All three of these attractions were only 30-40 minutes from our campground in Harrison, Arkansas. We knew we didn’t have to do all of them on the same day. We took our time. We started with Top of the Rock experience.
It is wise to make reservations ahead of time like we did if you want to be able to select a time slot. It was a beautiful day and even though it wasn’t crowded, there were definitely a good number of people there. We rented our golf cart and started our adventure. The idea is that you drive on paved roads specifically set up for golf carts to wind through hills and valleys, under waterfalls and over bridges and through caves. It was nice having the ability to stop wherever we wanted along the path to enjoy the beauty and to take photos. By going at our own pace, we didn’t have to worry about holding someone else up along the route.
We spent about 2 hours cruising slowly through the 2 1/2 mile nature preserve. It is a one of a kind experience. Johnny Morris and his team spent countless hours creating a path through the wonders of nature so we could see stunning rock formations, beautiful views of Table Rock Lake, waterfalls, and drive through Lost Canyon Cave. There is actually a small bar inside. It’s a “drive-thru bar” called the Bat Bar! It was definitely neat driving through the cave that was dark, complete with waterfalls and stalagmites!
After the 2 hour drive through the beautiful landscape, we hopped on a shuttle that took us to the Ancient Ozark Natural History Museum. We were amazed at the extensive display that Johnny Morris has put together to commemorate the people and animals that have come before us. He is also a huge collector of arrowheads and his collection is huge….all different shapes and sizes. A lot of which were found right there on that property! We also saw another breath-taking Chapel. Also on the property are a few restaurants, one of which has a underground wine cellar that you can check out!
The following week, we wanted to check out Johnny Morris’ other conservation area called Dogwood Canyon Nature Park. This park was similar to Top of the Rocks in that it is set up to conserve the natural beauty of the Ozark Mountain region. This park is owned and operated by the Johnny Morris Foundation that was created for the betterment of wildlife and habitat. Johnny Morris has spent his life working to protect wildlife. He created Dogwood Canyon for families to come together to connect with each other as well as nature, with hopes that young children will be inspired to become conservation leaders of tomorrow.
The trails are paved and wind throughout the park which consists of 10,000 acres. The creek runs throughout the whole park and there are gorgeous waterfalls along the way. The difference between Dogwood Canyon and Top of the Rocks is that there is the option at Dogwood Canyon to take a tram tour throughout the park as opposed to driving your own golf cart. We choose to do the 2 hour tram tour which included the driver telling us a lot of history and information about the land and the Ozark region. The tram would stop along the route so we could get out and look around, take photos and just take the time to enjoy the beauty surrounding us. At times the tram would have to drive through some water as we crossed over the creek. The tram even took us into a wilderness area where there were bison, long-horn cattle, and elk roaming around! It was really a neat experience and was very relaxing.
After we finished the tram tour and ate some lunch (we typically pack a lunch to bring with us) we decided to walk some of the trail to see more closely some of the waterfalls and a beautiful chapel along the way. We even got to walk on a trail behind a waterfall. Everything in the park is natural but cleaned up and enhanced to make it accessible to the public. You can fish along the creek and also rent bikes to ride along the 3 mile trail. There are also restaurants with outdoor seating right beside a gorgeous waterfall. Although not as extensive as at Top of the Rock, there is a museum about some history of the Ozark region. There is a cool treehouse we climbed up to and explored. It was built by the Animal Planet’s Treehouse Masters! There is also a Nature & Conservation Center with interactive educational activities geared toward children. The Foundation also holds nature and conservation classes in their classroom and outdoor amphitheater. All proceeds from admission go toward the Johnny Morris Foundation.
After leaving Dogwood Canyon, we wanted to stop by Big Cedar Lodge. This is also owned by Johnny Morris of Bass Pro Shops. It is a very expansive “Wilderness Resort” with many ways to stay. There is the grand lodge, cabins, fancy “glamping” tents, and cottages as well as a 2,500 square foot Villa! The whole resort is on the shores of Table Rock Lake. We walked around the property to check it out. Of course there are multiple 18 hole golf courses, marinas, fishing areas, mini-golf, pools, shops, spa, fitness center, multiple restaurants, and you can even take a cruise on “Lady Liberty,” the 62 foot luxury yacht! And for the kids, there is a 50,000 square foot amusement complex called Fun Mountain! And again, there is a wedding chapel that is gorgeous!
One final thing to mention is that it is obvious everywhere you look that Johnnyy Morris respects the land and those that came before us. He also has a strong love for his country, the United States of America!
We would highly recommend everyone who visits this part of the country to make sure to include stops at all 3 of these locations! The beauty and conservation of nature is astounding!
More Branson Fun
Posted: September 27, 2022
We knew our time in north central Arkansas and south central Missouri was coming to a close. We had, afterall, extended our stay to a little over 3 months! We did not have intentions on staying this long when we originally decided to come here, but we really fell in love with the area and it was a great place to lay-low for a bit, regroup from a busy time in our lives, and enjoy the many many things that this area had to offer.
So, we made a list of the “must-see” things in Branson before we headed out of the area.
The first show we wanted to make sure to see what called “The Six Show”. It was held at Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater. The show has been referred to as a “human orchestra of voices.” These are 6 brothers who perform with only using their voices as the instruments. Therefore, it was completely an a cappella show! They were so talented, making all the sounds of many instruments as well as singing a variety of songs from all genres and decades. The harmonizing was incredible too! There are 10 brothers total in their family (their poor mother and father!) and 6 of them have been performing together for decades! It was definitely an entertaining show with great singing, sounds, dancing, and some comedy too!
We were in the mood for a comedy show. One that got really high ratings and recommendations was the Comedy Jamboree held at the Grand Country Music Hall. We are definitely glad we decided to see this show. It is what we would call a “variety show.” The comedy was hilarious with different skits, including some audience participation! The singing was really good, as was the choreography. They sang songs to appeal to all age groups. They played and sang some country classics, today’s hits and even some gospel songs to get the house rocking! We were VERY impressed with “pianist extraordinaire”, Tracy Heaston. I have seen a lot of piano playing in my days, but never have I seen someone who could play the keys so fast and with such precision! It was incredible! It was good clean fun filled with lots of laughs and we are glad we chose to see the Comedy Jamboree!
The final attraction we went to see in Branson during our 3 month stay in the area (our KOA campground in Harrison Arkansas was an easy 30 minute drive to Branson, Missouri) was the Titanic Museum. My parents and brother had visited this attraction during a visit to Branson a few years ago and raved about it. It had been on our list to see and I’m certainly glad we took their advice to visit it! First of all, the building that houses the museum is shaped like the Titanic! Complete with the iceberg!
We did make reservations online prior to going to the museum. You pick a time slot, which is nice so they can stagger the number of people filing into the museum at one time. When you first approach the front door of the “ship” you are handed a card that gives you the name and background of an actual passenger on the ship. You can follow along in the museum to see information about that passenger and then at the end you can see if you “survived or not.”
You are also given a little small audio device that you can use along the way in the museum where it is designated to push it to hear more about different people, items, and events. It was actually a nice feature so you can hold it up to your ear and listen to it at the volume you wanted and no one else could hear it. It was less disruptive to other museum-goers.
We were very impressed with the amount of information and artifacts that were in this very well-laid out museum. The founder of the museum has spent his life learning and researching about the Titanic and the disaster that took so many lives on that fateful night in April 1912.
You can see a replica of the grand staircase as well as many items from actual passengers such as their ticket, dinner menus, and also actual dinner dishes that were on board.
Throughout the museum, they did an amazing job of teaching us about how, when, where and why it was built. There were movies on the actual construction of the ship. We didn’t know this but there was another ship just like it, although a few inches shorter, called the Olympic, that was built a few months prior to the Titanic. These ships were built in a shipyard in Belfast, Ireland and then brought to England when they were ready to be sailed. The Titanic was considered an RMS ship, which stands for Royal Mail Ship. It not only was a passenger cruise ship, but it was government approved to carry mail overseas….of course none of the mail that set sail on the Titanic ever made it to their destinations. Apparently there were sacks upon sacks of mail down on the lower levels of the ship.
There were interactive displays such as getting to try out what the ships upper deck felt like as it was sinking. Let’s just say that the steepest one was nearly impossible to hold on to! The museum does a good job telling stories about the 2000+ people on board, including many children. The youngest passenger was just a baby a few months old and was the last living survivor until just a few years ago.
The museum had an actual model of the Titanic which took many years to build. We learned what happened on that awful night when the Titanic hit the iceberg after it had set sail from Southhampton, England headed for New York City. We learned what happened to passengers, staff, and what made the ship sink.
After watching the 1997 Titanic movie, I now see which parts were true to what actually happened and which parts were made up in order to pull in the audience! I guess “Jack and Rose” were not really ON the Titanic, however, I’m sure a sweet romance like their’s could have truly happened! At least that is what I’m going to believe!
At the end of the museum, there is a huge wall that lists all the passengers and what “Class ticket” they had. It also included all the staff, which the majority of them perished in the accident. They had them separated by who survived and who did not. Mike’s passenger did not survive, but mine did. Of course mine was a woman…..and the lifeboats for were “women and children first.” It was very humbling seeing all the names of everyone who went through this awful tragedy. The museum did a wonderful job honoring all of their memories. And yes, the Captain did go down with his ship!
Finally, to end our time spent in Branson, there was one more restaurant that we wanted to try. It got rave reviews for being the Best BBQ in the area so we wanted to try it out.
We do have pretty high standards as far as BBQ goes since we have experienced TRUE Texas BBQ! The name of the restaurant is Gettin’ Basted and has won many national BBQ competitions in all divisions. We decided to get burgers that were topped with various forms of BBQ. We thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Let’s just say it was a bit of a “splurge” from trying to eat healthy! My burger, called “The Moink” was 2 burger patties covered with BBQ pulled pork, bacon, cheese sauce and onion rings! Oh, and a side of Mac and Cheese!! Mike had “The Moo” which was also 2 burger patties topped with BBQ brisket, and spicy cheese. We could barely walk out of the restaurant because we topped all that off with their award winning Blackberry cobbler and 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream!!
We wrapped up our time in Branson and would highly recommend it for a vacation destination. Or do like we did, stay close enough, but not too far away. There is so much to do and experience in Branson. It’s a very family friendly small town and we’ll definitely be back!
Historic Fort Smith & Van Buren, Arkansas and other Small Towns
Posted: September 27, 2022
One of our final adventures during our 3+ month stay in Arkansas was to go west to the Arkansas-Okalahoma border to the Fort Smith National Historic Site. It was a 2 1/2 hour drive, but the drive is absolutely gorgeous on the “designated scenic” roadways as we traveled through the Ozark Mountains. When I plan out a roadtrip like this one, I like for us to take one route there and a different route on the way back. That way we can see more and drive through different areas. I like to research all the little towns along the way to see if we should stop to do anything or see something interesting. We definitely saw a lot that day!
Fort Smith is south of Fayetteville, centrally located in the state of Arkansas just on the border of Oklahoma. The original purpose for Fort Smith which was built in 1917 was to keep peace in the Arkansas River Valley between the Osage and the Cherokee tribes. As settlers from the East were starting to move west, Indians were forced to leave their homes on what is referred to as “The Trail of Tears.” As more and more settlers made their way west, and Arkansas became a state in 1836, the Fort was used to fend off unfounded fear of Indian attacks. However, as the Gold Rush surged in the west, Fort Smith later became in important supply depot for westward travelers.
The town of Fort Smith also became the Federal Court for the Western District of Arkansas and also had jurisdiction over Indian Territory.
This is the site of the gallows where 86 men were hung over the course of 24 years. They were sentenced by Judge Isaac C. Parker, referred to as “the hanging judge. These gallows could hang up to 12 at a time, but it is recorded that no more than 6 were hung at once. Although Judge Parker tried to create “the moral force of a strong court” and rehabilitated convicts, reformed criminal justice, and advocated the rights of Indian nations, the mass executions over-shadowed such work. While they were waiting their fate, they were held in the jail which was in the basement of the courthouse. It was referred to as “Hell-on-the-border” Jail. They would lock up over 50 men in a basement cell without heat, air-conditioning, cross ventilation, or indoor plumbing. The toilet was a bucket in the fireplace! That was not somewhere that you would want to be locked up! We got to go inside the jail and see what that must have been like. Fortunately, they constructed a new jail in 1888. The history at Fort Smith is very interesting. We learned a lot as we walked around the grounds and in and out of various historical buildings. The town itself sits right on the Arkansas River which separates Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Before leaving the Fort Smith area, we wanted to see where Elvis got his haircut when he joined the US Army! On March 25, 1958, Elvis Presley put his music career on hold to serve the USA in the Army. He made international headlines that day when he received his first G.I. buzz cut which was referred to “the haircut heard ’round the world.” It happened in the barbershop at Fort Chaffee, which is in the town of Fort Smith, Arkansas. It is really neat because you can go in the actual barbershop on Fort Chaffee and see the chair that Elvis sat in. In fact, apparently, everything appears as it was when the shop closed it’s doors after thousands of US soldiers received their buzz cuts. There is a small museum there as well, talking about Fort Chaffee and it’s role in the US military since it was constructed in 1941.
Something that we have discovered in all the areas we have been exploring so far in Arkansas and Southern Missouri, is that every town, whether big or small, has put in a lot of effort to make a beautiful memorial to honor all of the veterans from every military division in the USA. The display and gardens are usually centrally located or at the entrance to the town. They are really meaningful and usually list all the names of the veterans from that town. We like to stop and walk around the gardens and honor those that have put their lives on the line and stood up for our amazing country. This memorial garden is in the town of Van Buren, Arkansas which is right next to Fort Smith. We also enjoy walking through all these historical towns and reading the historical markers imagining what it must have been like back in the day. Apparently this bank in Van Buren has been featured in a few films!
Close to Fort Smith and Van Buren was Devils Den State Park. It is deep in the Ozark Mountains and the drive there was absolutely gorgeous as we winded through the lush hills. Devils Den is a beautiful state park. There is so much water in Arkansas, whether it’s lakes, rivers, or creeks.
Two other small towns worth mentioning is the City of Ozark and the town of Hollister.
We figured, although the name “Ozark” is widely used in this whole region, we thought it would be a good idea to visit the actual City of Ozark! It was founded in 1835 and now has a population of 3,600. Ozark was the Franklin county seat when Arkansas became a state in 1838. It is rich in history of commerce up and down the Arkansas River, Civil War happenings, bushwhackers’ misadventures and a tale of a lost Spanish treasure. This town is also deep with Switzerland immigrants and history. It is deep within the Ozark Mountains.
Throughout all that we learned while in the area, we did find out the origin of the name Ozark. Apparently when the French came to the area, they referred to it as “Aux Ark” which means “the big bend”, as in the big bend in the Arkansas River. The name eventually developed into how we presently say “Ozark” and thus the spelling changed.
And finally, the last town worth mentioning is a small town in Missouri between Harrison, Arkansas and Branson. It has a population of 4,500. We drove by it so many times and finally decided to check it out. There isn’t much left of their historic district, or much of anything in the town, however, we did see a bit of an English influence, especially in the architecture of Ye Olde English Inn!
We really have enjoyed this area of Arkansas and southern Missouri and will definitely look forward to coming back to explore even more!