Friday, August 14, 2009

Blue Lady Resort in Arkansas

Brian and Margie Roelands are the owners of the Blue Lady Resort


Nestled in the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas next to Lake Norfolk is the Blue Lady Resort. Owned by Brian and Margie Roelands they offer an ideal get away for a family vacation. Although they have only had it for a short period of time their reputation is really taking off after buying the resort in 2005 after moving from California. That, of course, is because they offer great service at reasonable prices. The resort is located just outside of Gamaliel AR and they can be reached at 870-467-5115 or their website www.blueladyresort.com I advise that you book ahead of time as slots fill up rapidly especially during the summer. They have suites of 1-3 bedrooms with all the comforts of home. They have stoves, refrigerators, microwaves and other convenient utilities to cook and clean. A laundry room as well as cable TV is also available. A BBQ grill is available as is wine tasting. They have their own wine cellar and make it themselves carrying on a family tradition. It is a full service resort and can accommodate up to 70 people. Customized trips are available including weddings and receptions. If a corporation wants to entertain clients this is the place to take them.

You can expect clean and comfortable accomodations at Blue Lady

Lake Norfolk is a very large lake 31,000 acres that has quite a few species of fish in case you want to drop in a line. They have some nice bass including Stripers, Large Mouth and Hybrids. Also there is Walleye, Crappie, Catfish, Bream as well as Brook and Brown Trout. There is a guide service and you would do well to utilize it if you want to catch a bunch of fish. Chuck knows where all the fish are and he will ensure your success. I was guided by Chuck and he knows how to find and catch fish! They also have boat rentals both pontoons and bass boats. If you want to take a cruise on the lake with the family then a pontoon is just for you. They are clean and well maintained as is all the equipment and cabins. Also you better bring along your camera as the lake is very scenic especially at sunrise or sunset. Also available is a 15 slip dock and a 10 X 20 fishing platform with pole holders and night lights. A cleaning station is also included. The fishing is a year around activity and the winters are relatively mild so that shouldn’t be a problem. In 2008 Field and Stream rated Lake Norfolk the number 2 fishing spot in the US.


The boathouse and fishing area


If you want to employ a fishing guide I highly recommend Chuck Pate who can be reached at 870-491-5971 or 870-404-9604. He will ensure your success for a memorable trip. I would call ahead of time to make sure he is available. One on one fishing consultations are available and for more fishing info go to http://www.discoverlakenorfork.com/index.html

These are some of the fish we caught in about 3 hours plus we threw some back


If you have kids that you want to bring along you are in luck. They have outdoor activities such as a swing set and bad mitten and volleyball court. A play gym and shuffleboard court is also available. There is room for them to roam about and a couple of friendly pooches to pet. There is also a swimming pool with a covered deck so the parents can watch the kids swim or take a dip themselves. There is also a bunch of board games and movies available if needed. With the nice weather they enjoy I can’t imaging anyone spending a lot of time indoors.



A nice swimming pool to keep the kids happy





Who couldn't fall in love with these two.



Nothing like a nice pontoon boat for a relaxing cruise on the Norfolk Lake


Sunrise on the lake




There are hiking trails with great scenery and plenty of wildlife to observe. Make sure you have your camera at all times as you never know when you get a chance at a great picture. There are scenic roads to travel also. If you need anything then the town of Mountain Home is about 13 miles away. They have everything you might need including a hospital. It would be hard to be bored in such a lovely spot.



A nice view of the lake from the terrece


Guided hunts are available and the area is well populated with deer. Short distances away bear and wild boar can also be hunted as well as small game. You can check ahead for seasons and guide information. If hunting is on the agenda I would recommend that you check out this website. It has all the info on seasons, places to hunt and other info. Of course you can book at the Blue Lady Resort for your hunting trip. They have about 20,000 acres of public land to hunt on http://www.norforklakechamber.com/hunting.htm




If you want a getaway with the family this is the ideal place to rest and relax. You’re out where it’s quiet and there is no crime to worry about. You can take nice pictures of the lake from the terrace as it is higher up. There are plenty of boats and jet skis to watch go up and down the lake. Come on down you won’t be sorry.


For the adults there is wine tasting and it is good
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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousMay 19, 2010 at 4:00 PM

    Thank you for this great blog post on the Blue Lady Resort. I think I'll be staying there for the four months of winter. They meet my requirements: $600 a month, dog-friendly, wifi so I can work and cable TV. I love the Ozarks and look forward to a nice winter at the Blue Lady.

    ReplyDelete

To the Board of Directors,

Gentlemen I`am writing to present you with an idea that i think you may possibly find advantageous to your company. As i`am sure you are aware there is a great interest in whats called "Cowboy Action" shooting in this country and more and more guns of yesteryear are being resurected by the companies that make reproduction firearms.
The sport is growing constantly and the gun makers are constantly looking for ways to take even more advantage of this ever growing market. Guns like the Henry rifle,Spencer carbine, Colt and Remington conversion revolvers and the Colt 1872 Open Top and others are on the market and doudtless other guns of history will be made in the future.
The arms makers try to be as authenic as possible in their copies but one thing keeps them from being "true" copies.The majority of these guns are being made in calibers that the original guns were never made in.The Henry, Spencer,the majority of early Colts were made in rimfire calibers. Ammunition that has`nt been made by American companies since the 1920`s and early 30`s.But with the resurgence in interest in the old guns of our history and boost in ammo sales that go along with it i think it is time to resurect the original ammo these guns used as well. I ask you to think about it and concider this.
The new guns are generally offered in 2 and sometimes 3 caliber options, none of which were ever used in the originals to begin with. If the original rimfire calibers were offered as an addtional caliber option and the ammo for those calibers were available i believe both the guns and ammo sales would skyrocket.
Authenticity is what it is all about with the cowboy action crowd and the collectors and other shooters of these guns.What could be more "authenic" that having a repro in it`s original
chambering rather than a caliber that never was used in the original? Not to mention the fact that if ammo were available once again people that own originals like myself would love to be able to shoot them as well.
i believe that if arrangements could be reached between the gun makers and your company in that they would make the guns with their original calibers as options and you in turn make the ammo available i think it would be a boost in sales for both. I ask both of you to do this.
The gun makers offer the guns in their original calibers as a limited trial. You in turn make a limited run of the ammo. you both market the availablity of guns and ammo and see how it works. I believe you will find a gold mine has been discovered.
About 20 yrs ago i wrote a letter to your company asking that you concider making various rimfire ammo available again for people like myself who own antiques and would love to shoot them if ammo were available.My letter made it into the hands of someone { can`t recall who}
but he was a higher up in the company at the time.
He wrote me back saying he personally thought i had a good idea and he had presented my idea before the board and they turned it down saying they did`nt believe there was enouht of a market out there
Well things have changed quite a lot since then and i think that my idea might be worth concideration once again. I hope you agree as well.

Sincerely,
Robert Heins