Fish Fry! Part 2 of 2 The Golf Course

Fish Fry Friday at the Indian Rock Golf Club - The Rock Bar and Grill!  Jim met us in the parking lot of The Rock Bar and Grill.  Jim and his wife recently retired from their careers in Utah and moved to Missouri.  Details of their first year in Missouri might be worth a story to share at a later date.  Strange drivers would pull up to their house and turn around; the garage was wired for a high-voltage greenhouse; the sheriff knows the house well; and a water pipe burst while they spent a month in Texas filling the first level full of somewhere upwards of 138,000 gallons of water - Jim knows exactly how many gallons because it is stated on his water bill!  Anyway, Jim and his dog drove a couple of hours to meet us for lunch.

Jim finds a good, cool, and shady spot for his dog in the parking lot.  We are slightly concerned about a dress code at the golf course bar and grill.  We were happy that our attire fit in just fine after entering the building.  Customers filled the bar stools and tables.  We found three empty bar stools at a corner of the U-shaped bar.  Fish Fry Friday, AKA Golden Fried Cod Dinner, was popular.  The waiter had to check with the kitchen to make sure there were enough fish for our orders.  The crowd at the bar was lively and funny.  Brad fit in with them really well, telling jokes and getting the whole bar involved.  I remember some loud laughter and a lot of smiles.  We learned a lot about the locals in the area too.  There was a discussion about storylines in the show Ozark.  People voiced some comparisons and similarities with real-life families and events.  We have to acknowledge that the Ozark was mainly filmed in Georgia, not Missouri.  The locals make that known up front.  

That fish fry was one of the best we’ve experienced.  It could have been the like-minded patrons at the bar.  It could have been because we got to catch up with Jim.  Jim is a Jimmy Buffett fan and had wanted to recon the Margaritaville Lake Resort at the Lake of the Ozarks.  So we checked the map and navigated to Osage Beach, where the resort is located.  I didn’t realize there would be so many buildings at the resort.  I ended up leading Brad through a parking garage entrance that said staff only.  We made U-turns with our loud motorcycles under the curious eyes of employees.  I found the hotel check-in area.  I didn’t want to be there.  I rode back to an intersection on the property with Brad following.  A security guard in a golf cart intercepted us.  I shut off my engine so I could hear him speak.  I explained where we were trying to find.  With some helpful directions, we ended up at the Land Shark Bar and Grill on the resort property.  Jim arrived a few moments later with no problem using his phone for navigation.  Oh, there was a parking spot labeled just for him.  I think it stated Reserved for Jimmy (Buffett) or something to the effect.  What are the odds Jim was able to find a reserved parking spot on a day when Brad and I circled twice looking for a spot to squeeze our motorcycles in?  

The Land Shark Bar was buzzing with activity.  People were inside, outside, on the beach, and pulling up on boats.  It seemed like a scene from the old Spring Break movie.  The bar was huge.  We found three stools and ordered our iced teas.  When I said the place was buzzing with activity, service employees were briskly walking about, taking orders, delivering food and drinks.  The bartenders’ feet stopped moving only long enough to grab a drink and set it down on the bar in front of a customer. The music was awesome; of course, it was Jimmy Buffett!  The restaurant had large glass windows overlooking the outdoor deck with tables, the beach, and the marina.  It was a fantastic view to include all the pretty people moving about outside.  We took in the sights, enjoyed our drinks, and called it a day.  Jim had to get back on the road.  Brad and I returned to the Great American Campground. It was a great day!

Fish Fry! Part 1 of 2 Invasion of the Old People!

Part 1 of 2 Invasion of the Old People 

Brad and I have very few rules while underway on our motorcycle adventures.  We agree upon a general direction.  I take the role of navigator.  Brad has the ideas to keep us moving and not sitting idle too often.   It works well.  Breakfast.  Breakfast is an unspoken rule.  We do not eat breakfast before a long ride.  We ride long to breakfast but we don’t eat and ride long.  Why? Why because Brad will fall asleep.  Yes, he falls asleep or zones out on the motorcycle.  One of the first instances was riding through the Wind River Range in Wyoming.  The road was smooth.  Temperatures warm.  Sun glistening off the river that meandered along the road.  Beautiful part of the country.  I am taking in the views, learning around the curves, enjoying an awesome morning ride.  Brad is right behind me in my side view mirror.  We stop at a diner and I ask about how his eyes and glasses adjusted in the tunnels.  He replied, “what tunnel?” There were tunnels!  I asked if he saw the slow moving train riding along with us as we went through a tunnel?  Brad replied, “what train?”  I was puzzled, I watched his headlamp in my side view mirror.  He was behind me on the same route at the same time.  How could he miss these scenes?  He was sleeping! Zoned out!  Brad admitted it happens quite a bit when we ride together after breakfast.  So no more breakfast before long rides!

Oh, the fish fry.  Brad is a creature of habit.  He enjoys a good fish fry once a week.  While on the road we uphold his desire for a fish fry.  So we ask for recommendations for a fish fry from anyone we speak with.  Brad learns of two promising locations.  The American Legion and a bar called The Rock.  We stop by the American Legion and learned that their fish fry was later in the week or is cancelled for some reason.  We get directions to The Rock.  I remember most of the directions and put on my navigator helmet and we ride on a recon mission finding the location of the fish fry.  I check the map, estimate the mileage and we ride down the road.  As we get close to where I think the place should be, I see many side roads are gravel.  I have to slow down to negotiate a gravel turn from fast. I see the turn but the sign read something about a Golf Course.  I was looking for a bar, The Rock.  I slowed to be ready to turn when around the curve there was a bar on the opposite side of the road. I turned in to check the phone map.  We were at Rocky Top Sports Bar and Grill. It wasn’t the place we were looking for.  We decided to go inside anyway.  The bartender was just opening up but wasn’t ready to serve anyone.  We declared that we just wanted iced tea and refuge from the heat.  So she allowed us to sit at the bar and gave us some iced tea.  She returned to prepare the bar for customers.  Once she is finished, she assumes her position behind the bar, tops off our iced tea and participates in small talk with us.  We learn there is a place called the Rock Bar and Grill at the Golf Course.  So her information confirmed that we know where to turn when we return for the scheduled fish fry.  

Brad and I finished up our drinks and was about to leave the bar.  Several customers one after another begin to enter the back door.  It was like a bus just parked and customers were in single file line exiting the bus and into the bar.  The first few folks were just a little older than us.  They sat at the right side of the U-shaped bar.  Some other folks sat on the left side of the bar.  Brad and I were at the bottom of the U-shape and closer to the left side.  We chat with both groups.  Everyone seemed friendly.  There was a group of women hosting an out of town guest. They stopped in Rocky Top before heading off to visit a winery.  Not sure what the folks at the other end of the bar were doing.  A man, a little older than Brad and I, was buying beer for his group.  That group was not responsive to small talk.  Brad and I decided to close out our ice tea tab when the door opened again and a line of silver haired old folks walk through the door.  They might have been twenty years or more older than us.  Their silver hair was kept neatly.  All walked in with purpose.  Their presence was known. Their eyes had lasers burning holes in my and Brad’s head.  Three sets of laser eyes were fixed upon our heads as the group walked the length of the right end of the bar.  The unwelcoming group turned walking towards us.  Their eyes fixed and burning holes in us.  They turn and find tables behind us.  Despite the laser eyes burning holes in my head, I felt a chill.  What had happened?  Curiosity caused us to ask the bartender who was busy serving another round to the wine tour crowd.  The bartender told us to pay them never mind.  She said the ladies are regulars and we are sitting in their seats.  Whoa!  With those looks we didn’t want them behind us.  So we finished cashing out and left.  This place was for locals and some didn’t like tourist sitting in their seats! 

Hailing Port Quantico spotted in Lake of the Ozarks! Part 2 of 2

 Part 2 of 2 The Yellow Brick Road

From last week, Brad and I are at Tap and Grill Lakeside Brew Haus talking to the bartender. We noticed the fit young woman in the pool with an older couple.  They are about to join us at the bar…

After our second iced tea, the trio from the pool joined us at the bar. The older woman introduced herself and her husband. The young woman was on the heels of the older woman and inserted herself too. I think she was from Indiana or somewhere in that general area. The more the young woman spoke, the more we realized she had a couple of drinks too. She was entertaining with her knowledge of the government, listening to our phones.  She declared the Faraday cases were essential to public privacy.  This woman was a hoot!  Although off duty, she was making sure everyone had fresh drinks.  I think she almost had a stroke when Brad told her we were drinking iced teas.  I saved her from an ER visit by convincing her our drinks were Long Island Iced Teas.  My white lie worked, and the woman refocused on the older woman’s drink.  By this time, we had three voices at once.  The man was talking about his boat.  The wife was asking Brad questions about our travels.  The young woman had just informed me about how the government is listening and watching.  I couldn’t resist telling her about George Orwell and 1984!  With all the voices filling the space, I heard the older woman say loudly, “Get that thing out of my face!” That got my attention.  It was a straw.  The young woman was insisting that the older woman try her mixed drink.  Perhaps the older lady released a little frustration that was building from their time in the pool? Who knows. The bartender made things right and called his other roommates to give the woman a ride home. 

The man from the pool owned the boat that hailed from Quantico!  He said he used to work on Quantico and he decided to designate that his boat came from Quantico.  He told us stories from when he worked with the FBI and Marines at Quantico.  Brad and I only spoke about our motorcycle adventures over the years.  Consider that Brad and I met while training at Quantico maybe twenty-three years prior; this guy’s stories were getting our close attention.  One story of particular interest is when this guy worked with the FBI and trained with the Marines on the “Yellow Brick Road.”  He proudly stated that he completed the grueling course through the woods with the Marines.  At the end, a Marine dug up a yellow brick and presented it to him.  Brad and I ran the course through the woods.  So we are looking at each other like this guy’s details make his story less credible.    

Brad breaks the news.  He tells the man that we have been to Quantico and that I spent the most time there, so I knew the area very well.  The man couldn’t answer the basic questions about the surrounding area despite declaring that he lived just outside the gate for a few years.  We kinda sorta agreed that the area has grown since he was there.  This man didn’t know the names of the surrounding towns.  So who knows?  Perhaps he was focused on academics and didn’t venture out too far.  The details that a Marine dug up a yellow brick and presented it to this guy as a finisher didn’t sound correct.  There is no real yellow brick road as he described with detail.  There are rocks on the course that are painted yellow to guide runners through the woods.  The FBI National Academy has leadership and management classes for employees.  It does award freshly painted yellow brick mementos to student finishers who elect to run the physical course, but they don’t dig anything up!

Hailing Port Quantico spotted in Lake of the Ozarks! Part 1 of 2

Part 1 of 2 Tap and Grill Lakeside Brew Haus

There we were, sitting on barstools along the shores of Lake of the Ozarks.  It is an outside bar.  We can see the Millstone Marina to our backs and a pool to the side.  There are three people in the pool.  At the center of attention is a man who appears to be in his mid-sixties and confident with his slightly round torso.  There is a pretty woman who is in a red bikini and appears to be about the same age as the man. There is another woman who is fit, energetic, and playfully swimming around in a bikini.  I guess her age is barely twenty-one. She is the closest of the two women to the older, confident man.  It was easy to assume the three of them knew each other.  Then there was the boat in the marina that listed the hailing port as Quantico!  

Our barstools are at the Tap and Grill Lakeside Brew Haus.  It felt like a classy place from the moment we got off our motorcycles and entered through the gate.  We were greeted by a pleasant hostess.  The tables inside the restaurant were modern with a nice open space.  We walked through the outdoor area that has soft chairs and couches that looked charming for lounging. Then the space led to a traditional outdoor metal tables with umbrellas.  Brad and I noticed the activity in the pool just beyond the bar. The outside bar had about six to eight barstools, all of which were empty.  Our bartender greeted us as we continued to observe our new surroundings.

We’ll get to the folks in the pool later. Right now, we are chatting with a lad from the Chicago area who spends his summers bartending at the Lake of the Ozarks. He tells stories of how he shares an apartment with three to four others who are at the lake to make some quick cash before returning to school in the fall.  This is our bartender’s second or third year bartending at the lake. He really likes the abundant summer money he adds to his bank.  He shares that once he became a bartender, the money was so much better.  Brad and I are on our motorcycles, so you guessed it, we are drinking iced teas.  

It is the middle of the day.  A weekday and, according to the bartender, a lull in business.  The weather is sunny and warm.  The pool looks inviting.  Brad and I were analyzing the situation in the pool, filling in the unknowns with our imagination.  Our conversations with the bartender began to echo a theme we’ve heard about rich customers traveling from Kansas City who spend obscene money charming their paramour.  We broached the topic of the current situation in the pool.  It turns out the young woman in the pool is a roommate and coworker of our bartender!  This was her off-schedule day, and she was enjoying the pool.  The older couple were regulars and were just being friendly. 

Stay tuned for part 2 when the pool trio joins us at the bar. One is the owner of the boat hailing from Quantico and he talks about the Yellow Brick Road!

Ha Ha Tonka Castle Ruins

When I ride my motorcycle, or any vehicle, I tend to notice the brown signs signaling national parks. The signs contain white letters on a brown background.  State park signs display the same white letters on a brown background.  The brown signs catch my eye when I am cruising down the road, especially in a new-to-me area.  Motorcycling around Lake of the Ozarks is no different; I noticed and followed a few “brown signs”.  Brad and I stopped at Harry S. Truman State Park, Scenic Overlook of Lake of Ozarks, and Bagnell Dam. Bagnell Dam had a sign, and many others.  Ha Ha Tonka State Park was a memorable stop.  It required Brad and me to walk a nature trail to the castle ruins.  We don’t often get off our bikes for a nature walk.  It does happen on occasion. The best so far has been at Glacier National Park, but that was a different story with BBQ and a hungry bear!  In Missouri, the Ha Ha Tonka name caught our interest. Plus, it was a short walk.  The path let up a steep incline.  There are plenty of benches to rest on while enjoying the view along the path.  After viewing the castle ruins, we walked to the old water tower and then to the Natural Bridge. 


Ha Ha Tonka State Park’s history of the castle ruins.  Robert Snyder began constructing the mansion in 1905 as a retreat. Tragically, Snyder passed away in a car accident in 1906 before the mansion was completed. His sons finished it in the early 1920s.

Destruction struck the castle and carriage house in 1942 when a fire ravaged the structure. The water tower met its end in 1976 when it burned down.

Enjoy the pics of the Natural Bridge, Harry S. Truman reservoir, Bagnell Dam, and the Ha Ha Tonka Castle Ruins  

Cup Tree and Shoe Fence

 The Great American Campground and Dive Bar is our base camp.  We visited Whiskey Dicks the first night.  The second night, we went into the tourist area.  Today, we are riding to Big Dicks.  Once we arrived, we saw the bar is next to the water.  Very few land parking spots.  There were more spots for boat traffic off the water.  Neat area.  Unfortunately for us, Big Dicks was closed this day.  That is okay.  We already had some intel about a Cup Tree and a Shoe Fence.  Off we go looking for the Cup Tree.    

We heard a couple of stories about the origin of the Cup Tree.  Someone said there used to be a water spring nearby, and people were welcome to use a cup and get a drink of water.  I heard that two women were fighting over some cups and saucers.  One woman started throwing the dishes at the other.  After the fight was over, the woman who lived in the house began nailing the cups to the tree.  I heard she would often visit Big Dicks until her passing a few years before.  I heard the first cup was hung 30 years ago.  I am just reciting what I heard during the trip.

Not far from the Cup Tree is the Shoe Fence.  We found it.  The story I heard about the shoe fence was that if kids needed new shoes, they could get a pair from the fence.  I also heard that the shoes represent hunters that were poaching out of season.  The only thing that remains of the poachers were their shoes hung on the fence. 

The Cup Tree and the Shoe Fence are both unusual sites to experience.  I hope you enjoy the pictures. 

YouTube Shorts @Bill.Lanham

Cup Tree  https://youtube.com/shorts/ASv7L0lw_QQ?si=HyiTP2P_507XDJOJ

Shoe Fence https://youtube.com/shorts/5R-izsPPb5Y?si=GjkcvHvvRXPdM-1c

The Great American Campground and Dive Bar! Part 2 of 2

 

Part 2 of 2 Whiskey Dicks!

Brad and I checked into the Great American Campground.  We decided to walk to the closest bar.  The Dive Bar was closed that night.

Whiskey Dick’s is a neat little bar.  The locals mainly frequent the bar.  It felt like tourists were a rare sight, but everyone we encountered was friendly to us.  Oh, there was a self-serve ICE CREAM machine adjacent to the bar.  You can have your drink and treat yourself to an ice cream cone.  I wanted an ice cream cone but wasn’t sure how it would go with my beer!  I eyeballed that ice cream machine each time I visited the bar.  

  Four hours had quickly passed as Brad and I sat at Whiskey Dicks.  We were considering the walk down the dark country road to the campground.  Just then the door opened and our campground hosts walked through the door!   She came to check up on us to make sure we made it back to the campground safely.  She brought the owners with her!  We were soon introduced to Joel and Jill, the owners of The Great American Campground and Dive Bar.  We ended up sharing stories for a couple more hours.  Joel gave us a ride back to the campground in his truck. To our surprise, Dee, our camp host (campground manager), had built a fire outside the Dive Bar.  The five of us enjoyed the campfire for a few hours, exchanging stories and visions of the campground.  Brad and I were delighted at the hospitality we experienced. 

  The next morning, Brad and I did a map study of the area and recalled the directions Joel had given us for a scenic ride.  We fired up the motorcycles and were off exploring.  Upon our return, our camp host contacted us and offered to show us around the lake area.  So we ended up in this red jeep receiving a windshield tour of the area.  We stopped at a bar that had a waterfront.  Many establishments catered to boat traffic.  They have docks complete with fueling services for boaters.  We realized drinks and food were more than double the prices we were paying at the Great American Camp Ground and Dive Bar and Whiskey Dicks.  Brad and I decided the other establishments were neat to know about.  We’ll continue to look for the local experience.

Great American Campground and Dive Bar! Part 1 of 2

Part 1 of 2 Checking in and the Sandwich

   Brad made reservations at The Great American Campground and Dive Bar because it is near the Lake of the Ozarks.  Our plan is to have a good RV camping location so we could have daily rides around the lake and surrounding area.  It is an unfamiliar area, which we agreed to explore.  Gravois Mills was also about the halfway point from Conesville, Iowa, to Depew, Oklahoma.  We have Depew marked on our road atlas because we plan to go to the Rt. 66 Motorcycle Rally there during the following week. 

  We arrived at the Great American Campground and Dive Bar in the late afternoon.  It had a pretty decent-sized RV camp area.  We checked in.  A few campers remained after the Memorial Day weekend.  The campground was full during the holiday weekend. There is a centralized shower and bathhouse. Facilities were very clean and well taken care of.  We were told there are plans to expand the facilities with cabins around the pond. There was an outside and inside bar.  There is a stage outside for the bands and a large custom fire pit in the seating area.  The host checked us in and gave us the lay of the land.  We discovered that besides the Dive Bar, there was a bar named Whiskey Dicks down the road in one direction.  In the opposite direction, there was a bar named Big Dicks.  Brad proclaimed that we were sandwiched between two dicks.  The camp host turned a little red with embarrassment of Brad’s observation.  Hey, we didn’t come up with the names.  Makes us wonder what is on folks’ minds around here! 

  Brad and I usually park the bikes and walk to a bar and restaurant for the evening and walk back.  This lets us have a drink without risking a motorcycle accident.  The location is fantastic as a basecamp with easy access to adventurous ride routes for our motorcycle rides. The location is not so good for walking off the campgrounds.  There are no sidewalks.  It is a rural area which we like.  The two-lane road has a blind hill and high speed limit that isn’t very safe for pedestrians.  Regardless of the verbal warnings voiced by our host, we decided to walk the road to Whiskey Dicks, which is the closest of the two bars.  The Great American Dive Bar wasn’t open every night of the week.  We discovered some local restaurants and bars alternated open days in order not to take customers from each other.   Possibly a concept many will not understand until they visit and discover for themselves.  Brad and I begin our walk to Whiskey Dicks. 

Check back next week for Part 2. Whiskey Dicks!

  

Trailering from Iowa to Missouri

  Brad is driving the Rock Star Bus and pulling our motorcycles. Once upon a time, we observed what was referred to as “trailer queens.” Motorcycles being pulled on a trailer instead of being ridden. In those younger days, I looked at the motorcycles on trailers, mumbling to myself that the bikes are built to be ridden. I failed to consider why the older guys chose to trailer their bikes.  I am sure they had their reasons.  Fast forward two decades later, Brad and I are discussing plans for the upcoming year.  We have a revelation. Hey, those old guys trailering their bikes were onto something.  It is much more comfortable to be able to place the motorcycle on a trailer and travel safely inside a cage out of the weather.  An extra bonus is that we have space for our comfort gear.  Besides, after all the miles we’ve ridden together, we have nothing to prove.  We do what makes sense to us. 

  First stop is near the Lake of the Ozarks.  Travel is much easier when Brad plans ahead for where we are going to park the Rock Star Bus.  Not sure of the length of the bus, but there are two bathrooms and bedrooms onboard.  A full kitchen, washer and dryer, liquor cabinet, and food pantry.  Brad calls the bus a diesel pusher.  I just know it is pulling a trailer loaded with our motorcycles.  We ended up at a new to us place called The Great American Campground and Dive Bar in Gravois Mills, Missouri.  I think Brad was sold on the name alone!

Redneck Revival Conesville, Iowa

 

  In May of 2023, Brad and I met at the Redneck Revival.  Conesville, Iowa provides a spot we can easily find each other. Brad travels from Utah, and I’ve been traveling from Virginia lately. In our early years on the motorcycles, we used to select a town that is halfway on a major highway.  The final meeting selection is usually made the morning of arrival.  We’d declare that the first person to the midpoint town will find a place that is easily recognized.  Usually, it will be a restaurant where the first person can relax with an iced tea while waiting for the other person. Exit numbers and cross streets near a maw and paw restaurant allowed us to give each other solid directions.  Consider that we were riding motorcycles with paper maps.  We do have cell phones.  Calling and reading text messages are limited to fuel stops or quick stops to peek at the map.  We discovered a stretch of I-80 in New York where the east and west exit numbers did not match! Brad was waiting for me at a fuel station off a specific exit number. I was heading in the opposite direction and took the exit number that Brad identified. I checked three gas stations and found no Brad.  After several missed calls, we made contact on the phone. After a confusing “do you see the …” - “nope, do you see the … I am parked beside it” conversation, we decided to displace a few miles west of town at a rest area that we saw on the map. While Brad is waiting for me at the rest area, he spoke to a truck driver who told him the westbound and eastbound exit numbers were not labeled the same in this area. We did find each other at the rest area.  People are often amazed at how we can ride hundreds of miles and find each other in a strange town. Sure, at Conesville, we have to ride through the camping areas looking around, but it doesn’t take long to find each other. 

  This year the Redneck Revival seems like a blur to me.  There were a few good live bands, loud music, dancing, campfires, and Daryl’s Buffalo Trace. Daryl had to give me a ride in his golf cart to my hammock.  Not sure how the minibike I was riding early in the night made it home.  Good to have good friends who look out for each other and keep us safe.

  After the Redneck Revival, we loaded our motorcycles on a trailer and drove the Rock Star Bus to the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri!