MO: Chief Winnies

BRANSON OCTOBER CAMPOUT

Four couples met in Branson earlier this month for a do-your-own-thing campout. The Walworths, Heckerts, Rileys & Segos all met at the ABC RV Park on a beautiful fall weekend. After the drive down, the first order of business was a late lunch. We decided on Big D’s BBQ and we weren’t disappointed. Afterward, we strolled around Branson Landing and stopped by Smith Creek Moonshine for sample shots of their twelve flavors of moonshine, along with a bloody mary shot for good measure.

The next morning we made our now annual trip to Top of the Rock. Another beautiful day to drive around the nature trail and have fun along the way.

Leaving our golf carts behind, we decided to have lunch at the Lodge. It’s valet parking only there and the shuttle had a long line, so we decided to put the six of us in one car and drive over. From the looks and smiles we got, the CRV must have looked like a clown car when everyone started climbing out of it.

That evening the group had pizza by the firepit before retiring for an early morning of zip lining.

Another beautiful fall morning was perfect for an adventure. Six Chief Winnies climbed the stairs at Adventure Zip Lines to swing through the trees dangling from a cable. Actually, everyone was connected with all sorts of cables and harnesses that made this a pretty safe experience and they had a great time doing it!

 After the zip lining adventure, we tried another barbeque restaurant, Danna’s. The ribs weren’t so good, but the apple crisp was delicious. That afternoon found us back at Branson Landing looking for something a little less strenuous than clinging to a cable. We watched the water display, and sampled more moonshine, some fudge, and a little bit of flavored popcorn. By then no one wanted dinner, so we just spent the evening decorating Halloween cookies and sitting around the firepit again. Evening was the best time to sit outside because during the day little sweat bees swarmed all around us. I think the tally that weekend was three Chief Winnies and one dog vs one chewed up bee.The Walworths & Rileys were the only members left on Saturday, so we decided to go to Billy Gail’s for breakfast. The wait was long enough for us to drive to the Old Fashion Dough Company in West Branson for some cinnamon rolls and bread pudding, and still get back in time for a good breakfast.
That afternoon we took a ride on the Branson Scenic Railway. With all the trees hiding the view it really wasn’t that scenic, but the clickity-clack and swaying of the railcar made the ride really relaxing as we chatted with our friends along the way.

We ate at Mel’s Hard Luck Diner that night. You probably couldn’t hold a conversation there, but the singing waiters and waitresses were terrific, so it was an enjoyable evening. I’d like to try one of their ice cream sundaes one day (me and six of my friends).

Sunday morning we were all up early to get home in time to watch the Chiefs beat the 49ers.

It was a great weekend!