Circling a Big Chunk of the Ozarks

by Pa Rock
Road Warrior

I saw a television show once, possibly an early episode of Bonanza, where an immigrant had won a bet or somehow come to an agreement with a rich land owner where he would be permitted to own all of the land that he could walk around in a day.  The fellow kept rushing forward and going for more and more land until he finally died of exhaustion near sundown.   He breathed his last and then fell down at the top of the final hill.  The greedy guy who kept wanting more was pronounced dead just after he rolled up against the stake that marked where he had begun – and so his heirs acquired the land, and he, presumably, got a nice burial plot.

I thought of that today as I drove the wheels  off of my little Saturn Vue.   My house guest and I left the Roost early and headed south to Mountain Home, Arkansas, and then west through Yellville and on to Harrison.  We turned north at Harrison and soon crossed back into Missouri.  At Branson we did a side tour to see the famous strip where all of the big stars used to have their theatres – and on to Old Matt’s Cabin.  It was then on to Springfield where I dropped my friend at the airport.  After that I did a bit of Christmas shopping and attended a medical appointment in Springfield.  My trip back to West Plains was due east along Highway 60.

All in all I drove over three hundred miles today in one enormous circle.    If I could claim title to everything I encircled, I would be one rich individual -  with a helluva lot to mow!

(In addition to today's tour, my friend Murphy also got to visit Alley Spring State Park and mill in Shannon County, Missouri,  and the spring and fish hatchery at Mammoth Spring, Arkansas.  He saw quite a bit of the Ozarks in two-and-a-half days!)