This was our first trip to Table Rock. We usually go to Lake of the Ozarks, but had heard great things about TR's water so decided to try it. We were not disappointed! WOW! The water was incredible! It was so calm and flat we couldn't believe we were on such a large lake. My brother-in-law and I would just look at the water and shake our heads. It was great for wakeboarding and kneeboarding, too.

The only "downside" could also be seen as its "upside" - not much development. We stayed in Cape Fair which has almost no facilities. One of the thing we like about LOTO is all the restaurants on the water. We had to go miles and miles to find any on TR from where we were. The upside of this, obviously, is the lack of boat traffic and calm waters.

When we go to LOTO, we sometimes stop and see our friend Boatnatic and his family. This year I called him and found that they were going to be at TR at the same time we were. So we got to spend an afternoon on the water together. That was fun.

Our house was on a cliff overlooking the water with terrific patio views. We were very comfortable. The drive into town was not bad either. We went to Branson one day for go-cart fun. Had a great time there on some really wild tracks. Check out www.bransontracks.com where we rode the Wild Woody and the Lumberjack.

I now know how to change my fuel filter. I must've gotten some bad gas or had some condensation in my tank already. The day before I had put 49.9 gallons in my 50 gallon tank. YIKES! After idle motoring out of the no wake zone, it coughed and sputtered repeatedly and kept dying. I limped it back to the dock and called Randy at Lake Viking Marine. He walked me through the fix and in 1/2 an hour I was back on the water.

We really loved the lake. We will probably go back, but will look to stay nearer to either Shell Knob or Kimberling City for more on the water facilities. Also, it was a pretty long drive. So I will try to figure out better routes next time.

All-in-all it was a great time and I would recommend this lake to anyone.

Now, let's see if I can show some pictures.



This is a photo of our 240 and Boatnatic's 246 in the water just below our rental house.



Nice water huh?



The bluff in the background must be 200 feet high!



No, I am NOT having fun, REALLY!



Wakeboard instruction. Check the water!

Did the pics wrong....

Adversary - you're not the only one who has posted that they must have gotten some bad gas at TRL. They got theirs at the marina (don't recall which one) Did you get your's at a marina too? You put 49.9 gallons in your 50 gallon tank???? You don't beleive in cutting it close, do you??

Maybe Admin Mike can fix your pic's so that they show up.;

So, how is old Fate? Does he mostly hang at LOTO? You need to tell him that he's missed here at BABC.

Not sure of the order but here are some pictures of your trip.

Got some more pics?

BTW, where are these lakes. If you drove to them from Colorado, they must be far as I was under the impression that they both were in OK or something like that.

MO/AR border

Good pics!!

Oh, Clinton Country.

That's a drive from CO. Isn't there any lakes in Eastern Colorado?

Oh, THAT Clinton....Monica's ex-!

Nice shots Adversary98. Isn't it fun to boat on water that is flat like that most of the time!

Ad98,
Good to see that you made the trip to Table Rock. How is Boatnatic?? I think of him and his family often, as we BBQed dinner with them one night at Lake Powell- 5 years ago!! I can't believe it's been that long!!
Sounds like you all had a great trip. Great pics, thanks.
Well take care...
LBS

Got to love the Ozark Mountains!!

Yes, glad you liked TRL...

I agree, the drive from Denver is a killer..... Way too long, but still worth it for one week a year.....

Nice pics!

This is the first year in 5 or 6 that we haven't spent a week at TR. Man, do I miss it. Great pics!

Thanks.

Looks like a great trip! Those shorelines are really scenic!

All: Thanks for the comments on the pics. (And thanks On Holiday for putting some into the post.) I have more but I need some help posting them in a post after I upload them to the BABC photo site. Once they are on the BABC site, How do I put them in a post? I've got some great ones of watersports to show.

Bowline, I did not mean to cut it close, really! One thing about my gas gauge is that it shows full, 3/4, and then empty. Never had a boat gas gauge worth a darn. I got the gas at Cape Fair Marina. It is small and old. Soon there will be a new gas dock at "The Hideaway" about two to three miles up the lake. I wouldn't be surprised to see Cape Fair Marina have serious problems when The Hideaway opens. I also told Fate he is missed. He, like me, said he's been really busy but will look in and think about posting from time to time. He is not a big fan of LOTO, I don't think. He goes to TR and on some river trips or goes to local lakes, I think.

deepv, Table Rock is in SW Missouri. LOTO is in south central Missouri. It took us about 12 hours to drive to LOTO in the past. TR took 3 more hours. But, I don't think I (my gps really) selected the best route coming home. I think I can shorten it next year. We will go back as there is no water like TR even remotely close to Denver. Our largest "local" lake is in Pueblo, an hour and a half away. It is a few miles long and about a mile or so wide. Lake Powell is about 8 - 9 hours away, but it is a more challenging drive as it is over the mountains and involves many miles of 2 lane twisting and hilly highways.

LBS, We really enjoy Boatnatic and his family. They are great people. We try to see them each time we go by on our way to Missouri. They have BBQ'd food for us more than once on friday nights as we stopped in on our way to the Lake.

Thanks again for the comments, all.

Make sure you have [img]http: address[/img] with no spaces. after the picture is posted, you can click on a little button and it will give you the http: address link. you can copy and paste that link to the thread. If I can do it, then by all means you can do it.

Looks like a great trip Ad. I've heard it's a great lake.


My 240 has the same gas gauge as yours. Except it skips 3/4 when somebody siphons the gas out of it.

You did take the long way. From the Springs, I have made it in 13 hours towing, worst was 17 bit we had a 6 week old which made it quite the adventure. We will be there in 3 weeks, can't wait for that clam water instead of the mess in Pueblo.

Whoopee! Now I got it! Thanks On Holiday!

Here are some kneeboarding pics:











The kid can ride. It is so fun to watch the boys have fun.

Adversary98,

Thanks for the great pics and write-up

Hmm... calm water, low traffic, meeting friends on the water, a beautiful place to call home for the week... and go-karts mixed in.
The drive sounds well-worth it to me

Great stuff Ad98,

Thanks for sharing it. So, if I am hearing you right, TRL has much more calm water and more often than LOTO? What about during the week at LOTO? Still much more chopped up?

Are there ANY amenities really at TRL that you can go to by boat? Or just land based nearby and in Branson area?

Long hike for groceries, restaurants even on land from where you stayed?


Looks like you had a great time. Thanks again!

Justified Too,

I have not really seen any water on LOTO that compares to TR for overall calmness. During the week, there are a few coves that can be okay, but not like TR.

There ARE places on TR with amenities, just not up the James River Arm in Cape Fair where we were. We boated to Kimberling City and found restaurants on the water there. But when you figure in the gas prices to get to and from..... those were some expensive meals! We will try to stat closer to either Kimberling City or Shell Knob next time. There are amenities there. My BIL put his boat in down near Branson the day we left and said there were lots of amenities there, but the water was not as calm - but still no LOTO.

Cape Fair was about a 20-30 minute drive to West Branson were there was a Super Wal-Mart. That was plenty convenient enough for us. Branson itself was another 10-15 minutes. Most better restaurants were there. We ended up cooking out at the house and eating out about half and half.

The first night we were there, we ate at what is probably the worst restaurant I have been to in the last 10 years. It was in Cape Fair (which is tiny) and named "Keeper of the Flame". They supposedly had BBQ. They brought us in off the road with a sign twirler and a sign that said "Live Band". When we got inside, it smelled a little "funny" so we asked to be seated outside and were told that we would LOVE it because "THE BAND IS AWESOME!" It was an old building/converted residence so I overlooked the smell. I mean hey, ... the band is awesome, right? BBQ? It's all good. We go outside and sit at picnic tables "Can I get you something to drink?" "Yeah, what kind of beer do you have?" The kid looks at me like I just spit in his hand. "We don't have alcohol." UH-OH! We see a liquor store next door. "Can we buy our own and bring it over?" "Sure." (He fails to mention the place is CLOSED.) Meanwhile the band has just been sitting around not doing anything. When the kid asks to take our food orders, the band starts up..... GOSPEL! Not that contemporary their-gonna-burn-in-hell-anyway-rock 'n roll-christian music either. These folks obviously came from the tent revival just up the street. I can't breathe! I am laughing uncontrollably because we all just tried to order beer and margaritas! My wife pokes me in the ribs. Laughing harder now. I feel bad and am laughing at myself because I must now look like a real heathen - even though I am not - I just am not like these folks. "THE BAND IS AWESOME!" Does not compute the same way for me. Anyway, now I surely made someone mad because the sky starts to really darken. The "food" comes. NOT GOOD! All over cooked and dried out. The potato salad explained the funny smell inside and the burgers were like charcoaled pucks. The rain starts. Then the lightning. We swallowed what we figured wouldn't kill us. (Overcooking kills germs, right?) Got the bill and we were gone. Nobody died.

Must be sumpin' in the water down there. Last Sat. night was our last night down there. We went to some little eat-em-up joint for dinner. I can't even remember where it was(I was already half pie-eyed).

We walk in, sit down and notice the live music sign. I'm thinkin' "cool. live music, cold beer, life is good". Bring me my first beer at what was roughly 60 degrees F. Not good.

What about the live music you ask?

One guy with an accordian.

The food was good, tho.

My ribs hurt from laughing.

Good stuff!