This past Friday afternoon, Kathy and I packed up the Cadillac and headed down to "The L
ake" (Lake of the Ozarks) to go for a motorcycle ride. We stayed at our friend's (Bill and Teri Beezley) home that night and then went up to Lake Ozark Harley Davidson the next morning to pick up our bike for the weekend.
Our bike, a beautiful Black and Blue 2008 Harley Davidson Electra Glide Ultra that I named "Bruiser" was absolutely gorgeous! Tony, our sales person, did a great job of getting us situated on the bike and we zoomed back to get Bill and Teri. Once we got them, it was up to "The Rock" (The Rock Island Bar and Grill).
There, we enjoyed a wonderful cheeseburger before we hopped on the bikes and took off over th
e dam for what turned out to be a spin around the Gravois Mills arm of the Lake of the Ozarks.
To those of you who aren't familiar with The Lake of The Ozarks, it's a 55,000 acre, 90 mile long man made lake that due to the rugged nature of the land has an incredible 1150 miles of shore line (that's about the same amount that California has, by the way). It's located in south central Missouri about 2 1/2 hours from Kansas City and about 3 hours southwest of St. Louis.
Since it's purpose is the generation of electricity and not flood control, the lake level generally stays within a certain range making it very suitable for lake side development. The end result is a recreational and tourist destination that draws regular visitors and second home owners from throughout the mid west.
Back To Our Ride
So, after we left "The Rock" we headed up Highway W through Rocky Mount Missouri and into Versailles Missouri, where we stopped at a little bar on the square called "Skeeters".
As a side note, Versailles Missouri was where Bud Walton opened a 5 and Dime store that he later combined with his brother Sam's small chain of 5 and dimes and which later went on to become the 
Walmart Corporation.
After a quick refreshment at Skeeters we headed back towards the lake and went to a new place called "Coconuts". Coconuts is right on the lake and is a very nice place that features a swim up bar, plenty of dock space and a ton of tables! The only down side that I saw was that it seemed pretty expensive for what it was. Maybe I'm just cheap, but ten bucks for a cheese burger?
After we left Coconuts we went to a place more my speed called, The Hill Billy Yacht Club, which used to be an old resort that is now the center of activity for a cluster of small lake homes and cabins. I didn't catch the bar tenders name, but she was extremely friendly and one of the patrons there was nice enough to buy us a beer after we talked to him for a few minutes while we waited for the thunderstorm outside to pass.
When the rain stopped, we hopped back on the bikes and took off through Laurie, MO and Sunrise Beach, MO and headed to a place called Frankie and Louie's which was located on the lake at the back of a camp ground. I'd have to say that this was my favorite place that we visited (other than The Rock, of course). They had all sorts of people there and while the place was family friendly (generally not something that I go looking for when I'm out on the bikes) the bar was just that, a bar!
Though I did get a kick out of when the two worlds intertwined...;-)
After Frankie and Louie's we crossed the new bridge back to the "St. Louis" side of the lake and headed back to "The Rock".
At The Rock, we ran into several of the members of a group called, "Biker's Against Child Abuse" who had just "adopted" 3 kids whom they were going to provide emotional support to as they went through the court system after their parents had been accused of abuse.
I had never heard of this group and was really impressed that they were taking the time and making the effort to look out for these kids who probably didn't have a whole bunch of folks looking out for them.
Meeting these people reminded me that most people don't realize how open and friendly the biker community is. These folks didn't look like they would be "the type" to go out of their way to help some kids that they didn't even know, but they do go out of their way and they are indeed great people!
So, it was a great day spent on the 
bikes! We met some wonderful people and saw some interesting sights and the best part about it...it was done on the cheap!
Including the rental for the motorcycle for the day, Kathy and I got out of the entire weekend...including a side trip to Columbia for a Veggie with Bacon...for less than $400.00 or so. If this is something that sounds fun to you and you have any questions about any of the places that we went to, please don't hesitate to give me a call!
If you're thinking about buying a second home at the Lake of Ozarks, give me a call. While we don't service that part of the state (yet), I'd be happy to refer you to a great agent who will be able to help you find the perfect home or condo.
ValueList does finance properties at the lake and will be happy to answer any questions on financing lake properties that you might have.
R.B. "Bob" Mitchell
ValueList Real Estate Services, Inc.
Bob Mitchell is president of ValueList Real Estate Services, St. Louis' largest discount/full-service real estate and mortgage company. If you would like to find out more about Bob, ValueList or our flat-fee listing program, please feel free to visit our web site at valuelistre.com
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