Month: May 2016

Lake of the Ozarks: A man made attraction

Lake of the Ozarks was created 72 years ago to create hydro electricity from the Osage river by building the Bagnell dam. The Lake of the Ozarks covers 55,000 acres and has 1300 miles of shoreline and is close to Jefferson city and St. Louis. The man made attraction is popular for its water activities, two State parks, and the Osage Premium Outlet shopping!

Lake of the Ozarks is a perfect destination for spending quality family time. The Lake of the Ozark State Park and Ha Ha Tonka State Park (free admission) are near to the Lake of the Ozarks which offer natural attractions. Rent a log cabin in the woods for a natural living experience or camp out in the many campsites available. Parasailing is one of the popular activity in the Lake of the Ozarks. Dinner cruises and narrated cruises on the water are good for enjoying the nature. Boat rentals and jet boats can be taken for your personal use. Golfing, fishing, and camping are other fun activities.

Bridal cave is under the Thunder mountain park and is believed to be a place where native American couples got married. You can reserve a spot there for your wedding too. The Big Surf Water Park is famous for its water rides and beaches. If you are adventure enough, you can try the stand up paddle craft at the Super Daves paddle rafting. Kiddy kayaks, canoes, and paddle boats are also available there. Zippy’s ziplines are great for trying out their three creative zip lines and picnic areas!

Wineries are plenty in and around the Lake of the Ozarks where you can relax an try out different drinks. Visit the Willmore Lodge near the Bagnell bridge for a brief peak into the history of the area. Camden county museum, Miller county museum, and Morgan county museum are the other museums open for visitors. All the museums are free of charge! There is plenty of shopping along the shores and around the area for purchasing unique items in that area.

Lake of the Ozarks is great for enjoying the nature and spending quality time with family and friends. It is a popular destination from visitors all over the country. Visit Mark Twain museum and caves in Hannibal Missouri on the way to the Lake of the Ozarks if you are travelling from the Quad Cities area.

 

Waze : A new way to travel

Recently, a friend suggested Waze app while traveling. I remember seeing ads about Waze, but never looked in to it. This time I decided to try it out.

Waze is a mobile app which can be downloaded in App Store or Google Play. What it basically does is navigate your drive from place A to place B. It is just like a GPS or google maps. In addition to the navigation, Waze is driven by community. Other drivers or ‘wazers’ will help you reach your destination without much disturbances. Other wazers will post a road block, object on road, vehicle stopped on shoulder, reroute, construction zones, traffic delays, and most importantly Cops! Yes, your fellow drivers will post any thing they observe during the drive and you can get alerts while you are driving. How cool is that! You can like or dislike a post. You have to be a wazer in order to post an event. You can view other posts and comments even if you are not logged in as a wazer.

If you are a member, the app shows fellow wazers and the speed with which they are driving. Track other wazers along your drive and bump them. We even got few honks from other wazers on our drive! How cool is that. I mean there is no more privacy in your own car and in your pleasant trip! 🙂 If you have bored teenager or preteen, this app could come quite handy to engage the kids. They might help you with the directions and as well as any upcoming police vehicles. Remember, the app consumes a lot of mobile data. So, keep that in mind. However, this app replaces all other devices on your drive such as the GPS, Police scanner, radio, and so on. Waze app even has commentary by your favorite artist. If you are visiting a city with major events, the Waze app will give you live updates, traffic rerouting, marathon routes, and so on.

If you discovered the Waze app recently or you are a long time wazer, let me know what your thoughts on that! Happy Wazing, Wazers!