the Island

There is a small, planned community just four miles north of Eureka Springs called Holiday Island. It has been around since the seventies, and as the name suggests, it is somewhat of an island. Technically, it is a peninsula that juts out into Table Rock Lake, but feels like an island when you drive out there. Other than the literal sense, Holiday Island is an island also in terms of its residents being quite different than those who live in Eureka.

For example, the first thing you will notice upon entering Holiday Island is a country club with golf apparel ladies and gentlemen all over the place. There is a golf course which snakes through most of the main sector of the city, with neighborhoods intermingled throughout the course. Holiday Island was originally set up as a retirement area, but has recently started to appeal to young families as well, since it is more remote and there is not as much tourism as in Eureka Springs. Many families move to Holiday Island after living in Eureka for awhile because the housing is cheaper in some areas and there is easy access to boating and other lake activities.

Roaring River

Last weekend, we went to Roaring River State Park near Cassville, Missouri. It was really neat and the kids really loved the fish hatchery. There were holding tanks with so many fish you could reach in and touch one! No wonder the people fishing in the river always have good catches. When I was a kid, we would go fishing all the time and never seemed to catch anything. One time I caught a big fish and my line snapped while trying to reel it in. Other than that, we never caught anything. We tried fishing on river and lake shores, standing in the middle of the river, and even boating, but nothing seemed to work. Oh well, we always had a great time just hanging out as a family.

The start of Roaring River is a beautiful spring where the water is an unbelievable shade of blue at the mouth of a cave. You can see the huge trout swimming in the clear water and the kids were pointing out which ones were the biggest. Then we went to one of the playgrounds to let the kids get some energy out before our twenty minute drive home. Best of all, this state park is free, so we will definitely go again. Once we all get fishing poles, we can take the kids on their first fishing excursion there.

Travel the World

One of my long-term goals is travel. Big time travel. We're talking travel around the world. I've always been curious about different cultures and countries. From the people to the history, to the architecture, all of it interests me. One of my tropical destinations would definitely be the Virgin Islands. The white beaches and blue water remind me of some beautiful areas in Mexico. But the advantage of visiting either the US or British Virgin Islands is that they speak English. So you won't have the language barrier that you would have at many other tropical hot spots.

In the Virgin Islands, people spend most of their time either on the beach or on a boat in the ocean. One option to try is st thomas sailing. Scubadu is a luxury catamaran, offering day trips and dinner cruises which depart from several different areas in the Virgin Islands. The reasonable rates include a licensed captain, a chef and first mate, gourmet food, open bar, snorkel gear, kayak, swim mats, towels and fresh water showers.

Boating alternative

Rather than paying thousands of dollars for a boat, I came across another option I hadn't considered. I found a website where you can purchase inflatable boats. Normally, when I think of inflatable boats, I think of a raft. But they have inflatable boats, pontoons, and kayaks as well. They are affordable, easy to repair, and guaranteed.

Inflatable boats are much easier to transport - just deflate it and put it in your trunk, rather than trying to tie a huge, heavy boat to the roof of your car or tow with a trailer. It is much easier to get an inflatable boat in the water, too. Also, think how much less space an inflatable boat would take in your home. You could store it in a small space like a closet, instead of taking up your driveway or your garage with a rigid boat. We will be able to start fishing and exploring the lakes and rivers sooner now that we have another option to expensive traditional boats.