August 1, 2015
We had to pick up our rental boat for a 4 hour rental at 9:30, but we woke up with plenty of time to spare. It was cooler this morning with low humidity, clear blue skies, and no wind–a perfect day for boating. We packed a lunch, put on our swimsuits, put together a beach bag, and took the 5 minute walk from our campsite to the marina. The place was a beehive of activity. All the boats get checked out at 9:30, so we had to wait our turn. We rented a 18′ bass fishing boat which was all they had left to rent on short notice, but it would work just fine for a tour of the lake and a swim.
There were pontoon boats, water ski/knee boarding boats, and paddle boats for rent. There was also a parasailing boat and a sailing catamaran used for swimming and snorkeling. It was finally our turn to get checked out and with our previous boating experience, we were out of there in no time. We motored out slowly through the slow-no-wake zone , right behind the parasailing boat .
Bob was getting his boat “fix” and was ready to power up.
We found a nice cruising speed and turned to go noth up the lake. This map shows where we were allowed to go in our rental boat on Table Rock Lake, but it only shows about 1/3 of the entire lake. This is a huge lake and we started from near the lower righthand corner.
We were told to use this hotel on the hill as a reference point to find our way back.
We motored near the shoreline as safely as we could. With the water level up due to all the rain, some parts of the shoreline may be submerged, we were told, so we kept a safe distance. It was early in the day, so the lake was pretty quiet. The lake has lots of little “fingers” everywhere, so there are lots of nooks and crannies in which to take your boat. This housing development really stood out on the side of the hill.
We drove as far as we could up to the bridge near Kimberling City. The boat traffic was really heavy by this time of day.
The lake was getting pretty choppy by now with all the boat traffic. We picked a quiet cove to pull into to have our lunch and take a swim. On our ride back, we saw the Branson Belle, paddle wheel boat, which was on its lunch cruise.
Table Rock Lake is not as developed as Lake of the Ozarks, another boater’s paradise, so there are fewer houses along the shoreline.
We came back before our alloted time because we wanted to beat the rush back to the gas dock to fuel up. We were alone at the fuel dock, so it went quickly. We were checked in and walked back to the campsite by 1:30. We relaxed in the AC in the trailer for awhile and then made the trip into town for some groceries, liquor, and RV parts. We were back in no time and made some reservations at campgrounds for our trip home. It was nice to be able to relax and chill out at the campsite for the afternoon. Bob cooked chicken on the grill for dinner. Auggie and I took our evening walk and came upon this tenter who had an air-conditioner in his tent. What will they think of next?
We relaxed the evening away as the cicadas sang in the trees. It was another beautiful evening with a gorgeous sunset over the water.
