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It was a really brutal winter. I mean I hated it. Spring is finally here and you just can’t keep me inside.  Saturday I decided to check out Boston Ferry Conservation Area in Branson, MO.  I had never been to Boston Ferry Conservation Area before and it’s close to home so Kimmel and I grabbed the binoculars and cell phone and drove there! The short trail on the area actually used to be the road that led travelers to the Boston Ferry, which carried them across what was then the White River in the late 1870’s.   The trail is only half of a mile in length, but it does not loop so you will walk a mile completing it and coming back.  Don’t let the short distance on this trail fool you, there is plenty of Ozarks beauty to behold on this quick jaunt.  I encountered some of my favorite spring wildflowers such as wake robin, wild sweet William, false rue anemone and service berry – all very welcome sights.  The trail goes through rocky, wooded hillsides, down into a valley.  We could hear a small stream gurgling in places as we walked.  We also heard two barred owls calling to each other.  Barred owls are Missouri’s most common owl and also the least nocturnal.  They can often be heard calling out “Who Cook for You?” during the daylight hours.  The trail will end at a gate with a sign reading “End of Public Use Area”.  Boston Ferry Conservation Area is a beautiful place and totally worth an hour or so of your time while in Branson.

I decided to take a detour and drove through Forsyth before heading home.  We stopped at Shadow Rock Park, where Swan Creek meets Bull Shoals Lake.  There were about 15 people fishing there, some on shore and some in boats.  We watched them for 20 minutes, but nobody caught a thing. I always thought this little park was pretty. The bluffs along Swan Creek next to the bridge are beautiful and in the summer, Shadow Rock Park is a great swimming hole.

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