2017 - Branson and  Big Cedar Lodge Part 2

Easter Break, 2017

(created Tue. Apr. 25, 2017)

During Easter Break, 2016, we had relaxing fun in Eminence, Mansfield and Springfield, MO, so we planned a similar for Easter Break, 2017, to Branson and the nearby Big Cedar Lodge.

This year, we planned a full week at Big Cedar Lodge. Then, Saturday events for Boy Scouts and Track meant coming home a couple days early. So we have two Branson trips - one five-day trip in April and a weekend in November.

For this trip, we visited Branson for a day, and then enjoyed relaxing time at Big Cedar Lodge, just south of Branson.

This is that travelogue.

-Day 1 - Ballwin to Branson
-Day 2 - Taneycomo Fishing and Branson-to-Big Cedar Lodge
-Day 3 - Dogwood Canyon - TROUT!
-Day 4 - Fun in The Rain and Big Cedar Flowers in the Rain
-Day 5 - Driving Home

This page presents

-Day 3 - Dogwood Canyon - TROUT!

image source:

http://www.bigcedar.com/d/bigcedarlodge/images/Logo_Canyon.png?1442872830

Day 3 - Dogwood Canyon

Mom and Dad learned about Dogwood Canyon as they prepared for the trip. Dogwood Canyon. A co-worker had encouraged Dad to go, and reviews they saw were encouraging, so we planned to go and walk or bike the trails, see the treehouse built by the TV show Treehouse Masters, and have other fun.

“The purposes of the Dogwood Canyon Foundation are to promote natural conservation and preservation, and to preserve the natural environment and its wildlife and plant life by acquiring and maintaining ecologically significant, undeveloped land and preserving it for the benefit of the general public. To achieve its purpose, the Foundation owns, operates and maintains Dogwood Canyon Nature Park.”

Dogwood Canyon is about 25 minutes west of Big Cedar Lodge, on Hw 86.

It’s open to the public. So, whether or not you stay at Big Cedar, we strongly recommend you visit... you can go for just an hour, but we’re sure you’ll want to spend at least half a day there, if not the full day!

As we walked up to get our tickets, Abby and Dad both immediately saw the price for fishing. And our plans changed... for the better!

We briefly visited the museums, which deserve more time, as they have...

... a mill wheel

... one of the world’s few full skeletons of the stag moose,

... bison,

... and much adventure and learning opportunities

And we saw this great map showing the many springs of Missouri... helps us appreciate what we saw at Greer Spring and Round Spring last year.

TROUT!

But we quickly made our way to the bikes, then Abby and Dad rode back and got the fishing gear from the van, and loaded it into the bike buggy. All four rode to where Bryan, who works there, recommended... we set up fishing just behind the chapel. Matt and Mom rode the rest of the trail and then rejoined Abby and Dad. By that time both had a fish... Abby caught her first fish while Dad was still taking his out of the net!

By time we were done, we had caught eight total fish, and it was almost nine, but the big one would not stay on Abby’s line... it got away!