Lake of the Ozarks, MO. Sept 28th - Oct 3rd

Remember that we were staying one night in Cape Girardeau, MO on our way to Lake of the Ozarks? We had another first on our way to Cape Girardeau. We spent time in FOUR states in one day. We had breakfast in TN before heading out. Spent about 90 minutes cruising through the open fields and farmhouses of Kentucky, where we stopped for lunch. Then about 60 minutes through Illinois before entering Missouri, where we finished our day with dinner overlooking the lake at the Elks Lodge in Cape Girardeau.

Funny story # 1: We also had a first when we pulled into the Elks Lodge. We finally made a wrong turn where we HAD to back up to get out. In case you didn't know, we CAN'T back up with the car hooked up to the RV. Forward only. No big deal, but it was a personal challenge for me to avoid that situation for the entire year. We just unhooked the car, backed up the car and RV, and got to where we needed to go. All good.

Funny story # 2: The Elks Lodge actually has a small boat that you can use on the lake for free. Sounded fun until we read the additional print. You just need to bring your own battery and motor. 🤔😕 Well...we didn't happen to have a spare battery and boat motor with us so we didn't use the boat. 😂

About a 5 hour drive to Lake of the Ozarks where we checked into Ozark Landing RV Park. The park doesn't have many amenities but it served it's purpose, as it was close to everything we wanted to see. It did have a little store and a pool, but it wasn't heated. Staff was friendly and we had a great site with a deck overlooking the river.

Obviously we had to visit the lake so, on Tuesday, we rented a pontoon boat and the crew cruised for the day. We made a stop for lunch at Backwater Jack's Restaurant and explored many coves. The lake is 120 miles from end-to-end so we only saw about 20% of it. It has more shoreline than the state of California and is lined with lots of beautiful homes, bars, and restaurants. Many of the bars/restaurants have pools. The offseason is beginning so it was pretty tame but we're told (and saw pictures) that on a weekend in the summer it's really hard to find boat parking and it's quite the party scene.

Wednesday morning we did a hike with the dogs at Ha Ha Tonka State Park. Pretty easy hike with great views. At the top of the hike is what remains of a wealthy business man's dream of a European style mansion. He started building it in the early 1900s but was killed in one of Missouri's first car crashes in 1906. Plenty of additional history but it eventually became a hotel before being destroyed by a fire in 1942.

Wednesday night we strolled the Strip at Bagnell Dam with the girls. It has a bustling nightlife and we grabbed a burger at Roxie's.

We decided to stay an extra day so we could spend some time with our friends from home. That turned out to be a really good decision. They have a beautiful lakefront home and a couple boats that are equally spectacular.  A bit different than our pontoon rental. 😛 Great day on the lake with visits to Backwater Jack's, Tap & Grill Lakeside Brew Haus, and Hillbilly Yacht Club. 🍾🍹 Thanks again Brett & Sharon!! See you in Florida in November.

More pictures and videos in the "Pictures" section.

I was an easy drive to Branson where we'll spend the next four nights. Enjoy the upcoming weekend!