Branson Day 6: Time to go

I still had a couple days left on the condo but I have pretty much seen everything I really wanted to and got a good day of fishing in. I was thinking about maybe staying until Saturday and drive home before it got too hot...but it is always too hot. So anyway, I can be hot at home and it's cheaper there -- so I decided to pack up and get on the road.

I needed to make one last errand -- back to the New Balance store to get my shoes. They are expensive but feel good and I need a good pair of walking shoes that will last. I haven't spent this much on shoes in a long time. The process of buying the shoes turned out to be an adventure (seems like everything is an adventure). New Balance must be a subsidiary of Brown Shoe Company so I had to get an account set up with all of my details and what I bought...apparently we are going to have a close relationship. They will send me birthday greetings and, with this purchase, I earned three "Brownie Points" that I can use on something in the future if I get a bunch more. Wow...official Brownie Points.

To my amazement it started to rain before I got back to the condo. It was still sunny and hot as a furnace but there was a little black cloud trying to rain on us. I noticed an odd phenomenon -- it smells funny when it rains after days of 100+ degree heat. It smelled like funky cooked spinach -- like all the grass and other vegetation that was dying in the heat exhaled all at once. The rain lasted about two minutes and the pavement was dry in five and then the smell went away.

Checking out of the condo was easy...cleaning it up to get ready to check out wasn't. I managed to get it organized and I was packed and on my way by about 2:30.

I had two of Jill's rocks that I needed to stash somewhere. She writes messages on rocks and then stashes them at strategic places or has someone do it for her. I know...don't try to figure it out -- just go with it. It is kind of cool based on what she has written and the selected locations. I stopped off at Yakov Smirnoff's and deposited one there and then headed for home. I dropped the other rock off at Hahatonka State Park up near the castle ruins. After that it was a short trip home and I was in the driveway before 6:30.

It was a good trip. I generally have had bad experiences in Branson and expected not to have a good time. The place is too congested and traffic is terrible. Fishing in the lake turned out to be a bust but I had another option that worked out fine. I admit that I had a reasonably good time. The location of the condo and its proximity to the Branson Landing mall which had some decent - not Ozark hillbilly - stuff to do made a big difference. There are a couple things that I would do if I go back again but that will be another time.

Unfortunatly, I learned that Branson (actually Hollister, the little town across the bridge) will have a 65,000 seat NASCAR race track in the not too distant future. The permits and public hearings are taking place now so they will have to squeeze another 65,000 people in before too long.  I won't be doing that.