44th State: Missouri - Table Rock Lake (Oct. 9, 2012)

A Cyprus Tree???   In Missouri?

Decided to find a spot on Table Rock Lake west of Branson MO.  Thought I might also take in a show at Branson, but just couldn’t wrap my mind around getting into a busy town with hundreds of loud people… and besides the price of a ticket would buy a lot of gasoline.  So, I found this strange little spot… north on Road JJ.  Coombs Ferry Public Use Area, Blue Eye, MO.  It has been abandoned for some reason.

Lots of Oak Trees and Cyprus Trees.  It’s a peninsular that sticks out into Table Rock Lake… and it has nothing on it except old roads, a parking lot, run down picnic tables, and a boat ramp.  But what more does a boondocker need?

A little target shooting, but didn’t find a lot of shells and I felt strangely safe.

And a Boat Ramp!!!  That’s all I need.

There is a picnic table hiding in there.  See it???

I spend the night I arrived, just resting.  It was the most quiet I have had since I left the Colorado mountains.  Below… the paddle… early morning before breakfast.  Fog still burning off.

Yes, it was a Cyprus Tree… on closer inspection, knees!!!!

My new paddle grips are working out splendidly.

Always fun to run across someone else’s fun.

I thought fishermen had gotten their lines caught on the snags but finally realized these lines were carefully and deliberately tied to the snags.  Check it out.  Each line has a weight tired on it… and this one had a bolt.

Not sure what they are fishing for, but they must be large… this hook is laying on my knee and is about the size of my knee cap.  Each line hanging from each tree snag is rigged this way.  Odd.

A Great Blue Heron???

So, that was my Missouri paddle.  I would like it to have been longer and more adventurous but there were just too many speed boats on the lake to really enjoy it the way I like.  Time to move on.

I tried to take a backwoods road down to the Buffalo National River park... but felt like I had dropped down into dog patch hollow... and never could get down to the river... turned around in some farmers' field and high-tailed it out of there. Got that "uncomfortable" feeling they tell us to flee from... and I fled. Ended up the highway crossed the river a few miles farther down the road... and I got out and walked along it. Water level was too low anyway for boating. The trouble with rivers is I usually have to arrange a shuttle back to the van... and looks like all the kayaking places are closed up tight around here.

It’s all rock down there… and people drive right out on the rock… and camp and make campfires.  Nice, odd, I liked it.

Lil’ Morgan, this one is for you.  Camels in Arkansas.

And as I headed back south through Arkansas toward Mississippi, I spotted this unusual sight… wish I had seen them sooner to get a better photo.

Next State: Mississippi