The Campfire Trail: March 23 - Resort Adventures

March 23, 2019

Day 82 - 283 Days to go

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost on the Trail (Guatemala)

Well the term "Adventure" certainly lived up to expectations today. I was approached by the Taney County Sheriffs Department to help with an urgent water rescue of a couple Kayak'ers that had tipped over in the lake. (It may look like we only rescued the Kayaks.....But rest assured, we got the occupants out safe as well) They were very grateful, but they were also pretty soggy and not real excited to have their pictures taken. My hats off to the Deputy who wasn't afraid to get a little wet and muddy. Together we were able to provide some entertainment to the onlookers from shore. All part of the Resort Adventure!

Today is the three year anniversary of the purchase of the Rainbow Haven Resort. We actually had no intention of purchasing it at the time. The previous owner came to us and was afraid he was going to have to close it after a devastating flood in December 2015. A couple of phone calls later and we had struck a deal to purchase it and open it back up for business. The story is too long and complicated for a re-telling of it here, but there is a part that relates to the Adventure. Adventure comes to the Adventurous. This is one of the cases where the "Adventure" of the resort business was already fixed in our minds before the opportunity presented itself. Waiting 24 or 48 hours to make a decision could easily have sunk this opportunity and left the previous owner with a very difficult pathway forward. One that could have taken him years to recover from. As "Resort Adventures" (or any kind of adventure for that matter) is concerned, You really should be mentally ready for it before it presents itself. Otherwise you may miss it while trying to make up your mind about what to do with what's in front of you!

The Last Resort Project:

I got a laugh out of The Last Resort today. I took a reservation from a lady who had vacationed for years in Rockaway Beach DECADES ago. Their "Resort of Choice" was Hospitality Hill Resort...……. Ring any Bells???? She told me "We would love to go there but it's not open any longer." I replied to her with; "Well, it happens to be that we own the old Hospitality Hill Resort now and it's not open but we are in the process of renovating it" She almost squealed with excitement. I went on to say that years of neglect had taken it's toll so there's no telling if we will open it back up as a resort, but if at all possible, I would let them tour their old hangout. She was still VERY excited about that and I look forward to meeting her family when they arrive later this year.

“You're on a journey, a wildly varying adventure with many obstacles, and trials. If you're not where you want to be, well, the adventure isn't over, this is just another step or stop on the long roads.”
― Jennifer Megan Varnadore