ozarks crescent mural: Peel Ferry

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Peel Ferry

I don't believe I've posted about the ferry that runs between Missouri and Arkansas across Bull Shoals Lake. You get to it by going to Protem, MO or Peel, AR. They're both little out of the way places on the western side of the lake, not too far from Branson or Harrison. I like it because it's different. How often do you get to cross water on a ferry? Not often. And it's free.

I'd taken pictures of the Peel Ferry before, but I never got around to posting them. I know I don't see it show up in my list of Tags or in the Search Box. It's nice when another time comes around to do things you wanted to do before.

This is what the lake looked like when we pulled up on the Protem side. The ferry was on the Peel side when we arrived. The white speck off in the distance is the ferry dock on the other side, the Peel side.

Here's us waiting in our Avalanche. The sign looks a little bent up. It's windy here at Bull Shoals. Word has it that it's always like that. The ferry is ran by The Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD).

The ferry approaches our side.

Taking off.

Out in the water.

We had a good conversation with the first mate on deck. Boy, did he have a traditional Arkansas accent. His dad worked on the ferry and now he does. He grew up down the road in the Peel area. I should've asked him for his pic. I almost did.

We got into a great exchange over the various crossings over the tri-lakes and he had a good one to share. Way back when him and his buddy were dating girls on the Missouri side. The boys had missed the ferry to get the girls home and had to drive the 100 miles around to cross at Bull Shoals dam. That's a good story, especially when you're sitting on the ferry looking over at Missouri on the north side and Arkansas to the south and they're not too terribly far apart from each other. But when there's water between, not much you can do.

Here's Missouri.