Traveling outside the box to help Taney County!

A rather crude effort, but you get the idea.

There is little doubt that the Landings is a very popular destination for many folks year round. Located as it is on Taneycomo Lake there exists all kinds of opportunities to expand services to reach out and to support neighbors towns and villages. Here is one thought that I had which is relatively simple, but which might have a large impact on those local economies.

Bass Pro Ferry Service

The establishment of a ferry service by some entity like Bass Pro that already had dock facilities at the Landings. This ferry would be a full featured craft capable of transporting guests on a scenic trip up and down the river with regular daily service. Of course it would be nice if there were some interesting stops along the way!

Rockaway Beach stop #1

Only minutes from downtown Branson, the Rockaway Beach stop would have shops, an eatery and perhaps even a hotel all in one location where passengers could come to stay for a day or two while getting the chance to dance on the special dance floor that floats on water!

Taneycomo Terrace Cabins stop #2

A small parcel of land that is situated close to Taneycomo Terrace could be developed with small cabins, a pool and a restaurant in a similar vein to what currently exists at Big Cedar Lodge!

Empire Park stop #3

The terminus for the ferry would be the Empire Park, a location that is just begging for careful and considerate development. All manner of eco-friendly park oriented facilities could be erected and maintained to the benefit of the community at large.

'I guess that if you are going outside any box, you might as well travel as far as you can'. Such a large development would take the resources of a number of organizations in order to succeed. But, if something like it were to be implemented successfully, many would benefit!

However, the bottom line is that this idea has the same chance as a snowflake in hell of passage. No entrepreneur would touch it. Like Congress, we are all slowly grinding to a halt under a mountain of regulations, as we will become just another second world country... 

Empire Park looking great in July!

I would guess that a day like this, a Thursday in mid July, is about as summery as you can get. The temperatures, which had been hitting the century mark, have gone down the last few days and today are in the upper eighties. Perfect weather in which to find a spot to sit down and watch the water and the few boats that are out on it. What made this day especially nice was the cool breeze that came in across the water.

I drove over to Empire Park, situated just above the Powersite Dam in Forsyth Missouri, to get in a bit of biking. I’ve found the circuit that runs from one end of the park to the other to be about 1.4 miles. The ground is smooth in some parts and hilly in others, but never so bad as to force me off my bike. Doing the circuit twice gives me a total distance of about three miles and this fits in nicely with my exercise plan.

Surprisingly, there were not very many people out and about on this date. I spotted a couple of boats that were pulling inflatables behind them. Looked like fun for the kids that were bouncing all over the water! There were also the ever present fishermen and boy they are a dedicated lot, I’ll tell you.

I a couple of days, be sure to stop by if you’re in the area, for the annual cookout where contestants will be grilling up all sorts of food for prizes and everyone’s eating enjoyment.