Top of the Rock

For Thanksgiving lunch my family and I went to eat at Top of the Rock restaurant in Branson, Missouri. It’s located next to Big Cedar Lodge, which has lodges to rent and outdoor activities, including golf and boating, in the Ozark mountains.

It is owned by Johnny Morris, owner of Bass Pro Shops and Cabelas. He also owns a lot of land in Missouri and builds attractions for people to visit and enjoy the outdoors. Top of the Rock has gorgeous views and I love going there when we go visit my grandparents.

We enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving meal, located in a cabin style restaurant. All of Johnny Morris’s places have the same style- rustic cabins with warm details. After lunch, we walked around outside to enjoy the view. It was the most gorgeous weather in the mid-60s-70s. I couldn't have asked for a better day. We watched people play golf on the most gorgeous golf course I’ve ever seen. Then we went inside the most gorgeous chapel. It had a large window at the front of the church that overlooked a lake and the mountains. The sunlight illuminated all of the colors on the trees, which created the most gorgeous sight I’ve laid eyes on in person.

I forgot to take a photo of the front of the chapel, but I wanted to include a picture. So although I did not take this photo, please enjoy this one of the beautiful chapel.

 
There is much more do to at Big Cedar Lodge, which we did not have time for on Thanksgiving. There is a cave you can visit, which I really wanted to see. However, due to the crowds on Thanksgiving we weren’t able to do a lot of the outdoor activities. By the time we explored the grounds a little, it began to get dark. We left Big Cedar lodge and returned to my grandparents house, which also has a gorgeous view. I’m just so thankful that I got to explore beautiful nature on Thanksgiving. I hope I can return to Big Cedar Lodge and enjoy all it has to offer. 
 

Thanksgiving Road Trip

This year for Thanksgiving my family and I traveled to Branson, Missouri to visit my grandparents. They are the only people in my family that live outside of Texas. They moved there to retire, because they love the weather and scenic views. I hadn’t seen them for over a year and a half so I was looking forward to visiting. Sometimes we fly, but this year we decided to drive- it’s about a seven to eight-hour trip from Fort Worth. We left on Tuesday after class. My parents picked my sister and I up from school and the five us- including my dog Wrigley- started down the road. Due to holiday traffic, it took a while to get out of Texas. Once we reached Oklahoma the landscape began to change. However, the noticeable shift in scenery happened in Arkansas as hills began to arise and more trees emerged in remote areas of our drive. The time of year made the land dry and dissolute; however, I still appreciated comparing the nature on our road trip to the land in Fort Worth. The fields were covered with dry grass and trees that barely had any leaves left. The leaves that remained were different shades of green and contained hues of orange and yellow. We passed fields of cattle feeding on grass and drinking from small ponds. The land became more remote as the drive continued and we reached areas with no homes or anywhere to stop. The road kept winding back and forth as we traveled in between the hills of trees. We passed over several lakes and ponds, that reflected the different colors of the trees. The road eventually straightened and it created the illusion that our drive would never end. I grew tired of the trip after several hours in, but the length of our trip kept extending, because we had to stop for meals and to let Wrigley out to walk around. While I was enjoying the time I had to closely observe landscapes on our drive, I grew tired of sitting down in a crammed car. I wished I was able to get out and walk around the ponds and hike the hills. Observing nature from a distance made me realize that I take for granted the opportunities I get to interact on a personal level with nature. I loved the road trip, because I could see an extensive broad view of nature. However, it encouraged me to pick small touch points in nature and observe them closely.

Encounter with Bees

Today, I had a negative interaction with nature. It’s interesting to me, because this class is making me more aware and appreciative of nature. Our readings and discussions makes me want to visit a National Park or plan a camping trip. Prior to this class I viewed nature as something pristine and far away- like National Geographic or Planet Earth content. I thought it was something I would never actually witness or experience. However, nature is all around us and it can be just as beautiful and interesting as some gorgeous landscape we may see a picture of or watch on television; however, it can be much more difficult to notice and appreciate.

Today, I found myself unappreciative of one of nature’s gifts: bees. Now I realize that most people don’t like bees and I’m not proposing that we should want to be around bees; however, I think it’s interesting that we can be so quick to find the negative in something without appreciating all the positive things it has to offer.

I was at MUTTS dog park enjoying a nice day with some friends and we decided to order some food for lunch. However, when I was at the counter ordering my food and trying to get a drink, bees were swarming the entire area. They were everywhere and their presence was interfering with my enjoyment of the day. I became frustrated and annoyed that I had to sit and eat outside with bees surrounding me.

It wasn’t until after the experience that I reflected on my reaction to the bees. I was annoyed that they interrupted my meal. However, it’s ironic, because I wanted to eat outside and naturally bees live outside, so I run the risk of encountering them. Also, I should appreciate bees, because two of my favorite things are flowers and honey- both of which bees are responsible for.

I just find it interesting and appreciate this course for opening my eyes to the nature surrounding me. I find it funny I was so naïve about how the world functions around me. I hope after this class I continue to appreciate the nature around me and seek new opportunities to interact with it.