The number of lives lost in the Oklahoma City Federal Building Bombing in 1995.  Granite and glass contrasting with water and green space create an oasis perfectly suited for reflection.  Starke and cold, empty chairs depict those lost.  Tall and strong, a grand 90 year old American Elm (The Survivor Tree) still stands despite this affront.  It is encircled by the Rescuers’ Orchard that surrounds and protects it.  Lush green grass rings the reflecting pool.  The Oklahoma City National Memorial: wonderful imagery and symbolism beautifully executed

Some 50,000 souls lined up on the borders of the unassigned land in Oklahoma. Cannons fired and off they went each to claim their patch of land. It is hard to image what it must have been like. Horses rearing and straining with nostrils flaring as riders and drivers spurred them forward. People on foot and with hand wagons. The Oklahoma Land Run Monument, in larger than life-size statues, helps recreate the spectacle. It is a bit hidden behind BassPro and the interstates but well worth seeking out.

Interesting tidbit. They claim very little violence among the runners and no lives lost during this mad rush even though for each person their very futures were at stake. Today, we can’t even seem to manage the Black Friday rush for a cheap widescreen without killing each other. Hmmm.

The Mason Dixon Line was a bit blurred out here. Allegiances were divided and fluid.    On Pea Ridge Battlefield, Confederate and Federal armies faced off to determine the fate of Missouri; be it Union or Confederate?   The Union prevailed but as in so many other fields not until many had died on both sides. Only two simple monuments stand here: An obelisk that recognizes Confederate lives lost in 1862 and a granite angel placed jointly by surviving Union and Confederate Soldiers to remember all who have served.

We wandered the aisles in Dick’s 5 &10 on Main Street Branson.  Classic toys and old time candy fill a couple aisles.  There is a huge assortment of comic book superhero stuff from socks to lunch boxes and lots in between.  “Practical” stuff too.  I bought a package of sleep-snug fitted sheet retainers.  Our new mattress is so thick that the sheets pop off the corners nearly every night.  I will let you know if these thingies work.  So much stuff.  My brain went on overload and I didn’t even manage to see it all

South from Springfield on US Highway 65 billboards line both sides of the road as thickly as I can ever recall seeing them. There are over 100 shows playing in Branson and they are all screaming for each visitor’s attention. Once we get to town our home is Table Rock Lake State Park, one of a few pieces of lake side property in the area that isn’t covered with condominiums or huge homes. It is definitely a much more developed place than we typically seek out but we have heard much about the place and didn’t want to pass it up.

So, when in Rome! We have seen two shows: The Grand Jubilee and Dolly Parton’s Dixie stampede. Both shows were great fun. The Jubilee had talented vocalists, hilarious and corny comedy, a great mix of music choices and a knack for coaxing out audience participation. The Stampede is all about horsemanship…spectacular, graceful, and comedic. Bonus, it was a dinner show with great food that was served by wonderfully engaging wait-staff that were as much a part of the show as those in the arena. These two shows are worth checking out. I suspect many of the other shows are also good but I think we have limited out on sequins for now.

As we have moved across the country we have repeatedly crossed the ruts and depressions that tell the tail of this harsh journey. Again we cross that trail here at Pea Ridge. We are near Oklahoma where those who managed to survive were resettled. Poignant.

Trout. They raise about 1 million rainbow and brown a year in the cold water hatchery to release in local waters, mostly Taneycomo lake. It is quite the production since the trout wouldn’t naturally live here. Millions of gallons of the coldest water are drawn from the bottom of the dam and pass through the hatchery ponds each day. Sometimes it isn’t cold enough so they refrigerate it. Sometimes it is too high in nitrogen so they bounce it off baffles to release the N2. Sometimes it is too low in oxygen so they inject liquid O2. They seem to have it figured out though. Survival rates are in the 90+ percent and this is claimed to be some of the very best trout fishing in the US. The blue colored one is a Rainbow variant that can not make yellow so it shows blue.  Weird!

We stumbled upon an Outdoor Show here at the park. It is sponsored by BassPro and is quite the deal.

Fun stuff:  Camo the clown. Not sure where this camouflage would blend in!

Great costume and a great spiel. It is aimed mostly at kids to get them outdoors and appreciating nature but is wonderfully entertaining for grownups too.

Blow darts. I hit the target but would surely starve if I had to rely on this the get my supper. This experience was brought to us by an older First Nations gentleman who shoots blow darts competitively. Who knew?

Cooking and sampling. Dutch ovens, smokers, grills, steamers and lots more. There are lots of ways to make delicious meals. We sampled our way through that exhibit.

Mountain Man contingent.  They were all living the life and demonstrating period skills.  They were great ambassadors of living history.  Makes me want to try it

Cool Stuff

Off road camping vehicles…four wheel drive and high clearance that will take you anywhere. They have lots of gadgets that you just have to have: foldable solar cells (to recharge all the electronic gadgets they take along), portable kitchens, all manner of storage containers, even modular tents where you just zip on another chamber for extra space. Nothing in this category that I had to have.

Backpacking gadgets. A biomass stove. It burns little sticks and leaves and whatnot. A fan keeps it going and part of the heat is used to recharge the fan battery. No fuel canisters to carry or dispose of. Worth a bit more research to see if it is really as good as it sounds. A VERY lightweight cot made by thermorest. Looked pretty good to these aging bones that protest many nights on the ground.

It has been a while, perhaps longer than a whole year, since we have had the boat out just to cruise around. We are at H. S Truman Lake just up river from Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri.   The Osage, Grand, and Pomme de Terre Rivers are held back to create big lake with lots of long fingers to explore. We have hit some really hot weather, 90+ degrees every day, so most of our time on the lake is early in the day then we switch to in the lake as the temperature rises in the afternoon. Eagle and osprey take advantage of the relatively cool mornings too. We have had fun watching them hunt.

The lake is primarily a flood control containment to help manage the flow into the Missouri and ultimately into the Mississippi. There are many fairly lightly used recreation areas and Parks around it so access is easy.  The shoreline is beautifully wooded with oak and chestnut with a few fir mixed in. Fall leaf season should be spectacular. Perhaps we will wander back through here another year late enough to catch the color.