It’s hard to believe that in the four years I’ve been in Indianola, I’ve only had one vacation that was not a three-or-four-day long weekend getaway.
The last one was in July of 2018.
I’m happy to report that this column is being written in the friendly confines of phase two at Table Rock Resorts outside of Branson, Missouri.
My mother was kind enough to reserve a massive condo here, and all 14 of our immediate family met here last Friday night.
We’ll be safe and sound back in Indianola tomorrow.
I have to admit that I didn’t know much about Branson before arriving last week.
Mostly, my uninformed opinion of the town was that it is largely a tourist trap.
There are plenty of tourist-trap-type things here, but overall, it has been a fantastic experience.
I waited a few days to write this column so that I could tell a little bit about our adventure in real time.
We’ve only been here four full days, but it has been the busiest four days I’ve spent in a long time.
Don’t be surprised if I don’t need a vacation from my vacation next week.
After spending much of Saturday afternoon in the pool, things really got started for us on Sunday when we took the kids to a show called Amazing Pets.
If you have young children, and you happen to be in Branson, you will want to check this one out.
It’s a lot of family-friendly fun full of stand-up comedy and dog, cat and bird tricks.
The best part was when our Ellie (5) and Sarah (3) got to go on stage three different times to interact with the show’s producers.
The show’s emcee asked all of the kids in the audience to come on stage to tell their own joke.
Ellie and Sarah were brave enough to go up there, but they sort of froze when it came to telling their jokes.
Both told knock-knock jokes. Both ended in “carrots.”
They were adorable, though, and they had a blast at that show.
Later that day, the entire family took a trip to the Wild World animal exhibit.
I’m not much of a zoo person, but I do love snakes. Not all reptiles, just snakes.
This place was great. Not only did they have a lot of exotic snakes like cobras, Gaboon vipers and even some American snakes, these creatures were actually moving around quite a bit, putting on a show.
The girls loved the sharks, sea turtles, stingrays and other animals in the exhibits.
It was truly the most bang I’ve ever gotten for my buck at an animal exhibit.
Monday’s treat was a trip on Branson’s scenic railway, a two-hour drive through the Ozark Mountains and some of the more rugged terrain in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas.
Tuesday was the best of all. The entire family went to Silver Dollar City. If you’re not familiar with this place, it’s simply an amusement park, with lots of rides and roller coasters.
I love roller coasters.
I have to admit that as I get older, they do take a different toll on my back and neck than they did a decade ago, but I’m willing to pay the price for the excitement the rides provide.
The best part was that we went in late June and the rain cooled our adventure off about 15 or 20 degrees from the blistering heat we encountered when we first arrived.
Vacationing has been great, but I am ready to get back to Indianola and back to work in the office.
I’m not sure when our next long getaway will be, but I hope it won’t be three years until the next one.
See y’all Friday, and Happy Fourth of July.
