Branson

Dancing Fountains in action along the White River

A view of our hotel fron the riverwalk

A tourist paddleboat on the White River

The other Hilton in town -where we had dinner last night and the local Branson train station

What is a tourist town with horsedrawn carriages?

My eyes opened at 8:30 this morning but my body didn't stir until 9:15! It sure felt good laying in bed this morning. I needed this day for R&R. Iventured down to breakfast at the Liberty Tavern at 9:45 where upon I found seven others from our group either already enjoying breakfast or just about to do so.

Its another bright sunny, cloudless day in Branson. After a leisurely breakfast I took a walk along the riverfront, read my e-mail, tended to my blog, finished some "washing" chores, then set out to find lunch. Branson is your typical tourist town; right now visited predominately by retirees as I found a parking lot filled with a dozen of so tour buses. Branson Landing is a nice commerical development along the White River filled with restaurants and shops galore primarily for women, the real spenders. At the one end of the riverfront there is a huge Bass Pro Shops, at the other a Harley Davidson store, about the only stores for men to visit.

In the Landings' Square the fountains put on a show every hour set to music. Last hour it was keeping pace with some Creedance Clearwater Revival.

After a quiet lunch I treated myself to an ice cream cone. It is interesting how one's diet changes on a trip like this. While riding, I skip desserts during our evening meal since we ususally don't eat until 6:30-7:00 pm. With lights out at 9-9:30 every night, I learned to stay away from the sweets. The other notable change is alcohol consumption. Last night I had some Merlot since I knew the rest day was next, otherwise I've kept beer and wine consumption next to nil. On the occassions that I had a beer after a day of pedaling I felt a little less than dynamic the next morning, so I tend to pass on the alcohol.

Tomorrow we continue our trek eastward as we cover another century, 100 miles to West Plains, MO. The route guide calls for 9,250' of climbing; a lot of steep rollers 200-400' in elevation change. At the end of the day we'll be 49' higher than we were in Branson. With a rest day and another descent night of rest, it time for another challenge.