Monday morning was cool with temps predicted in the high 70s. By custom, we stopped for breakfast at the Des Moines Machine Shed off of the Hickman exit. The Machine Shed may be found in six mid-western states and is known for its farming decor, award winning pork products and, in my opinion, great breakfasts. Leaving the Machine Shed, we hooked around the south of Des Moines to pick up Hwy 65 and headed south toward Missouri and Branson. We stopped for coffee and gas in Carrolton, IA, lunch in Sedalia, MO and reached Branson and the Ramada Hotel by early evening. We have stayed at the Ramada on Shepherd of the Hills Parkway for the last four years. Our reasoning for staying there is that is not on the main drag, fairly easy to get to and it has reasonable rates. I think that it’s best not to stay on Main Street (Hwy 76) as the evening shows make the traffic in little Branson tough. Although Main Street may be plugged with cars, if one knows the area, most locations can be bypassed or accessed by side streets. After checking in, we cleaned the bikes and walked next door to the B.T. Bones Steakhouse that offers a full bar, steaks, sandwiches and live entertainment.

407 miles - Des Moines to Branson

Branson, MO annually hosts over seven million people to more than 45 theaters, 80 shows and over 200 outlet retailers. It all started back in 1954 when Red Foley, a legendary country singer, moved to Springfield, MO to host the Ozark Jubilee, arguably the first widely successful network television show. The first show in Branson was the Baldknobber Jubilee in 1959. They built a music theater in 1969, are still performing and have the longest continuously running show in Branson.
In 1967, the Presley family opened the first music theater on what is now Main Street or Hwy 76. Their theater consisted of a remodeled chicken coup and folding chairs on a gravel floor. The Presley Family Jubilee is still going strong with one of the originators, Grandpa Presley, still active in the band.
Approximately 85% of all visitors drive to Branson. The oil crunch in the 70s really affected business so a group of Branson businessmen got together and purchased a supply of gasoline. The “If you get here, we’ll get you back” promotion assured visitors of a free full tank of gas when they left town. Business picked up and the town was saved! Or so the story goes….

After our steaks at B.T. Bones, we opted for a light (and free) high carb breakfast at the motel. We then headed down Branson’s main street and out of town on 76 east. Today’s planned route was to be to the east and south of Branson and mainly across the Arkansas state line. We don’t need to go into all of the road detail here other than to say that I’d be glad to forward the routes, maps, books and road info to you on any of our rides.  The roads in southern Missouri and Arkansas are the best for motorcycling that I’ve seen anywhere. They are well maintained with banked curves and changes in elevation that you can feel in your stomach as you ride over the rises. The other wonder is the lack of traffic. I’ve ridden Arkansas several times and except for in the cities have found very little traffic on the roads. Our route on Tuesday included a cross-lake ferry ride compliments of the Arkansas Highway Department. We called it the Arkansas Navy. As auto ferries are considered as part of the road system, the state maintains the water routes also.

As planned, we reached Bull Shoals, AR and Gaston’s Resort around noon. Established in 1958, Gaston’s is located on Arkansas’s White River. Yes, this is the same White River that was in the political news a few years ago. The river has a reputation as one of the best rainbow and brown trout streams to be found anywhere. The resort is very large with 400 acres; complete boat, motor and guide services as well as a gift shop, golf courses and a 3200-foot airplane landing strip. The restaurant commands a great view of the river and the dock areas. Old tools, motors, bicycles and photos from the past cover the walls and ceilings. The reasonably priced lunch menu offers sandwiches, burgers, steaks and of course, rainbow trout along with their homemade desserts. Their motto: “At Gaston’s it costs no more to go first class”. I would guess that the price of a meal tends to go up for the supper meal.

After lunch we returned to Branson by way of a portion of the famed Hwy 125 that graces both Arkansas and Missouri. If you can think of the attributes of a perfect motorcycling road, Hwy 125 would have them. It’s like riding a roller coaster with the ups and owns coupled with tight-banked turns and long sweepers. The road has been featured in several riding magazines for good reason. After returning to the motel, we spiffed up the bikes, went to eat at the Paradise Cafe and headed for the Pierce Arrow show just up the street from our motel. The Pierce Arrow show consists of a talented band, a comedian, five male and two female singers that sing gospel, contemporary and country. Their new bass singer holds the Guinness world’s record for singing the lowest note at 12 notes below the range of the piano and he has a vocal range of six octaves! After the show, we walked back to the Ramada and called it a day.

Total miles for the day – 284 on bike, 3 by foot.

On Wednesday, the plan was to head east to visit the Mammoth Spring State Park located about 120 miles east of Branson. But first… we stopped at the Branson Cafe in Historic Branson for breakfast and one of their specials. Their Wednesday special consisted of two eggs, two bacon strips or sausage links and toast for $2.99. Another option was one piece of French toast and two bacon strips or sausage links for $1.99.  After breakfast we headed easterly out twisty Hwys 76,160 and 142 toward Mammoth Spring, AR to visit the park.