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Arriving at the Top of the Rock

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My friend Jaimee and I were back in the car to continue our Missouri road trip. Our next stop was at Big Cedar Lodge , just past Branson in Ridgedale. The drive was just over two hours and quite scenic, but not quite as amazing as the property Big Cedar Lodge was on.  We were amazed by the scenes of hills and lakes, wildlife and forestry. Our cabin wasn’t ready yet so we first went to the Devil’s Pool Restaurant for lunch. It too had a view to remember. The meal was also memorable as I had soup and a pizza with Italian sausage and roasted grape tomatoes and Jamie head a turkey club sandwich. We had our leftovers with us as we crossed the covered bridge and headed to our cabin. We were put up in the Tony Stewart log cabin at Big Cedar Lodge . It was quite spacious, with two bedrooms, a large living room with a big stone fireplace, and a fully stocked kitchen. The lodge provided us with a nice basket of snacks and some wine. The only thing about the

Exploring Lake of the Ozarks

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I started the day at Country Club Hotel and Spa in Lake of the Ozarks the best way possible, with a morning massage. My friend Jaimee and I had plenty of time to relax in our spacious junior suites before heading out for our first appointment. We had lunch and cocktails on the water at Dog Days (look for my story in the spring issue of Midwest Living ). We had a free afternoon for exploring the Lake of the Ozarks area and we took advantage of the time. We drove down to the Bagnell Dam Strip. Along with the typical souvenir shops and tourist restaurants, from here you can also take cruises out to view the dam and the Ozarks by water. We made a brief stop at the Osage beach Premium Outlets, the largest center of its kind in Missouri. We picked up a few bargains and then stopped at Randy’s Frozen Custard across the road. Frozen custard is one of my biggest weaknesses and this place did not disappoint. Their famous Turtle Concrete was amazing! We went