We took Interstate 49 south out of Kansas City. At Harrisonville, MO got on 7 highway south, and near Clinton MO, got on 13 highway south. North of Springfield MO got on Interstate 44 east to 65 highway south on the north east side of Springfield, and on the south east side of Springfield, jumped on 60 highway east. Not much to say about these legs of the journey. Mostly 4 lane divided highways. Nice enough drive, with antique shops along the way and small hills. I will say it's a much more pleasant drive than going to Colorado across Kansas.
From 60 highways we got on to highway 125 south, just on the east side of Rogersville. We took this down to Peel's Ferry On Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas. Now this was the road I was looking for. Speed limit is 55 mph for the most part. The warning signs for the curves told you to slow down from anywheres between 30 mph to 45 mph. I didn't slow down much, and dealt with some chastising from my lovely bride here and there. This is a driving road, not one to take in the sights while driving. The views of the hills and valleys were spectacular from what brief glances I could sneak, but you really have to focus on the road. It's a hilly, curvy, windy twisty road that you really have to remain focused on. Lori said the drive felt like being on a roller coaster that goes on for miles. Also, unlike Colorado, there are no scenic overlooks, no real shoulders either. You don't want to really pull over to take in the views. It's a 2 lane country road that was so hilly and curvy, my biggest concern was coming up on someone, or a woodland critter in the road suddenly. Other than that...it was fun.
The videos really don't give the road justice. There really isn't much of anything along this section of road as far as quaint shops, or mom and pop diners. A couple of real small towns that sneak up on you that seem more speed traps than anything else. We eventually made it to Peel's Ferry. We started on this section with the top down, but had to put it back up due to the rain. It was unfortunate since it was perfect temps to be topless in the car. The ferry crossing would've been much more enjoyable if it wasn't raining.
It's a small ferry, but it's free. The crew had it down to a science as far as fitting vehicles on it. After loading the first 3 vehicles, they waved us around a pickup truck pulling a 5th wheel camper. After we got loaded all the way to the front, they parked him right on our backside so all I could see in the rear view mirror was his grill and head lights. The trip across only took about 10-15 minutes, and if it wasn't raining, it would've been much more pleasant.
Now, one of the other things we wanted to do at the lake was stop at a small diner that a friend told us about. Unfortunately I was thinking it was on the south side of the lake, and I believe the place she was talking about was on the north side right before you headed down the hill to the ferry. We saw a sign on the south side that pointed to a diner. It was in a state park, that the woman manning the main entrance said it was free to get in if we were just going there to eat. Lori had to find a bathroom, and we were needing sustenance so we decided to go check it out. The state park is nice, has everything from tent spots, to full on RV hook ups, to rental cabins. The diner looked pleasant, but simple enough, calling itself The Wagon Wheel, but a sign on the door said no restrooms. Needing one we moved on.
We continued on 125, not really seeing any place to stop. We took a right on county road 2059/Locust, and continued on to highway 14, and took another right to head west. Finally found a convenience store, so Lori went in, used the facilities, and got some munchies while I filled up the gas tank. Now, this route was scenic enough, and nice to drive, but not nearly as curvy as the Missouri section. Also, still no place really to pull over to take in the sights, so we just kept trekking on to Branson. One thing, we definitely tell we were in Arkansas, and there's deep religious beliefs here. Lori counted like "Jesus is Lord" signs in various yards along the road. They were all the same, must of been a sale on them someplace. Lori also spotted a couple of guys in pickups that looked like they were straight out of the movie Deliverance. We finally made it to 65 highway, which is a 4 lane interstate more than a highway. Headed north towards Branson, and we could tell we were back in Missouri by the big tower on the west side of the highway advertising they sold alcohol at the store just on the other side of the border. Thinking Arkansas must be dry, as far as alcohol goes, for the most part, and this place must make a killing.
The drive was nice, and we could've done the whole trip to Branson and home on 2 tanks of gas if we went directly there and back. But the side trip was worth it just for the drive itself. Don't take this route if you want to look at the scenery while driving, you really don't want to take your eyes off the road, and you have to remain focused, alert. Also there's no real shops with local flair (or shops of any kind actually) to stop and look around in. Highway 125 is about the drive. As Lori said at one point, "you can tell you're from Kansas if you get excited over hilly curvy roads"
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