Ozarks Day 3

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Dogwood Canyon Nature Park


We took the 2 hour tram ride all over the park. It was really neat although the tram was filled to capacity which made for a tight squeeze. For the first part of the tour, you drive along the canyon floor. There are waterfalls and even a chapel built from logs within the park by their maintenance staff. Apparently it is a big hit for weddings. The waterfalls were fairly neat. At the glory hole, you could see giant rainbow trout which was neat. Throughout the trip, we would constantly have to drive through the river making the ride even more interesting. My favorite part by far was seeing the animals. We were able to see elk, bison and longhorn steer. The guide told us that these animals will eventually be served at their cafe as bison burgers. However, the animals come right up close to the tram. At some points, they are so close you could reach out and touch them. They were beautiful and so majestic.

Big Cedar Lodge, then pool time!
It is exactly like it sounds, it's huge. The grounds were very well maintained and it appeared that some of the buildings (restaurants, cafes and such) were very ornate. We just drove around. From the lodge, we went back to Westgate to indulge in the sun and get some rays, after lunch of course - veggie burgers!

Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede
I have mixed feelings about this. I enjoyed it yes but the opening act put me in a perplexed mood. Yes, he was a minority and under normal circumstances among friends, I found his humor incredibly funny. However, given the clientele of this establishment, I felt he was further promoting ignorance and bigotry. Like, for example, when he juggled scarfs, he mentioned it was a big hit in San Franciso OR when he made some joke to the effect that Latino's are only good for mowing lawns. Hilarious, yes, but not for this crowd - they actually believe that's all Latino's are good for and screw the gays. Ok, venting is over. This was a dinner theater. Additionally, when you buy your tickets, you have to decide if you want to be a Yankee or part of the Confederates. I found this incredibly perplexing although, they did conclude with great taste at the end by singing the national anthem and saying that it does not matter because we are all Americans. Ok, done venting for real this time. The dinner was good; they offered a veggie option which was fresh steamed veggies and pasta. Once again the animals were awesome. My favorite part of the show was the pig race. If I ever own a pig, I am definitely naming him or her Ulysses S. Grunt. Although this pig did not win, I loved the name. Then, they pull people from the audience and do cute little competitions like kids chasing hens across a finish line and 2 men throwing toilet seats around a pole to see who will get closer. The north side lost both but as I mentioned before, it ended up not really mattering. It was fun and I recommend it but I cannot say I would do it again. We found out about this particular show from the 1,000 Things to do Before You Die book.

Stone Hill Winery, the Titanic Museum & Westgate
The winery was very nice and quaint. The tours had ended for the day but we were still able to do some tasting. I found a lot of the wines rather sweet, too sweet for me. However, the Kickin' Red was rather delicious and I would have bought a bottle but decided not to, for whatever reason. The server was incredibly nice and acted like she liked her job which I always appreciate. From there, we went to the Titanic Museum. It was pretty neat actually. You are given a card and at the end you find out if you lived or died. I was Carter Ray Dent or something like that - I survived. My mother was the youngest person aboard and the last living survivor at the time she died last year. She died on the same day the boat departed so many years ago. Additionally, the attendant informed us that her brother died on the day it sank numerous years later. Creepy and cool. I enjoyed it - as you can see the museum is a re-creation of the actual ship. Kinda neat. From the museum, we went to visit our sister resort Westgate Branson Woods. All I can say is lame city and so glad my parents chose our location.

Goodnight.

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