Yurt Camping at Cuyuna State Recreation Area

Yurt Camping at Cuyuna State Recreation Area

H. Bradford

11/21/20

I learned this summer, while visiting Glendalough State Park, that some Minnesota State Parks have yurts for rent.  Only three state parks feature yurt rental including Glendalough State Park, Afton State Park, and Cuyuna State Recreation Area. I decided this would be a fun adventure, so I set out to rent one at Cuyuna State Recreation Area.  However, as it turns out, the yurts are pretty popular, so there were no reservations until late October. I nabbed the available reservation, which was for Monday, October 26th. At $70, the rental is not exactly cheap for one person, but would be a pretty good deal for a group. The yurt at Cuyuna State Recreation Area can sleep up to seven people!  In my case, I had the whole unit to myself. 

Winter came early to Minnesota, so there was snow on the ground and cold temperatures by mid-October. The night that I planned on camping was particularly cold, with a low of 16 degrees F.  I was a little worried about the wintery conditions.  But, I set out anyway, hoping for the best.  The park itself was a former mining area from the early 1900s to 1960s and is pocked with deep mining pits. It was also the site of the deadliest mining accident in Minnesota history, when a mine shaft of the Milford Mine suddenly filled with water and mud on Feb. 5th, 1924, killing forty one miners. There is still mining equipment, historical markers, old buildings, and of course, the landscape itself, which mark decades of mining history in the park. Some of these historical areas were closed for the season.

The Cuyuna State Recreation Area is located about 100 miles west of Duluth. Many of the trails at Cuyuna State Recreation Area were closed until the ground was frozen, as to avoid damage. In better weather conditions, the park is known for its mountain bike trails. I had thought of bringing my bicycle, as there are also flat trails, but, it worked out better that I didn’t. During my visit, I was the only person in the park. The yurts are located at Yawkey Lake, where there are three yurts and a few trails. My yurt was named Manganese. It was the furthest from the parking lot and the outhouse restroom. Campers can use a cart found at the yurt to haul in their items. Instructions of where to find the key are sent with the reservation, so there is no need to check in at an office. I carted in my items from my car, grabbing firewood along the way. There is a firewood station near the outhouses, where free firewood is available for the wood stove during the winter months. A hand pumped water spigot is also located in that area, but I packed my own water.  I was definitely glad that there was plenty of  free firewood to use in the stove!

My first order of business was setting up LED candles in the yurt. Actual candles are not allowed and I wanted some source of light during the dark evening ahead. I set up a dozen LED candles, unpacked some things, took a few photos, then set off to do some hiking before sunset. As I had mentioned, many trails were closed, but there were a few nearby trails which I explored before it got dark. Upon my return from hiking, I started up a fire in the wood stove. That was my first time using a wood stove, but it was pretty easy to figure out, with a single lever used to control the oxygen to the fire.  The stove was small and it took over six hours for the yurt to become semi-comfortably warm. I also started a fire outside in the fire pit, where I joined a weekly socialist meeting via zoom and ate s’mores. I was happy that my cell phone actually had reception and it is interesting how a person can be in the middle of the woods but also on a video conference.

After sunset, it definitely felt cold. The yurt has a pretty large area to heat, so I found myself huddled by the wood stove for hours in my winter jacket. I even pulled my mattress off one of the bunks so that I could sleep on the floor by the wood tove. It was also dark. The many LED candles, my camping lantern, and small flashlight didn’t provide nearly enough light. I managed to spend a few hours reading, but the room beyond my book was very dark and cold.  Outside the yurt, I could hear many nature noises, such as the yipping of dogs or coyotes from across the mining lake and the flutey call of a saw-whet owl.  I didn’t sleep well, as I woke up throughout the night to feed wood to the stove. A few times throughout the night, I stepped out into the cold and looked out at the stars. By morning, the yurt was toasty and comfortable. I went for another hike in the morning, then packed up my things. I made the mistake of trying to clean out the ashes from the stove, which only brought them back to life and filled the yurt with smoke. I had to fan out the smoke with the door. Outside the yurt, the sun shone brightly on the cool morning and there were many chickadees and juncos fluttering about the campsite, perhaps eating leftover crumbs from my s’mores.

Overall, I had a fun time. It was my first time “camping” in cold weather and my first time using a wood stove. Although many of the trails were closed, I enjoyed the time spent hiking alone. There wasn’t a single car in the whole park. The early cold weather really seemed to scare people away from nature. I was happy to hear a saw-whet owl and would try winter cabining again. My main advice would be to bring plenty of light. The night is long and dark. While the LED candles provided some ambiance, they did not shed a lot of light. I relied on my camp flashlight for my reading. Another thing I learned was not to clean out the ashes in the morning. I was trying to be thoughtful, but it ended up being a smoky mess. Also, I went through a lot of wood! I used almost all of the wood that I had carted in, which was more than I expected to use. So, I would definitely try to overshoot the amount of wood needed, as it wouldn’t have been fun to fetch more in the middle of the night. On the way home, I stopped in Aitkin, where I ate lunch at the Block North Brew Pub. I had a PLT sandwich (portabella, mushroom, and tomato) and it was great! They also have a wild rice black bean burger. I would definitely recommend Block North for a post-camping meal.

A Day in Hot Springs

A Day in Hot Springs

H.Bradford

11/10/20

One of my bucket list goals for the year was to visit another state.  Another one of my goals was to visit a National Park. Of course, Covid-19 has upended many of my goals this year.  My mother and I managed to go on a road trip to Branson in October.  Branson is pretty close to the border of Arkansas, which was a new state for me. We decided to venture into Arkansas for a quick trip to Hot Springs, a National Park.  So, two bucket list goals in a day. It is about a four hour drive to Hotspring, Arkansas and we really only had the afternoon and evening to explore. Although we were pressed for time, we made the most of our short visit.  This is how we spent our time:

 

Ozark National Forest: 

We started out early in the morning from Branson and took Scenic Highway 7 to experience the Ozark National Forest. This route takes four hours from Branson and is about thirty miles less than the quicker route along 65, which passes through Little Rock.  The road was very curved and winding at first, which gave me a sense of motion sickness even though I was the driver! Eventually, the curves became less sharp and frequent, and it was easier to enjoy the drive.  This first section was dominated by various oaks, which were not yet in full fall color.  The views were spectacular, with several waysides to stop for photos and restrooms. As the route nears Hot Springs, the highway gives way to the Ouachita National Forest. The road was flanked by beautiful towering pines.  There are many attractions along the way, such as the Mystic Caverns near Harrison, AK and natural sights like Buffalo National River, Nimrod Lake, hiking trails, and several state parks (Mt. Nebo, Mt. Magazine, and Petit Jean). Because we were focused on making the most of our time at Hot Springs, we only stopped to enjoy the scenery.

Mueller’s Bakery and Bistro:

When we arrived in Hot Springs, it was time for lunch.  We stopped at Mueller’s Bakery and Bistro, a quaint little cafe off of Highway 7 on Crawford Street. My mother and I ordered pimento and cheese sandwiches on rye. I hadn’t tried this before, but it seems like the “Avocado Toast” of another place and time. The sandwich featured a heavy serving of pimento cheese; a cheddar, mayo, and pimento mix eaten in the southern U.S.  It was filling, fatty, and rich. I ordered mine with an iced tea and a strawberry salad. I was happy to have a vegetarian option. We both enjoyed homemade pie for desert, sharing strawberry rhubarb and coconut cream. The place was not very busy, but seemed frequented by locals at the time of our visit. It definitely had the aura of a small town cafe.

Bathhouse Row:

After stuffing ourselves with pie and pimento cheese, we set out to do some walking. We took advantage of the free parking and explored Bathhouse Row. The eight historical bathhouses are, of course, the main attraction of Hot Springs. The Fordyce Bathhouse, built in 1915, serves as the National Park office. However, due to Covid-19 the building and museum is closed. There was a staffed information table. Because of Covid-19, we could only enjoy the historical buildings from the outside. For instance, the Quapaw Bathhouse, which is still in use, had closed its steam cave and had very limited access to its thermal pools. We had tried to book spa services in advance, but they were sold out. We still had a fun time admiring the architecture of the bathhouses, which were built in the late 1800s and early 1900s using a variety of architectural styles. There are a few thermal water fountains in the area, which is a way to experience the springs for free.

   

Grand Promenade:   

Located just behind Bathhouse Row is a tranquil, half mile long brick trail.  Construction of the trail began in 1934 and in 1982 it became a National Recreational Trail. The trail begins near the Arlington Lawn, where the Hot Water Cascade can be found. Behind the Maurice Bathhouse, towards the middle of the trail’s length, one can find the Display Springs, where the spring flows from a fissure in the hill and forms a small, algae green, pool. There are a few interpretive signs along the tree lined path.  

Peak Trail:

The Grand Promenade offers access to several trails, including the .6 mile Peak Trail, which leads to the Hot Springs Mountain Tower.  My mother and I ambled up the hill for a pleasant, uphill hike to the tower. There were many pines along the way as well as late blooming wildflowers. The terrain is gravel and paved, with an elevation gain is 357 feet.   

Hot Springs Mountain Tower:

The Hotsprings Mountain Tower is definitely worth a visit, or in our case, the hike up hill to see it. There wasn’t much time to spare when we arrived, as the tower closes at 6:30 pm (and 5pm during the winter). The last visitors are allowed up the 216 foot tower a half hour before closing time and we arrived just in time. At the top, there is an open viewing platform, which offers a spectacular 360 degree view of Hot Springs and the Ouachita Mountains.  Entry to the tower costs $8 per adult and tickets can be purchased in the gift shop at the bottom of the tower. We also enjoyed posing in the bathtub outside of the shop, where I tried to reenact the Death of Murat.

    

Shopping:

There are many shops located along Central Avenue, across the street from the Bathhouses. We meandered around the shops for a while, looking for souvenirs and passing time. The Bathhouse Soapery was the best shop that we stopped at, since a person can purchase bath and beauty supplies. My mother bought a collection of pear scented bath supplies. I purchased a strange assortment including a chocolate mask, loblolly pine soap, and a pumpkin scented bath bomb. The loblolly pine is the state tree of Arkansas, so each time I use the soap I can think of our adventures. I purchased a pair of cactus earrings from Stella Mae’s, which had fun clothes and accessories.       

Fat Bottom Girl’s Cupcake Shoppe:

My mother wanted to visit this shop, since it had been featured on the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars. There was a cornucopia of cupcake flavors such as pumpkin cheese cake, key lime pie, creme brule, and salted caramel. My mother ordered a classic wedding cake cupcake along with a lemon lavender cupcake.  I had a bite of the lemon lavender cupcake, which was very floral, but definitely an interesting flavor. She loved the wedding cake flavor.  

Superior Bathhouse Brewery:  

Our adventure ended with dinner at the Superior Bathhouse Brewery. I don’t drink alcohol, but the beers and root beer are made from thermal water. My mother had a root beer. It is the only brewery in a National Park and operates out of the Superior Bathhouse, a small brick bath house built in 1916. I ate a delicious sweet potato and beet sandwich and my mother had a burger. It was a vegetarian friendly, sort of hipster place, with great service. There was a little wait for a table, due to limited seating. Overall, I loved it! The sandwich was my favorite meal on the road trip. 

Conclusion: 

Although our time in Hot Springs was limited, we did what we could to make the most of it.  I think we had a pretty good sample of some of the top attractions. Cupcakes, hiking, stunning views, a scenic drive, historic bath houses, pimento cheese sandwiches, hot spring root beer, who could ask for more?! It was a great time and a nice introduction to the state of Arkansas. 

 

The Struggle for Abortion Rights in Poland Continues

 

The Struggle for Abortion Rights in Poland Continues

Heather Bradford

11/8/20

A version of this article can be found here: https://socialistresurgence.org/2020/11/04/the-struggle-for-abortion-rights-in-poland-continues/

Abortion rights are once again under attack in Poland and women have turned out in full force to fight back. On October 22nd, the Constitutional Tribunal, Poland’s highest court, ruled that abortion in the case of severe fetal abnormalities was unconstitutional. Poland already has the most resitrctive abortion laws in the European Union. Prior to the court’s decision, abortion was only permissible in cases of rape and incest, threat to a mother’s life, or severe fetal abnormality. Fetal abnormality accounted for 97% of the 1,100 legal abortions performed in 2018. This effectively bans abortion in the country. The decision arose from an initiative by MPs of the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) to review the law. The party has made several previous attempts to ban abortion. Reproductive rights advocates argue that the new law will force women to endure non viable pregnancies. On account of hundreds of thousands of people joining in protest, the government announced on November 3rd that it would delay publishing the ruling to offer more time for discussion. 

The public backlash against the ruling was immediate and massive. On Sunday October 25th, activists converged on churches to express their outrage over the restriction. CNN reported that protestors at Poznan Cathedral proclaimed that Catholics need abortions too. They also took to the altar of Our Lady of Perpetual in Warsaw with a slogan calling upon parishoners to pray for the right to abortion. Around the country, mass was disrupted and canceled, with sits-in staged at some cathedrals, statues of Pope John Paul II defaced, and some churches graffitied with slogans such as “Women’s Hell.”  Protesters also poured red paint on Warsaw’s Lazienkowski Bridge. Demonstrators wore Handmaid’s Tale robes and carried coat hangers. In actions rich in symbolism, women have also donned a red lighting bolt, which is an emblem of the Women’s Strike movement. The protesters targeted the church to demand separation between church and decry the church’s support of the government and its support of abortion restrictions. Women’s Strike, the main organizing force behind the protests, called for continued demonstrations on Monday, October 26th and a strike on Wednesday, October 28th.

Protests on Wednesday October 28th were held in over 400 cities and by police estimates numbered over 430,000. Across the country, women left work to join the strike and in Warsaw, activists blocked traffic. Warsaw alone had over 100,000 protesters turn out. Some carried umbrellas, a symbol from the 2016 mobilization to defend legal abortion. Military and riot police were deployed against the Wednesday marches.  The New York Times reported that the massive demonstrations that occurred later in the week on Friday October 30th were the largest since the Solidarity movement of the 1980s. One popular slogan was “I think, I feel, decide.” Another slogan was, “this is war.” Young women make up the largest demographic of these abortion activists. Demonstrators gathered in front of the government headquarters, headquarters for the ruling party, main square, then city center. The main demand of the Women’s Strike has been for the ruling to be declared invalid.  Protesters have also come out against the Law and Justice government, which won last year’s parliamentary elections, with slogans such as fuck off and fuck PiS (Law and Justice Party).  In response to the largest protests on Friday, President Andrzej Duda suggested that he was open to compromise and that terminal fetal abnormalities might be permissible and the government missed a November 2nd deadline to enact the decision by publishing it.

The protests have been marked violence from right wing extremists. During the Friday protests, military police guarded Warsaw’s Church of the Holy Cross and the far right protesters within the police cordon. Anti-choice activists played the sounds of crying babies on a megaphone as abortion rights marchers passed. Of the 37 people arrested in Warsaw Friday, 35 were nationalists. Black clad men attacked one of the protesters, but demonstrators fought back with what appeared to be pepper spray.  Some of the men arrested were carrying batons and knives. The New York Times reported that abortion rights activists have been attacked with flares. Two female reporters from Gazeta Wyborcza were attacked earlier last week. On Monday, October 26th, two women were struck by a car, which to observers looked intentional, as they participated in the protests. During the Sunday, October 25th protests, a woman was thrown down steps at Church of the Holy Cross in central Warsaw as abortion rights activists clashed with far right militants. Men from the group All Polish Youth attacked activists in Wroclaw, Bialystok, and Poznan on Wednesday the 28th. All Polish Youth have been behind attacks on LGBTQ marches. In 2019, the group attacked a pride march in Biyalastok with bottles, rocks, and firecrackers. Robert Bakiewicz, a right wing extremist leader, threatened that his supporters would form a national guard of a Catholic self-defense force to confront what he called “neo-Bolshevik revolutionaries.” The far right group Falanga has also made threats of violence. The Law and Justice Party has encouraged and empowered the far right since coming to power in 2015. Early last week, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, head of the party, called upon supporters to defend the church at any cost. This rhetoric has been criticized as a call to arms to violent right wing extremists. He later stated that even fetuses with no chance of survival should be born so they can be named, baptized, and buried. Activists have been called leftwing fascists on state television. CIVICUS and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) have both stated that protests have been met with excessive force from both the state and far right groups.

The Law and Justice Party (PiS) is a right wing populist party which won the 2019 elections by running on a socially conservative platform which includes nationalism, opposition to migration, traditional family values, Catholicism, Islamaphobia, homophobia, anti-communism, and anti-Semitism. They have increased the teaching Catholic values in public schools, attacked LGBT rights, and ended state funding of in-vitro fertilization. Yet, they won over less reactionary voters and the support of labor by making promises such as doubling minimum wage by 2023, increasing payments to retirees, and had already enacted a popular subsidy to low income families called 500 plus. In July, Andrzej Duda, of the PiS, won a second presidential term by a narrow margin of 51% of the vote over 49% for Rafał Trzaskowski, Civic Platform (PO). Like the U.S. political elections, these are not vastly different parties, though the PO was framed as the more liberal party. When PO was last in power, it increased retirement age and lowered pensions and ran a campaign that was mostly against PiS rather than for any particular program. 

Law and Justice Party (PiS) has made several effots to ban abortion, including an attempt in October 2016 to pass a law which would have banned abortion and imposed prison terms on abortion patients and providers. Hundreds of thousands of black clad women joined a “Black Monday”general strike from work, school, and domestic labor to defeat the legislation. According to Madeline Roach reporting for Foreign Policy, in July 2017 the government passed a law making emergency contraception available only by prescription. In 2018, school textbooks were issued which called embryos unborn children and claimed that contraceptives were a health hazard. Even without the government’s anti-abortion campaign, due to the clause of conscience, doctors do not have to perform abortions on moral grounds. In the region of Podkarpackie, more than 3,000 doctors signed the clause, which renders abortion unavailable in that area. Only 10% of hospitals perform abortion according to FEDERA. In 2014, Dr. Bogdan Chazan refused to perform an abortion on a deformed fetus on moral grounds nor tell the mother that the abortion would be illegal after 12 weeks.  Because of this, she was forced to give birth to a baby without a skull which died nine days later. Abortion is certainly a contentious issue in Poland, yet according to Rueters, a 2018 opinion poll showed that only 15% of the population supported tightening the already restrictive abortion laws.

Despite public opinion against this, in April 2020, Law and Justice Party lawmakers again debated banning abortion, this time in the case of fetal abnormaities. The government also considered citizen initiated legislation which would have equated homosexuality with pedaephilia and criminalize sex education for minors with up to three years imprisonment. In response, activists held socially distanced actions with their cars, social media, and bicycles. This forestalled the passage of the legislation, as the lower house of parliament sent the bill back to a parliamentary commission for more work.  Previous attempts to ban abortion through legistlation have failed due to the efforts of abortion rights activists, which may be why the Law and Justice Party sought a review from the constitutional tribunal. Fourteen of the fifteen judges on the court were chosen by the Law and Justice Party to serve nine year terms. Three judges are believed by legal scholars to have been appointed by illegal means. Aside from the this new tactic of using the high court to ban abortion, some activists believe that the abortion ban was a reward to the Catholic church and far right for its support in the previous elections and a distraction from the government’s poor handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Covid-19 has presented serious challenges to abortion access and activism. According to Euronews, when the Polish government closed its borders, Justyna Wydrzynska, an activist with Aborcyjny Dream Team reported the phones of the organization were ringing non stop. The organization normally receives ten calls a day.  Many callers were worried about accessing abortion pills, which are illegal in Poland. According to Hannah Summers for The Guardian, Polish hospitals have already turned women away who are seeking abortion. The Federation of Family Planning has been inundated with phone calls from panicked women who have had their appointments cancelled and whose fetuses have abnormalities. Abortion without Borders, an organization formed in December 2019 to help Polish women access abortion but has been challenged by border closures and quarantine. The thousands of women who travel to Germany, Czech Republic, and Slovakia have been blocked off from this access. Nevertheless, Abortion without Borders has managed to help twenty one women access abortion in other countries since the ruling. It should be noted that offering assistance in obtaining an illegal abortion can result in a three year prison sentence. Yet, the vast majority of abortions in Poland are illegal, with activists estimating that although the number of legal abortions is only around 1,000, there are over 150,000 illegal abortions each year. Aside from travel, abortion is accessed through doctors or other providers who provide high cost abortions in secret.

With 20,000 new Covid-19 infections each day, politicians have been quick to shame activists for protesting the court ruling.  Like Trump, even President Andrzej Duda has been diagnosed with Covid-19. Large gatherings are prohibited and bars and universities are closed. The government issued a ban on gatherings of more than five people, which was implemented the same week of the court ruling. Organizers have been threatened with eight years imprisonment for violating the ban and causing what the government has deemed an epidemiological threat. Activists have been told to consider the elderly or vulnerable people they may sicken. At the same time, Poland has the lowest ratio of health workers to population in the EU. Over the years, austerity and privatization has gutted the Polish health care system, rendering it incapable of meeting the pressures of the pandemic in terms of staffing, testing, and intensive care beds.  

Law and Justice Party’s aggressive attacks on abortion rights are only the most recent and certainly won’t be the last. According to Wanda Nowica in the book SexPolitics: Reports from the Front Lines, the end of communism in Poland marked the beginning of attacks on reproductive rights. The current laws are actually similar to the 1932 Criminal Code in Poland, in which abortion was only legal if the pregnancy was result of a crime or if women’s life and health was a risk.  These laws remained in effect until 1956 when abortion was decriminalized,but required the signatures of two doctors. At the time, abortion was legalized on the basis of the health risks imposed by illegal abortions. Abortion law was further liberalized in 1959 when abortion became available upon demand. This ended in1993 with the Act on Family Planning, Human Embryo Protection and Conditions of Permissibility of Abortion, which removed the social grounds for seeking an abortion. Doctors also played an important role in ban, as the General Assembly of Physicians ning abortion, adopted the Code of Medical Ethics, which only allowed abortion on medical and criminal grounds. The was an effort to organize against abortion restrictions, as the Committee for a Referendum on the Criminalization of Abortion garnered 1.3 million signitures demanding a national referendum on abortion, but this was ignored by the Parliament in 1992. Lech Wałęsa vetoed an attempt to liberalize abortion laws in 1994.  In 1996, when abortion laws were amended and and abortion was again briefly legal on social grounds. The Solidarity Trade Union challenged the new law through the Constitutional Tribunal, which determined that abortion on social grounds was indeed unconstitutional. In the early 2000s, Democratic Left Alliance-Labor Union promised to liberalize the law, but never made good on the promise. Parliament refused to take up the issue in 2005. Recent years have seen attacks on abortion rights, but the decades since communism have been marked with broken promises, compromises, neoliberalism, and pandering to the Catholic church. This is not to idealize communism in Poland, but to highlight that abortion was a casualty in the transition to capitalism and that liberals, social democrats, and conservatives have upheld abortion restrictions.   

The spectacular turn out of Polish women has temporarily suspended the enforcement of the court ruling, but there is a long battle ahead. In Poland, as in all capitalist countries, there will always be social pressure for women to reproduce. In this sense, reproductive rights are never secure so long as capitalism persists. Capitalism requires the oppression of women as this ensures workers are cared for, babies are born, and children are raised with unpaid labor and the most meager social provisioning. Nowica noted that in 1988, the fertility rate in Poland was 2.4, in 1993 it was 1.8 and by 2005 it was 1.22. In 2020, it is 1.39.  Replacement fertility is 2.1, but forced birth combined with austerity is a particularly brutal method of ensuring social reproduction. This brutality is masked by the sanctity of life rhetoric of the Catholic church, but this itself has changed over the centuries with different theological debates regarding ensoulment. The hardline stance against abortion after conception only came about in 1869. It seems that women in Poland have had enough and are willing to stand against both the church and the state, which in Poland are deeply interconnected. Both of these things are malleable and can be changed through struggle. Ultimately, this struggle must tear up the economic roots of oppression for reforms to be lasting.  It is little wonder that the Law and Justice Party seeks to divide, pitting reproductive rights against the rights of people with disabilities to be born. But it is capitalism, not women, which ultimately devalues the lives of people with disabilities. It is within the framework of capitalism that impairment is made into disability, as it is a system which cannot accommodate different needs and places value on regimented labor capacity above all else. The struggle in Poland is part of a struggle for all oppressed people to control their bodies and destinies.  

Walking around Branson with my Mother

Walking around Branson with my Mother

H. Bradford

11/04/20

My mother and I recently went on a road trip to Branson. We had wanted to go to Niagara Falls this summer, but with Covid-19 it was impossible to visit the Canadian side. We had also considered a visit to South Dakota, but after Sturgis, it didn’t seem safe. Although travel anywhere poses risks, we had thought that Branson would be an option, since it is a place my mother enjoys visiting and Covid-19 had not yet spiked in the midwest when we were considering it.  This of course changed. To mitigate some of the risk, we spent a lot of time outdoors enjoying nature as it is easier to social distance.  Branson is better known for shows and family entertainment, but it also offers a lot of opportunities to explore nature. We spent about two full days in Branson, but managed to see quite a bit!

Waterfall Trail:

This plainly named trail is ⅔ of a mile long and as the name suggests, leads to a waterfall.  The trailhead can be found near the entrance of the Westgate Resort, where there is a free parking lot at the base of the hill. We hiked in mid-October, so the trail was mostly dry at the time.  The riverbed of the Roark River tributary also had a low water level.  The trail was rocky and had a steep hill towards the beginning, but was otherwise easy.  A highlight of the hike was a persimmon tree, which was the first that I have seen in the wild.  Friendly Carolina chickadees and American goldfinches were another highlight.  

Lakeside Forest Wilderness Area:

Lakeside Forest Wilderness Area is conveniently located off of 76 near many Branson attractions, such as Dolly Parton’s Stampede, the Auto and Farm Museum, and between many Branson hotels and Branson landing. For lack of time, my mother and I only explored the Bluff Trail, which is marked in blue and the Owen Drive Trail, which is yellow.  The Bluff Trail offers spectacular views of Lake Tanycomo and the Branson area. Lake Tanycomo looks like a river, and was actually a human made reservoir created by damming the White River.  The Owen Drive Trail leads to the Owen Homestead and because it was a driveway, it is flat and even. In all, the wilderness area has over five miles of trails. Since it closes at dark, and sunset is just after 6pm, there wasn’t nearly enough time to explore this park. However, both the blue and yellow trails were easy and interesting, flanked with late blooming autumn flowers. 

Branson Landing:

Branson Landing features a popular walkway along Lake Tanycomo, as well as many shops and restaurants. The central attraction is a Fountain Show; a color changing, musical fountain.  During some songs, the fountain also produces flames, as I learned when Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer came on. The grand finale of the day is the Star Spangled Banner at 10 pm. The promenade is less than a mile long and a great place to visit at night, when it is hard to walk elsewhere.  Water shows start at noon and go until ten most days, except sunday, which is nine pm. We strolled around during the late evening, enjoying the fresh air, well lit path, colorful fountain, and some shops.  There isn’t much nature here, but due to the cool weather, it wasn’t too busy with people while we were visiting. Coming from Minnesota, the weather felt fine.

Table Rock State Park:

With a packed schedule, we only managed to explore the Table Rock Lakeshore Trail, which follows Table Rock Lake for over two miles. Like the other parks and trails mentioned thus far, it is free to visit. We visited in the morning, when the area was active with many birds.  Some of the birds we saw included several species of woodpeckers, such as red headed and red bellied woodpeckers. Tufted titmice and Carolina chickadees were also prevalent along the trial. A highlight was a fish crow, which was a new species of bird for me. Visually, the fish crow looks like an American crow.  The main difference is their calls, which for the fish crow is more truncated and nasal. The paved trail was pleasant and lined with hardwood trees. There were also scenic views of Table Lake and Branson along the drive to the state park.

Top of the Rock at Cedar Lodge:

While the other hikes were free, Top of the Rock at Cedar Lodge isn’t cheap.  A guided hike costs $34.  For the price, I expected that the guides would interpret the nature of the area. Instead, the guides mostly made sure that walkers were safe from the golf carts which used the same path. Although the path was paved, there were some pleasant views of the area and a variety of things to see along the way. It also featured a visit to a cave, where visitors can drink lemonade or alcohol at the Bat Bar.  Bat Bar is featured in Atlas Obscura because it is an unusual spot for drinking and bat watching. We did not see any bats, perhaps because it was day time or too late in the season. Since it is more of a kiosk, Bat Bar looks a bit like a lemonade stand in a cave. Aside from the Bat Bar, there is also a covered bridge, waterfalls, and two hills at the end. The trail is suitable for most people of all ages and fitness levels.

Attending a walking tour offers a discount at the expansive Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum of the Ozarks. The museum features some “natural” history, but really is more generally about the human history of the Ozarks, spare some information on the megafauna which roamed Missouri.  I was impressed with the many rooms focused on Native American history, which as far as I could tell seemed sympathetic to the genocide of Native Americans even though the methods of collection and those who created the collections likely have a dubious history. There is a shuttle which carts visitors between the museum and visitor center.  As a whole, the area is over developed and over priced, so there is not the sense of rugged nature. The lemonade at the Bat Bar tasted like it had gone bad. Overall, it seemed overpriced. But, the museum at the end was worth the visit on account of the large collection of Native American artifacts, historical information, art, and cultural items.

Ruth and Paul Henning Conservation Area:

This was my favorite area to explore.  I visited here on Sunday while my mother was at church.  During the few hours I hiked, I explored the Glade Trail, Riverside Trail, Dewey Bald Trail, and Shanee’s Shortcut.  Of the places explored during our visit, this was the most rugged. The area is dry, seeing as it is a glade, and I became quite warm during the hike.  I spotted many lizards along the way.  I also saw many birds, such as Carolina wrens, Carolina chickadees, crows, Blue jays, Black vultures, and a house wren. The paved Dewey Bald Trail leads to a tower, which can be climbed for a view of Branson. The boards of the tower are a little wobbly at the viewing platform. The structure seems a little old, but generally safe. The trails can be rocky and uneven, which some incline, which make them slightly more challenging, but only modestly saw.  Ruth and Paul Henning Conservation area is located on the west side of Branson, not far from Butterfly Palace. The land was donated by the Hennings, who produced popular television shows such as the Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, and Petticoat Junction. My mother is a fan of those old shows, but probably would have found the trails a little too challenging due to the uneven terrain. It is free to visit.      

Conclusion:

These are just a small sample of outdoor areas in and near Branson.  I had also wanted to go to Dogwood Canyon, which also charges a fee. Due to limited capacity, I did not end up there. It is advised to buy tickets in advance, as they were sold out the day of my intended visit. The Brusiek State Forest and Wilderness Area is located just north of Branson and almost made it onto the itinerary, but was cut due to the time crunch.  The Branson area offers a lot of natural beauty and I was glad that I was able to enjoy some of it with my mother.  We had a wonderful time and my mother did a great job keeping an active schedule!