Inflatable Kayak Blog

We were on vacation in Branson, Missouri recently and although the weather was cold and rainy most of the time, we did have one nice day that we were able to put the kayak in the water and go for a paddle. We decided to paddle in Table Rock Lake, a beautiful 52,300-acre lake with 800 miles of shoreline that was created when the dam was built in 1958. Table Rock State Park has a nice boat launch area where we pumped up the inflatable kayak and carried it a short way down to the lake and started our paddle. For our first paddle we went towards the State Park marina. Talk about some major boats there! On the way we spotted what looked like a deer on one of the hillsides, but it turned out to be a very large dog …too, bad. We always enjoy seeing wildlife.

We had family with us so we kept the trips short, so we could switch paddlers often to give everyone a chance to get in the kayak. Next, we took our nephew Eric out in the boat. This was the first time he had seen an inflatable kayak and wanted to try it out. He did well paddling. I also took my sister Sally out for a paddle. We went out to the small point that was a just a ways down from where we launched. When we got close I could see that the Showboat Branson Belle Paddle Wheeler was docked just beyond the point. It was unusual, but I didn’t have my camera with me. So, after returning with Sally, mu husband and I got in the kayak and went back to get a picture of the Belle. As an added bonus the Branson DUCKS were in the water taking their passengers for a cruise before heading to the hills.

For anyone that hasn’t seen the DUCKS, they aren’t birds, but World War II vehicles used to transport troops through rough terrain and water. Officially called D.U.K.W.s which stood for D = 1942, U = amphibian, K = front wheel drive, and W = rear wheel drive. However American GI’s decided the name DUCK was the perfect fit and that is what they are called today.

It turned out to be a great day for a paddle our inflatable kayak in Table Rock Lake. We would highly recommend you paddle there if you are in the Branson area.