Shine Eye On The Buffalo River And The Old 86 Campground
Colorful Bluff At Shine Eye
It's summer in the Ozarks. With chiggers the size of grasshoppers and ticks the size of garbage can lids we tend to stay out of the woods and off the trails. Daily highs often reach into the mid-90's or higher and any activities such as hiking are best scheduled for mornings. Our favorite pastime for summer is trying to find different places to get wet. Fresh, clean running rivers and creeks plus several lakes provide ample opportunities for just such fun. Of course summer vacationers tend to make all the more popular spots very busy so we try and find out of the way places.
South on Highway 65, the road crosses the river near Silver Hill. Just before you cross the bridge there is a road called Shine Eye. If you turn down that road and drive all the way to the end you can park and walk down to one of the beautiful swimming spots on this part of the river.
South on Highway 65, the road crosses the river near Silver Hill. Just before you cross the bridge there is a road called Shine Eye. If you turn down that road and drive all the way to the end you can park and walk down to one of the beautiful swimming spots on this part of the river.
.We arrived early one morning. there was no one on the gravel bar and the sun was still below the bluff line, giving us some nice shade. The river was flowing nicely and the stunning colors of the bluff stood out against the blue sky. We waded a bit in the shade and took a dip in the sun. It was very nice. As the sun got higher in the sky our patch of shade began to shrink.
Some time later a few locals came down to enjoy the sun. You knew they were locals because they brought their own shade! Another couple took a stroll along the bank. Shortly thereafter canoes began to float past our spot. No one looked like they were working very hard, and most seemed quite happy to drift along, soaking in the sun. Occasionally they would pull over to swim or take a lunch break. Once the shade was gone we headed back home as the temperature hit 93, On the way through St. Joe we stopped for lunch at a small restaurant called Big Springs Restaurant. They featured locally smoked meats. I had a very tasty smoked pork BBQ sandwich while David had the J Bar J salad. Both were excellent and we left with some smoked bacon and two venison sausages with cheese and Jalapeno.
A week later we wanted to check out the creek levels on several of our favorite spots, north of Harrison. There was not much water around but we did find a few places that still afforded a wade and a picture. We headed over to the Old Highway 86 Campground located in Missouri on Table Rock Lake and run by the Corps of Engineers. It is a very nice place, with 71 campsites available with amenities. It's location on a point makes it very popular. We had planned on taking a wade in the swimming area but due to the high water it was closed. We decided to take a break under the shade of the trees and have a snack. While sitting there we could see the Showboat Branson Belle moored across the lake. I switched lenses and took a poor close up telephoto shot.
Finishing up our snack we continued our search for a quiet place and followed a road down to a boat ramp. Room for 50 vehicles, no one there. Our kind of spot. The lake level was up pretty good but because there was a boat ramp we could wade out on the concrete. It was very nice and beautiful. It was about noon when we headed back into town.