Branson, Missouri

Clinton, OK - Thursday, October 7

Branson, Missouri is the place to visit if you like shows, i.e., musicals, variety shows, comedy shows, whatever. You can find it all here in Branson. We were very pleasantly surprised at how great a place this is to visit. We were expecting something entirely different from what Branson actually is. We had heard that it was the "Las Vegas" of the mid-west. Nothing could be further from the truth. It doesn't have the "glitz" of Vegas, nor are the shows as bawdy (no nudity, no foul language, no off-color jokes), just good, clean fun. Most of the headliners here we NEVER EVEN HEARD OF! They did, however, put on very classy, entertaining shows. Other stars you would have known were way past their heydays, but still put on fabulous shows. Case in point, the Andy Williams Show. We saw this show on Tuesday evening, and even though Andy Williams is 83 years young, he can still belt out the tunes! We thoroughly enjoyed his show, which reminded us of his TV Variety Show of years ago. His revue consisted of four sisters who sang and danced and accompanied Andy on several numbers, the Warnock Sisters; a violinist who is billed as "the world's fastest fiddle player"; a singer who does impressions of various "old timers", such as Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, to name a few. He was very good. To top it all off, he also had an "Elvis" impersonator who was excellent. He really looked like, acted like, and sang like the late Mr. Presley! As I said, a fabulous show, and well worth seeing, if you get to Branson in the not too distant future. Another show we got to see was "SIX", which is billed as the "hottest show in Branson". This show consisted of six brothers, the Knudsons, who sing and perform musical sets using only their own voices! One brother does percussion (drums, etc.); another does a trumpet; one does the bass fiddle (awesome!). Sitting there, you would swear there you were listening to a live band accompanying them. This show was electrifying, if I may say so; thoroughly entertaining. We left the theater feeling like we had seen a broadway performance!

OK, the best part of the shows would have to be the fact that we only paid $30 for two tickets to each show!!! How did we manage that? While walking downtown in Branson, we stopped into a store where they were selling discounted show tickets. Little did we know that these so-called "discounted ticket" shops are fronts for time-share type vacation packages. Soooo, we ended up spending Tuesday afternoon listening to a presentation for "Stormy Pointe", a "Nantucket-style" development on Table Rock Lake! I felt bad for the young man who got us. We let him go through the whole spiel, take us down to see the "houses", then bring us back for the "kill"! I told him that we were only there for the "cheap tickets", and had no intention of buying into anything, no matter how good a deal it might be!!! We got our tickets and ran!

We really need to spend more time in Branson to see everything there is to see. We found out on Wednesday evening that there was so much more to see there when we got together for cocktails with Lynn and Bill Groninger, the couple who own the campground we stayed at. They own a home here in Branson, and have lived there for 17 years! We met them down in Tampa last January at the Tampa RV Super Show. They had the booth right next to ours, and we got to know them. When we got the opportunity to visit Branson, we contacted them and made arrangements to stay at their campground. They are a lovely couple, and graciously entertained us with cocktails at their home. We got to meet Lynn's mom, Bucky, who shares their home. The campground they own is Branson Shenanigans RV Park, and is located on the west side of Branson, on the "Yellow Route", which is the main drag where most of the top-rated shows and hotels are located.

We also got to visit Branson Landing, which is located along the shores of Lake Taneycomo (which stands for "TANEY COunty, MO"), and is lined with high-end shops like Chico's, Coach, et al. It is also home to some of the best restaurants in Branson. The restaurants up on the "strip" are mostly "buffet-type" restaurants, while the restaurants down at "the Landing" are much nicer, and offer full menus of entrees. We had lunch at a restaurant called "The Texas Land and Cattle" restaurant. This was the best meal we ate while in Branson, even though it was only lunch! We had their "Signature Sirloin and Wedge" salad, which is served with 8 oz. of sirloin, cooked to perfection and sliced, a large wedge of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and topped with bleu cheese dressing - awesome!

We are now sitting in a casino parking lot in Clinton, Oklahoma - the Lucky Star Casino, which is operated by some indian tribe, Cherokee, I think. We have a 50 amp electrical connection (no charge). When we got settled and put out our slides, a van came and picked us up and drove us to the casino, where we had a 'burger for dinner. As it happens, tonight is "Men's Night", which means men get a $10 voucher to play a slot machine. I signed up and got my voucher for $10. After we ate, we picked out a "Wheel of Fortune" slot to play. I put my voucher into the machine and began to play. I hit a couple of minor winners, but nothing significant. As my credit was getting down, I began to "double" my bets, to see if I could do any better. As luck would have it, I hit for 1600 points (quarters), in addition to the credits I already had. We walked out of the casino $408.50 richer than we walked in with! Not bad for a free play, eh?? That will help pay for our fuel to Farmington and Mesa.

I have to apologize for not having any pictures to put up here. I am using my new Mac Book Pro, and I don't yet know how to put them here. Maybe I should use my old DELL PC when I blog. Oh, well....

OK, that's all for now. Gotta get some sleep - early start tomorrow.