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Ripley's Believe It or Not (3 of 10)
https://www.arkansascarl.page/2023/12/grand-country-buffet.html (4 of 10)
Grand Country Buffet (4 of 10)
After calling the Chinese restaurant we wanted to eat at Thanksgiving evening to see if they were open, and not getting an answer, I called the Grand Country Buffet, and they were open. So, we drove back clear across town.
We passed several other restaurants on the way, which were all packed. Once we arrived at what looked like a very busy shopping mall where everything was, 'Grand Country', we found a parking space and went inside.
Everything was decorated for Christmas outside and in. There was also a line we had to wait in for about half an hour.
Once we reached the front of the line, we could see the price. It was twice as much as I was expecting, but there was no way I was leaving and going to another place only to wait in another long line. We were shown to our seats and the buffet was on.
They had many of the traditional Thanksgiving foods. And with paying double the price, I went back again and again to get double my money's worth. I thoroughly enjoyed it and ate way too much. Destiny also found plenty of good food.
https://www.arkansascarl.page/2023/12/titanic-museum.html (5 of 10)
Titanic Museum (5 of 10)
Our first stop Friday morning after leaving the condo was to go to the Titanic Museum. Destiny was very excited to go to the museum. She hadn't seen any of the movies, including the most famous by James Cameron, but she does of course know the story.
Destiny was Master Frankie Goldsmith and I was George Rosenshine. These were real people on the Titanic. On each of our boarding passes was a biography for each. As we went through the museum, we were able to not only see recreations of what it was like on the ship for each class, the children, and crew. They also provide lots of facts, including information about the many dogs that were on board.
There were many artifact recreations from clothes to jewelry to tableware. And all the staff were dressed in costume and acted in character.
This was the best thing we experienced in Branson on our two day vacation. We took our time, and at the end was a gift shop where we found many quality and fair priced souvenirs. I bought a new jacket for Destiny and a few others things for Christmas gifts. I will make a separate blog post about Christmas where you can see the other things we got here and at other places.
Aquarium at the Boardwalk. (6 of 10)
After we finished at the Titanic Museum, we proceeded to the Aquarium at the Boardwalk.
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Branson Hollywood Wax Museum (7 of 10)
After a quick lunch a McDonalds, we went to the Hollywood Wax Museum, which offered several activities. The first was Hannah's Maze of Mirrors. Followed by the Castle of Chaos, a 4D shooting game. Then, Shoot for the Stars mini-golf. And finally, the wax museum itself.
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Leaving Branson (10 of 10)
We stopped to admire the Christmas tree all lit up after we exited Marvel Cave.
Since I ate at Silver Dollar City and Destiny didn't, I ordered a pizza for her when we returned to the condo.
I got in the jacuzzi tub to soak my sore leg muscles from all the walking and climbing.
We woke the next morning, check-out, and went to Shoney's for the breakfast buffet before heading home.
In all the trip was:
2 people
3 nights ($430)
2 days
tickets ($600)
gas ($70)
food ($200)
souvenirs ($200)
$1,500
Marvel Cave (9 of 10)
The final stop at Silver Dollar City was to have a lantern tour of Marvel Cave. Silver Dollar City, and that matter the majority of what makes Branson a tourist destination, would not exist if it wasn't for this cave. The following is shared from different resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Cave
https://www.tripster.com/travelguide/learn-the-history-legend-of-silver-dollar-citys-marvel-cave/
https://www.silverdollarcity.com/theme-park/attractions/rides/marvel-cave/
Silver Dollar City theme park evolved around the entrance to one of nature's greatest wonders, Marvel Cave. In 1894, Canadian entrepreneur William Henry Lynch and his two daughters, Miriam and Genevieve, opened the cave as an Ozarks tourist attraction. For more than 50 years, Marvel Cave operated as a tourist show cave. In 1950, Hugo Herschend, a Danish immigrant from Chicago, his wife Mary and sons Jack and Peter, leased the cave. By 1960, the Herschends introduced their 1880s Ozark Mountain Village, Silver Dollar City theme park. The theme park was literally built around the entrance to Marvel Cave, upon the foundations of a genuine 1800s mining town - Marmaros.
The Early Days of "The Devil's Den"
In 1541, Spanish explorers entered the cave hoping to uncover riches and possibly the fountain of youth. Then, in 1869 explorers descended into the cave looking for priceless mineral deposits. Led by Henry T. Blow, a St. Louis lead industry leader, the party traveled by horseback to the entrance of Devil's Den. One by one, the miners lowered themselves over 200 feet down into the vast unknown blackness. They carried lanterns for light and spent hours studying the cave walls carefully searching for signs of mineral deposits. The miners returned to the surface late that evening having failed to discover the lead ore they sought, but convinced that marble could be found inside the cave. Their report sparked the interest of area locals who decided to rename the cave, Marble Cave. It was not until after Mr. Lynch's death in 1927, that the cave's name was changed from Marble to Marvel Cave. In fact, no marble was ever mined from Marble Cave, only bat guano.
Marvel Cave was first discovered by the Osage tribe in 1500, described by geologists in the 1860s and explored in the 1880s by people who lowered themselves on ropes 200 feet into the main chamber.
The park has seen 79 million guests since it opened on May 1, 1960, according to Silver Dollar City.
Cathedral Room
Your first stop in the magical Devil Den is the Cathedral Room. A winding staircase bequeaths panoramic views of the cave, transporting you to another world even before you alight.
The Cathedral Room is tall and wide enough to fly five hot air balloons simultaneously. In 1994 five hot air balloons were launched inside Marvel Cave to celebrate its 100th anniversary.
Mammoth Room
Over 80,000 bats belonging to at least three different species cling to the wall of the Mammoth Room. As strange as the sight is, it's oddly soothing to see so many of them "hanging" in peace.
Lakes Passage
Located just beyond the Mammoth Room is the Lakes Passage containing two lakes named after William Lynch's daughters.
Lakes Genevieve and Miriam run almost 34 feet deep and even contain underwater passages! Much exploration has revealed ends to some of the submerged passageways, but many others remain uncharted.
The Spring Room
Spring doesn't come to Marvel Cave. It lives here.
The Spring Room sports several waterfalls and bright orange walls, a wonderland of its own. The walls owe their color to orange calcite mineral deposits. Think quartz with orange coloring!
Fun Fact: The Spring Room waterfalls are so beautifully concealed that they gave rise to the "fountain of youth" theory.
The Harold Bell Wright Passage
It is unimaginable that such resplendent beauty would not have inspired a writer's heart. Inspire it did and with such precision that it produced a bestseller.
Harold Bell Wright wrote parts of The Shepherd of the Hills inside this very part of Marvel Cave. Being friends with the Lynch family came with the added perk of unrestricted access to Marvel Cave. Sitting in a cabin within this passage, Wright designed his Ozark people literally from within the heart of the mountains!
The Bald Knobbers
According to Silver Dollar City park legend, a local group of vigilantes who later turned into outlaws called the Bald Knobbers were known for throwing people through the sinkhole into Devil's Den around the mid 19th century. Though it's possible that roving Bushwhackers and outlaws could have chosen to dispose of their victims through this sinkhole, the Bald Knobbers did not form until 1883 (starting-up in neighboring Taney County) and were replaced by an unofficial chapter in 1886 within nearby Christian County, with unofficial chapters in other counties (including Stone County, where the cave is located) later than that.
Despite there being no written evidence to substantiate it, it's possible that Stone County's unofficial Bald Knobbers used the cave for various uses sometime in 1889, between the time the mining operations ceased and late October of that year when it was purchased for sightseeing tours.
Marmaros
Marmaros (or Μαρμαρος, Greek for "Marble") was a small town that formed along with the Marble Cave Mining and Manufacturing Company in 1884. Originally called Marble City, it was located on the rough hilltop near the cave and recorded a plat map at the courthouse in Galena, Missouri. Marmaros contained a hotel, general store, pottery shop, white oak furniture factory, and was rumored to have a saloon. The town turned into a ghost town in 1889 after the Marble Cave Mining, Co. closed. When the Lynches bought the cave, the town was burned to the ground by the local group of vigilantes known as the Bald Knobbers.
The Lynches
On October 30, 1889, William Henry Lynch, a Canadian miner and dairyman, purchased the cave and the square mile of land around the cave where Marmaros was located for $10,000. After coming to Marvel Cave, he found that Marmaros was burnt to the ground. Lynch, with the aid of his family, proposed to open the cave to sightseers. The Lynches began operation of the sightseeing venture in 1894 with a grand celebration and a few visitors. The cave has remained open since, making it one of the oldest continuously running tourist attractions in the Ozarks.
When William Lynch died in 1927, ownership of the cave passed to his daughters. Shortly thereafter, the name of the cave was changed to Marvel Cave. The Lynch family operated the cave for over fifty years.
The Herschends
A Chicago vacuum cleaner salesman, Hugo Herschend, purchased a 99-year lease on the cave in 1950, from The Lynch sisters.
After Hugo Herschend's death in 1955, his wife Mary took over the day-to-day operations of the cave. With the aid of her two sons, Jack and Peter, Mary Herschend was able to make vast improvements to the cave. They added concrete paths and stairs to the cave, and a tower from the sinkhole to the top of the debris pile. Also, they added a narrow gauge funicular (cable-pulled) railway in 1957, whose trains pulled visitors a distance of 218 feet (66 m), from the depths of the cave up to the surface. Before building the cable train, the Army Corps of Engineers said that it could not be built, because a cable train can not make a turn like the one the Herschends planned. The Herschends built it anyway, and it is still in operation to this day.
Once the cable train was in operation, the Herschends decided to recreate the mining village Marmaros, for tourists waiting to go on a tour. It opened in 1960, and grew into Silver Dollar City.
In 1972 Genevieve Lynch died and bequeathed the cave to the College of the Ozarks and the First Presbyterian Church of Branson. The Herschends continue to operate the property under lease.
Rooms and passages
- The Cathedral Room is one of the largest cave entrance rooms found in North America. The room measures 204 feet (62 m) high, 225 feet (69 m) wide, and 411 feet (125 m) feet long. Entrance to the cave is made through a sink hole which is 94' deep. Two large openings are at the bottom of the sink. Rocks, trees, dirt and animals falling through the sinkhole and falling boulders from the ceiling throughout the centuries has left a debris pile measuring 124 feet (38 m) tall. This pile is sometimes referred to as the Underground Mountain. On July 7, 1963, an underground altitude record was set by Don Piccard by flying a hot air balloon around the massive room. Later, in 1994 five hot air balloons were flown simultaneously in the Cathedral Room in celebration of the 100th anniversary of giving cave tours.
- The Mammoth Room is where the majority of the bats choose to hibernate. In 1869 Spanish style ladders, small trees with notches carved in them, were found in the Mammoth Room by Henry Taylor Blow, one of the first known explorers of the cave.
- The Dungeon is a passage located next to the Cathedral Room. The entrance can be made through a small crevice located 80 feet (24 m) below the sinkhole entrance. Blood like stains cover the walls due to the abundance of iron oxide, which led some early cave guides to claim the Dungeon Passage a torture place of the Spanish Explorers. The passage has an entrance through the Mammoth Room as well.
- The Lakes Passage is past the Mammoth Room and contains two lakes named Genevieve and Miriam, after the daughters of William Lynch. Divers have explored the lakes and have found several under water passages. The deepest they went was around 110 feet (34 m). The two lakes are long and were once thought to be a river, known as No-Name River. Genevieve later led an expedition of the passage and discovered that there was an end to the water filled passages. Her party found that the cave continued up hill. The passage has been explored, but not entirely. The last room explorers have discovered is a tall terminal dome pit that contains two small water falls that makes climbing to the top very difficult. Many have tried and failed.
- The Spring Room A small crevice behind a tall column known as the Sentinel lies the Spring Room. The room is covered in orange calcite and contains several waterfalls that looks and sounds like rain fall. Legends have spread about the water being magical, possibly the Fountain of Youth.
- Serpentine Passage connects the Cathedral Room and the Egyptian Room. The route displays perfectly the way that water used to flow through the cave passages.
- Egyptian Room / Shoe Room Genevieve and Miriam Lynch had a fondness for the study of Egypt and this flat smooth desert like room reminded them of a pyramid. Within the rocks of the room they saw King Tutankhamen's Sarcophagus, The Sphinx's Nose, Arrow Head Entry, and Cleopatra's Sandal. The ceiling is shaped like a large sandal or shoe, leading some to call it the Shoe Room. The flat smooth ceiling was once mistaken for Marble.
- The Gulf of Doom is located under the "heel" of the shoe print ceiling. The great pit was once thought to be bottomless. Rocks would be thrown into the darkness, but no sound would ever resonate. The superstitious thought it was a gateway to the underworld, when the true reason was simple: large amounts of clay and bat guano were covering the bottom of the gulf's floor over 100' below.
- Cloud Room or Cloud Land has a rough porous ceiling. The ceiling is made of dolomite and looks like low hanging clouds.
- Tall Man's Headache / Fat Man's Misery is a passage with a low ceiling and narrow sides, the smallest passage in the guided tour. It is about 4 feet (1.2 m) 7 inches (18 cm) tall, and 7 feet (2.1 m) long.
- The Harold Bell Wright Passage is before the Waterfall Room during fall and winter tours. Harold Bell Wright, the author of The Shepherd of the Hills, was friends of the Lynches, and stayed in the cave for days at a time. There is a cabin located in the passage where Harold Bell Wright stayed. Some people believe that he wrote parts of his book in the cave. Inside the cabin he painted a picture of his book's character, Maggie. The Cabin that is there now is a replica, not the original, although it uses some of the same wood.
- The Waterfall Room is the lowest room on the tour, 505 feet (154 m) below the surface. The source of the water is from the underground stream named The Lost River. This room can flood to the ceiling during times of rain.
- The Mud Passage is located between the Waterfall Room and the Mystic Pool Room, named for the mud in the passage during early tours, which has since been cleared out.
- The Mystic River Passage is a small water filled passage that eventually opens up to the second largest room in the cave. The room is called the T Room and is in the shape of the letter T. The cave extends beyond the T Room, but the passage becomes much smaller and narrower than before. To enter the passage one must lie on their back and keep their face above the water. The passage is extremely tight and filled with mud and water causing many to call it the "Sewer Pipe." The end of the passage has not been reached.
- The Mystic Pool Room is the room in which the Mystic River Passage is located.
- The Elves Chamber is the top of the terminal dome pit extending upwards from the Mystic Pool Room. Numerous calcite formations can be seen in this area of the cave. The ceiling is filled with long stalactites and covered in helictites. The entrance to the Cable Train Tunnel is located in the Elves Chamber making it the last room on the tourist trail of Marvel Cave.
Notable formations
- Blondie's Throne is a flowstone located near the end of the tour of the cave, the name comes from its obvious resemblance to a throne. The name "Blondie" comes from a story about a boy (Charles Smallwood) who was lost in the cave in the late 19th or early 20th century. He was later found sleeping near this formation, and the first thing they saw in the candlelight was his blonde hair. While there is a legend that some substance in the cave turned his hair blonde, it is more likely that the boy was known for his blonde hair.
- The Liberty Bell is a 55 feet (17 m) tall stalagmite, Although it started out on the ceiling near the Serpentine Passage as a stalactite. It gets its name from its shape, and the crack on its side. The crack was made when it fell from the ceiling, and now it is on the cave floor. After falling, it continued to grow on the floor. It is hollow and can fit four to five adults inside. It was originally called "The Great White Throne".
- The Sentinel is a column located in the Cathedral Room, right in front of the passage that leads to the Spring Room. It used to be referred as "The Spring Room Sentinel" Tour guides also say that it is the only thing supporting the dome of the Cathedral Room.
Marvel Cave is host to a variety of bats and salamanders. Marvel Cave has been recognized for its outstanding work in preserving its colony of endangered Gray Bats.
I am very thankful that the train to take us out of the cave was working at the end of the tour. There are almost 600 steps in the cave, with about 450 down and 150 up. If the train isn't working, you have to walk up many more steps to exit.
https://www.arkansascarl.page/2023/12/leaving-branson.html (10 of 10)
Silver Dollar City (8 of 10)
We woke early on Saturday, knowing that we had to get an early start. The condo wasn't far from Silver Dollar City, but even arriving a half hour before opening, there were already many people there. They have a huge parking area, and like everywhere else, most of it wasn't level. At different locations throughout the parking area, they had shuttle stops where you can get on a kind of bus to take you to the front gate, instead of walking. We parked near one of these stops, boarded the bus, and soon were entering the park.
The first thing we did was to treat it like a maze and picked a direction to go and start exploring. We turned left.
House Sparrow
Field trip.
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1st fall camping trip for 2023.
My son.
My daughters, Suzanne, Destiny and I recently went to visit their brother's grave and change the flowers.
It's hard to read it, but under the heart it says, "SENT TO EARTH, RETURNED TO HEAVEN".
And on the base, I wrote a poem. "OUR HEARTS ARE SAD THAT YOUR LIFE IS NO LONGER SHARED WITH OURS. OUR HEARTS ARE GLAD THAT YOUR LIFE WAS ONCE SHARED WITH OURS"
Backyard campfire.
Baby
Our cat, Baby, loves when her brother, Coke comes over to play.
She also likes it when I share my tea.
She has many different napping spots, such as on top of my office bookcase.
Or my desk.
Or me.
Baby showing off her new collar and bell. Now she can't sneak up and attack us anymore.
Two babies and me taking a nap.
She's waiting for the birds and then she jumps up to try and catch them.
Trying to catch something.
I took Baby for a walk. She had a wonderful time. I think she's ready to go camping and hiking.
UPDATE
Our cat's brother in these pictures has died. He was hit by a car out front of his house. My older daughter brought him to our house and buried him out back. He was a very sweet kitty and will be dearly missed.
His cat tower is now here for Baby to play with. It smells like her brother.
(Mother's trip to Ireland) Odds and Ends, Ireland, July 2023
The trip was everything I had dreamed about for many years. The Irish people were so friendly and helpful. It felt strange driving on the left side of the road with the steering wheel on the right side of the car. My friend caught on quickly to the narrow roads and roundabouts. I had lived in England for 4 years so I was more comfortable driving than she.
The lush green fields and beautiful flowers were a delight. We did not plan to go to large cities with museums and cathedrals but to enjoy the people, their customs, their culture and their ways of life. We saw no trash or old cars parked in the yards but found the Irish are proud of their country, their homes and well-kept property. The homes were lovely, some very large, others small cottages. It was a real delight to spend a week there. We also met many other tourists in our Bed and Breakfast each day as well as in the places we visited.
I am so sorry my granddaughter did not get to go with me. We both applied for passport renewal back in March not knowing there was an extraordinary waiting period this summer because people all over the USA were eager to travel out of country after being cooped up with Covid restrictions. I truly hope she has another chance to visit Ireland.
As a senior citizen with a number of health problems, I doubt I am able to make another trip overseas. I have been privileged to live in Germany in the 60s, in Italy in the 70s and England in the 80s with my military husband. Each country was an adventure. I loved it all. I think that is why my son, Teacher Carl, enjoys teaching English as 2nd language to students all over the world. He too loves to travel, learning about other cultures and people from all over the world.
(Mother's trip to Ireland) Day 7, B n B, Folk Park and Pottery
(Mother's trip to Ireland) Day 6, Kinsale, on the coast
