Eureka Springs and Branson

**Guest Blogger**

Eric Hendrickson 

Day One - July 22nd - Time with Friends
We headed off after I got off of work.  The kids were excited.

Joe Jones, one of my longest and best friends, lives in Carl Junction, MO, which is only a mile detour on the way to Eureka Springs.  We stayed the night and swam in his pool.  Their pool is much nicer than any motel pool.  Good times.

Day Two - July 23rd - Eureka Springs

We left Joe's house around 7am and had a two hour drive to Eureka Springs, Arkansas.  The first site was the Christ of the Ozarks.  This is a beautiful structure representing Jesus Christ.

We spent the entire day at the Passion Play, experiencing all the great things they have to offer.

After checking out the gift shops and petting zoo, we went on the guided, Holy Land Tour.

They had a replica of the tabernacle that the Israelites built on their 40 year wandering in the desert.

Above is the altar of incense.  Below is the ark of the covenant

Phoebe and I are looking into a common dwelling place and Silas is sitting at the last supper table.

Above is a replica of Jesus's tomb and Golgatha where Jesus was crucified.

Above is a replica of a fishing boat the disciples would have used.

I enjoyed this tour.  I especially liked that actors from the Passion Play were the ones that spoke at each location.

The stadium was definitely not filled to capacity but it was good to hear that the Passion Play is financially stable and working towards paying of previous loans.

I encourage you to make a trip to Eureka Springs and experience all that the Passion Play has to offer.

Day Three - July 24th - Branson

We stayed the night in Eureka Springs and headed to Branson in the morning to go to Silver Dollar City.

I don't ride the spinning rides but I do enjoy the roller coasters.

Silas and I won easily against Stacee and Phoebe.

We enjoyed cheap refreshments thanks to our friends allowing us to use their Silver Dollar City refill cups.

We went in early to the Chris Tomlin concert to ensure we got seats.  He put on a great performance.  Notice he is by himself.  His band was quarantined for Covid exposure.

It was a standing room only crowd.

After this great concert, they had an impressive fireworks show.

This was a great day.  I left energized and rejuvenated, closer to God, and thankful to live in the United States of America.
Day Four - July 25th - Branson

Day two of Silver Dollar City

The Powder Keg (above) really starts out fast so you have to keep your head against the seat.  The Barn Swing (below) is my favorite ride.

The second day of the Globe Trotters.  This time we went early and had front row seats.  Silas was chosen for the slam dunk contest.

Silas was high above the rim, but lost the grip on the ball.  It turned out being more of a layup, but he did make it.

Silas got a head band for participating.

We purchased a small ball and had the players sign it.  Zeus is the tall guy.  Baller is the short guy.

They also got autographs from Scooter and Springs.

They even took a pitcher with the DJ/MC.  We will be going to a Globe Trotter event in Wichita in August.  They were very entertaining and talented.

This was a short vacation and a good one.  Our family loves Branson and will likely be taking more trips to Eureka Springs.  We will definitely take up Joe's offer to come by anytime.