"Celebration Time.... Come on...."

Today was a scorcher! Hot! We got up this morning and Judy started to work online, doing our Income Taxes! What a job.... but thanks to the help from Angela up in Bracebridge, we had all the info and Judy got it all efiled! Augh.... the joys of an electronic world!

I tried doing some more cleaning on the rig outside this morning, however it was way to hot, and I had no energy for it so gave up after 1/2 an hour.... talked to our Daughter instead... much more fun anyways!

This afternoon, we broke out the motorcycles, and decided to head out for a ride around the Branson area. We quickly found a lookout....

As you drive around this area, there are no flat stretches... you are in the Ozark Mountains and it is either up or down.... we found a place call Indian Point, and it was real nice with a campground on the lake....

There was also an marina beside the camp ground.... lots of blue sky!

On the way back from Indian Point, we stopped at a Condo Project under construction, and man, are they going to have a nice view, that you see behind me here....

We headed back into Town and out the other side to a place called Table Rock Dam, which was part of the Duck Tour the other day. On the low side of the dam is a Ministry Fish Hatchery that we decided to visit, not knowing what was really there.... There was a big building housing a bunch of displays, and some big fish tanks full of different trout. We watched a 12 minute movie and soon figured out what the Hatchery was for....

It seems the people in this area love to Trout fish, and Trout are not native to this area. So, in 1958, Missouri built this fish hatchery to start raising Trout to stock local lakes and rivers. In fact they now have 5 State hatchery's, that produce 2,500,000 trout a year! They are all released into local waters, some in the fall and some in the spring.... and most of them are all caught by local and visiting anglers! There is a huge economy built around this. The Anglers pay fees to fish, and help drive the local economy of Branson and other areas...

This pond contained "brood fish" that they harvest eggs from to start the process....

It takes 30 some odd days for the eggs to hatch and then they start raising the young trout... you have to see it!

We bought some fish food and it was just a mad dash when you throw some in the ponds...

Lots of fish....

There was 20 some tanks here, and they use a 1/2 ton truck to run between the tanks, and spread fish food to feed them all on a regular basis....

We learned a lot about the fish business today!

Made it back to Town, just in time to find Dairy Queen!

Enjoyed Happy Hour with Ontario Friends, and then went out to dinner at Ruby Tuesdays to celebrate Income Tax day, and a great winter we have enjoyed in the South West U.S.A.

Till tomorrow....