By Silas Gray
sports@joplinglobe.com
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It was late in the morning on a Sunday, and I’d just dropped Karen, our two kayaks and our gear at the boat ramp that sits just below Table Rock Dam on Lake Taneycomo.
I was driving the truck downstream to a spot where we were planning to take out. Dan Johnson and his daughter Hannah were leading the way in their vehicle.
Dan and his wife Jeanette own the Parkview Lodge, one of my favorite places to stay in Branson. It’s located just south of Table Rock Dam. My plan was to spend a few days there fishing, and Karen decided to join me and spend one of those days floating the upper portion of Lake Taneycomo. It was mid-July and quite hot, and the idea of kayaking the 50-degree water of Lake Taneycomo was perfect.
After I parked the truck at our take-out spot, Dan and Hannah shuttled me back to where Karen was waiting. I found her sitting on a log in the shade, absorbed in her book. After stowing the book in her dry bag, Karen and I launched the kayaks into the welcome cold of the water. Dodging the many fly fishermen wade fishing in that section of the stream, we were soon clear of the crowds and on our way.
Since none of the dam’s generators were running, the water was hardly moving. This was good since it allowed us to drift along slowly and enjoy the day even more. Although I did cast out a fly and let it drift along behind, fishing wasn’t the main goal of the day.
Without generation, the water level was low and the upper end of the lake appeared much more like a stream than a lake. It wound through channels formed through the gravel and chunk rock that make up the streambed. The birds, squirrels and other wildlife were everywhere, and the stream was loaded with trout. Sometimes as a paddle was raised a few trout would dart away, but most remained unconcerned as our two boats slipped by.
We passed tall trees along the bank, some with their massive roots so washed out by years of flowing water that they appeared to have legs which were holding them high above the ground.
The first half of our float was peaceful and relaxing. However, the peace was broken by a long loud blast from a siren as it announced that the power generation would soon begin and along with it a dramatic increase in water flow.
We were far enough downstream that it took several minutes for the increased flow to reach us. But soon our boats began moving faster and the water rose, and Karen and I were doing more steering than paddling as we zipped along.
Several times during the trip I lost Karen. However, it never took long to find her. A quick search of any nearby brush, downed trees, small creek or anything that created a break in the current and I’d find her. I’d see her Keen sandals propped over the front deck of the kayak and two hands holding a book.
So far we’d had the stream pretty much to ourselves, but with the rising water came the sound of outboard motors followed quickly by boats of all types and sizes. They had been waiting on the deeper water so they could make it further upstream. The resulting wakes added some dynamics to our ride. By staying nearer the edges we continued along moving swiftly in the rising water. The second half of the trip went much faster than the first, and soon we were approaching the gravel lot where the truck was waiting.
Backing to the edge of the water, we took our time unloading the gear from the boats and reloading it into the bed of the truck. We secured the boats to the roof of the truck and were soon on our way back to the Parkview.
Even though the increased water flow had made the second half of the trip much quicker than we’d planned, it really wasn’t such a bad thing. There’s a restaurant on the Branson Landing called Cantina Laredo that Karen had been eager to try, and now we had plenty of time for showers before making our way to dinner.
We found a great parking spot on the south end of the landing, right in front of the southernmost store. I tried to convince Karen that walking directly through the store was the shortest way to get to Cantina Laredo. She agreed it might be the shortest but stated it wouldn’t be the fastest. I shopped quickly at Bass Pro as she was quite hungry.
