Kansas City & Branson

Branson Bound

October 2017

          Branson? Really? Not exactly on our bucket list, it morphed out of a generous invitation from Marjorie’s sister Mary & hubbie Jeff to join them for a getaway using their Marriot Vacation Club points. First choice Hilton Head unavailable, also Washington and NYC. Then Mary advised that everyone age 65+ should visit Branson MO. Hadn’t heard of that gerontological pilgrimage , but M & J have enjoyed a couple of stays there, so we’ll trust their judgment. The guys can play some golf, the ladies explore shopping, plus many shows and other tourist fun from which to choose. We can fly to their home in Kansas City using our frequent credit-card United miles, then drive south to Branson. Not much Fall color around Albany yet, maybe we’ll see some in Missouri.

10/17-19: ♫Going to Kansas City, Kansas City here we come♫ (Fats Domino, RIP)

          Marjorie flies out a couple of days ahead (Tuesday the 17^th) for extra visiting with Mary and friend Marcia. The night before had frost warnings, so we wisely picked tomatoes. We do get a hard frost, requiring de-icing of planes, delaying her very early flight (5:30), turning her 1-hour layover in Washington into about 5 minutes literally running thru the airport! But she makes it and arrives on time in KC.

          I stay for my regular Tuesday run delivering Red Cross blood to regional hospitals (this time to Kingston, Rhinebeck, and Poughkeepsie) and Wed. evening Mendelssohn Club rehearsal. This one is a “smoker” at the Albany Hibernian Club  ̶  no smoke, but good food, drink, and camaraderie. I have a bit more civilized 7am flight on a clear cool morning (but no frost). I waltz past a very long security line with my TSA Pre-Check, tho I’m randomly selected for a friendly check of my shoes. 

Early to O’Hare for my 4-hour layover. Thankfully I have a United Club pass for a more comfy stay. Here long enough for a transition from breakfast to lunch food. A live piano next to our gate as we board. 

On-time to KC, greeted by Marjorie & Mary, then a 45-minute drive into town. A stop at Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center, formerly an ice skating and bowling emporium. And gerontological karma: there’s a senior expo, “Live Well, Age Well.” I chat up some of the vendors, sharing info about my Colonie Senior Service Centers activities as Board President. 

A brief stop in Overland Park downtown. 

On to Mary & Jeff’s home in Prairie Village. Some splashes of Fall color in their pretty neighborhood, Jeff & I go to a driving range to work on our swings while lasagna cooks for dinner.

Friday, 10/20: “Mini golf and Maxi ferris wheel”

          We hit the road for a 4-hour drive SE to Branson. This will put me very close to Arkansas & Oklahoma, 2 of 3 states I’ve never visited (also Mississippi), but I won’t be so compulsive as to make detours. Thru mostly flat agricultural country, Osage Pecans, Truman birthplace, several superchurches, interesting towns like “Peculiar,” Beef Jerky Outlets. Marjorie is unsuccessful in getting anyone to play Roadkill Bingo. A stop at Lambert’s Café for their specialty “throwed rolls” (still not sure what that is), but too busy. We’ll get lunch later at Shoney’s in Branson. Many billboards for Branson shows, including a series for “The Haygoods” (see later). It’s getting hillier, a pretty sky, some Fall color, pretty Branson water towers as we near. A lovely day, comfy temps.

          We arrive at our Branson home, Willow Ridge Lodge. A shared villa w/ 2 bedrooms & living area, each with TV, kitchen, and balcony. Quite a spread! 

A stroll around the grounds: heated outdoor (closed now) & indoor pools, whirlpool spa, spaces for shuffleboard, tetherball, horseshoes, Frisbee golf, fitness center, game room including pool & foosball. Some wine & cheese on our 5^th-floor balcony, a nice view over the grounds and beyond. 

Resisting the urge to just hang out in our villa, off we go for minigolf at Professor Hacker’s Dinosaur Canyon Golf, a pretty sunset overhead. [Full disclosure: Mary & Jeff have holes-in-one!] 

Winding down in the omnipresent long line of traffic to Branson Landing along the river. A stroll on the boardwalk past an eerily-lit zipline across the river, then a light show at some fountains. Dinner at White River Fish House, part of a Bass Pro Shop. Tasty clam chowder & gator tails for me, fish for the others. 

Our last stop: a 150’ ferris wheel that used to be on Chicago’s Navy Pier  ̶  40 gondolas, 16,000 LED lights. This is a favorite of Marjorie’s so we ride (2 rotations!) and enjoy the view. Mary & Jeff do not partake. Then we all enjoy a music and lights “spectacular.”

Saturday, 10/21: “Water hazards to lasers” 

          A pretty sunrise and nice AM, headed to mid-70s but maybe “severe weather” coming tonight. I stroll a bit while the others wake up. 

To Panera’s for breakfast, but long lines, so Jeff and I get breakfast at Price Chopper (not the same PC as Albany) then past a Veterans Memorial Garden to drop off the girls for downtown shopping while the boys play golf. 

I wouldn’t call this a “golf vacation,” but it’s my first “golf on vacation.” Borrowed a bag from friend Glenn to transport my bag & clubs on the airplane. We play a round, joined by another friendly 2some, at Branson Hills Golf Club, named “the best you can play in Missouri” by a golf magazine. A pretty day, mix of clouds & sun, a bit breezy. It’s a beautiful course, and plenty challenging. Fancy clubhouse, plenty of hills, lots of water hazards & sand traps, nasty fast greens, hawks circling overhead. The usual mix of good & bad shots, fun & frustration. Scores?  ̶  Don’t ask, don’t tell. Suffice to say it’s a good thing I brought plenty of balls! 

Back to the Landing to rendezvous with M & M at Bass Pro Shop, an attraction in its own right. Take-out dinner from Price Chopper.

          What to do next? So many choices! A multitude of shows, including “Tributes” to Marty Robbins, Neil Diamond, 3 Dog Night, and many others (and seems odd to have so many shows that star dead people, from Dick Clark to Elvis), Acrobats of China, Ozarks Gospel, Comedy Hypnosis, Amazing Pets, Dixie Stampede. Shopping at Lakeside Shoppes, Grand Village Shops, Branson Meadows, Tanger Outlets. Dinosaur, History of Fishing, Titanic, and other Museums. Scenic Railway and Lake Cruises. 3 lakes with “world-class fishing.” The mind boggles! 

We follow Mary & Jeff’s recommendation: The Haygoods, in their 25^th Anniversary Season: “Incredible Music. Amazing Special Effects. One Talented Family.” Siblings (now 5 brothers & 1 sister) playing together in Branson since the oldest was 15. The show does not disappoint. Tho we’re reminded of where we are by a sign: “Criminals beware! Concealed carry permit holders allowed here.” A warmup by a high school group. Another high school band group on one side of the auditorium enlivens things with lots of whoopin’ & hollerin’. 

And the Haygoods are  wonderfully energetic, talented, and entertaining. Lasers, flames & smoke, entrances via zipline, LED lights, video backdrops, beach balls, a harp, even tap dancing. We learn something of their history (see www.thehaygoods.com), and Mom takes a bow toward the end. The climax includes Leonard Cohen’s stirring “Hallelujah” and a patriotic medley. DVDs, hug-a-bears, and other items for sale. This certainly captured our Branson expectations.

Sunday, 10/22: “Sunken ship #1”

          A line of storms during the night, very loud thunder (foreshadowing our later troubles). But the day’s weather is OK, cooler in the 50s. Following the usual slow lineup of traffic past “God and Country Cowboy Church” across from “Perfect Shot: Virtual Realm and Gun Simulators,” an “Emergency Donut Vehicle” nearby. A Bob Evans breakfast with a classic diner waitress, “Mamma Donna,” who’s been here 24 years and 53 years as a waitress. The gift shop is full of Christmas stuff! 

          We head for the Titanic Museum, which proves (somewhat to our surprise) quite fascinating (see www.titanicbranson.com). It was founded by the leader of the expeditions that discovered the ship and recovered so many artifacts; videos & photos from those expeditions are exhibited inside. Museum exterior looks like Titanic, complete with iceberg. Also now a pink ribbon and many pink flamingos as part of Breast Cancer Awareness. Upon entering we’re each given a card with the identity of a passenger; I’m Adolph Saalfeld, chair of a group of chemists/distillers in England carrying vials of precious perfumes. We learn later whether our passenger survived (mine did). 

An audio tour: many interesting artifacts, models, life-size recreations of cabins, the Grand Staircase, and Captain’s Bridge, details about each passenger (including pink ribbons for surviving women who later died of cancer). There were 133 children, 64 who died; “mourning bears” were created in remembrance. 10 dogs on board, 3 survived. One gallery dedicated to the 8 musicians who kept playing and all perished. Photos taken by a Father Brown are the only ones of passengers on board.

          Time to head back to KC. Overcast and a bit drizzly, but pretty. Past Fair Play, Humansville, Deepwater and Truman Lake. Nearing KC we reach the edge of the cold front that was causing the line of storms and drive into bright sunshine. Mary’s home-cookin’ and some TV to conclude the day.

Monday, 10/23: “More golf and BBQ” 

          A chilly AM (40s and breezy), but up to 60s later. We scatter: Mary to work, Marjorie to spend time with friend Marcia, Jeff and I to play more golf at Overland Park Golf Club. A pretty day and pretty course: some challenging water & sand again, big Osage oranges lying around. Joined again by another 2some, we play better today. 

Jeff drives us back thru a former country club course now a massive housing and parkland development. All together again and out for BBQ, a KC specialty (advice from one of our golf companions about where to go: “Don’t worry, all the bad ones have closed.”). We opt for Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que. Following Jeff’s suggestions I have a Z-Man Sandwich (BBQed beef brisket) and local Boulevard Wheat beer. Yum! A stop at Foo’s Frozen Custard then a rousing Scrabble game  ̶  Marjorie wins!

Tuesday, 10/24: “Sunken Ship #2 and Eastern storms” 

          The weather that came thru here Sat. night is headed to the East coast. Will this be a problem for our flights tonight? Jeff heads off to discuss exam scores with students; I don’t miss that in my retirement. 

After admiring Marjorie’s ghostly decoration from years back, Mary drives us into KC for the day, nice views of the skyline ahead. 

         

     

They leave me at the Steamboat Arabia Museum; having already seen this, M & M head off to check out shops. The Arabia was snagged by a log in 1856, sinking into “The Big Muddy” Missouri River. It was located and excavated in 1988 from a cornfield then ½ mile from the river; and, as promised to the farmer, the field was restored for Spring planting 4 months later! It’s quite amazing what was accomplished in that time. A brief guided tour ends with a movie about the discovery and excavation, then self-guided thru the exhibits. 

Personal passenger items on the upper decks were swept away by the current (but only 1 casualty: a mule), but so much was recovered from “general store” stuff in the lower holds: 3 million beads, 30,000 buttons, tools, dishes, guns, and on and on. A gallery with boots of all sizes. Coffee beans, pickles, perfume. And 1/3 still being cleaned; a young woman working on some in one of the spaces. Exhibits show trade along the river and life on board, including differences between crowded unsanitary deck accommodations (often for immigrants) and cabins, much like the class differences on Titanic. Many other steamboats remain buried, often unknown, along the shifting routes of the river. This is a fascinating place!

After wandering around the surrounding City Market, I rendezvous with M & M for a stop into nearby colorful Chinese Market. 

Passed by one of the free streetcars as we walk to lunch at quirky Opera House Coffee and Food Emporium. Then off to the airport for our flights home. But as feared, we call to find that our flight to Newark is cancelled due to storms. We continue to the airport, where crowded long lines we expected have not materialized. Can’t get out tonight, instead 5am tomorrow thru Chicago. Rather than making Mary do the long drive back & forth again, we arrange a room at a nearby Quality Inn. Marjorie & Mary check out a nearby thrift shop (always a good option!) while I catch up on e-mail. We say our goodbyes to Mary and thanks for a wonderful stay. A surprisingly good Mexican dinner in a strip mall next to the motel.

Wednesday, 10/25: “Brenda and Rick save the day!”

Up at 2, a few hours of sleep. The motel airport shuttle doesn’t start early enough, so we had reserved a Yellow Cab. But one last kerfuffle: we call to check on it and are told “no driver available yet”! But Brenda working the front desk calls shuttle driver Rick, who’s off-duty but on the premises. A really nice mostly-retired guy. A short drive to the airport. Rick tells us about driving with some buddies to Houston to distribute $10,000 cash directly to people who needed help after the hurricane. We promise to write a glowing TripAdvisor review about Brenda and Rick’s help.

Flights to Chicago and then Albany both depart on-time and arrive early. Tasty “Stroopwafel” snacks on both. Still dark with pretty views of the Chicago skyline as we come in over the lake to land. A long hike to our connecting flight gate. I selflessly let Marjorie use our remaining United Club pass for the 3-hour layover, she gives me muffins and a banana from the motel. 

More views of the skyline taking off and of countryside (with lots more Fall color than when we left) and Albany skyline coming in. Wheels down just after noon. It’s good to be home.

A very enjoyable and relaxing visit with Mary & Jeff plus the good times in Branson. Now lots to do before our big trip next week: Australia, New Zealand, and Tahiti!