Tuesday, Oct. 18

We were up around 7 a.m. on this very cold, rainy morning. After breakfast, we visited Inspiration Tower, a 230-foot-tall structure that
affords a spectacular 360 degree view of the surrounding rolling Ozark hills, which today were in the beginning stages of fall colors. It's said that on a clear day, one can see 90 miles. Certainly, we could see the lake and the far distant hills in the distance.

At this tower, there has recently been installed an extreme zipline, the length of which is 2370 feet, with a drop of 370 feet. The top speed of the zipline is 50 miles an hour, and it arrives at the bottom in one minute. Price? $30. I think not, even if I weren't terrified of heights, and even if I didn't have a heart condition.

The tower, however, is a wonderful place for taking pictures of the scenery. The overcast day helped soften the colors of the trees. Daughter loved this beautiful spot, as did I.

After visiting the tower, we headed to a lunch/show at one of the theaters. The show was very entertaining, but we were disappointed with the lunch, which consisted of a hot dog with chili, a bag of potato chips, a small container of "strawberry soup," and a chocolate chip cookie, for the exorbitant price of $10 and a few cents. When I called to make reservations for the show, I asked if we could skip the lunch. I was told we could do that, but they would still charge the $10 fee, which would be called tax. I was miffed at this rip-off tactic, but I had no choice but pay it, since we already had tickets to the show.

I haven't eaten a hot dog in at least four years, because they are loaded with fat and salt, but today it was either eat it or go hungry.

We thoroughly enjoyed the show, though, which featured a ventriloquist, who is also a comedian and musician. His act included three charming dogs. He obtained the dogs from a local shelter, and he is an avid promoter of rescued animals, as well promoting spaying and neutering pets.

After the show, the performer brought his dogs out front for people to pet. They are adorable, and I enjoyed petting them, but then I had to make a mad dash for the exit, because I had a sudden meltdown thinking about our beloved Shih Tzu that we lost in September.

After the show, we returned to the Amish shop, and visited a couple of craft shops, before going back to the camper for a supper of potato or tomato soup, with pimento cheese sandwiches.

Later, we went to Branson Landing again. This time, the stores were open. We started at Bass Pro Shop to visit the huge nature display and the aquarium. The aquarium features an enormous catfish, as well as an albino trout.

From there, we went to a store that specializes in chairs and other devices that massage the body, legs, and feet. Daughter and I tried the foot massager, which grabs the feet and squeezes the dickens out them, and then massages the bottoms with what felt like wooden rollers. I'm ticklish, so I probably would have removed my feet from the device if it would have released me.

While we were playing with the massager, a lady about my age sat in the next chair and used the leg massager. She commented that it might not be a good idea for her to do that, because as a child of about twelve, she was in a farming accident that severed her right foot, leaving only an artery intact.

This was in the 1950s, but doctors at that time worked many hours to re-attach her foot, and they succeeded. Now she has a little numbness in some toes, and that foot is smaller than the left foot, but at least she can walk on it.

We left the store at 8 p.m. and went to the center of the mall, to enjoy the water feature. Daughter went down front, as close to the water as possible. She was startled when the cannons loudly belched fire behind the 120-foot water geysers. Hubbie and I were farther back, and I couldn't help laughing when she turned around and shot a surprised look my way.

Back at camp, we got ready to hit the sack, since we wanted to arise pretty early Wednesday to head home.