The Missouri Ozarks

Our Memorial Day weekend trip was a 6-day road trip to the Missouri Ozarks, crammed with adventure at every turn.  We saw a world-famous landmark in St. Loius, kayaked on a gin clear river, hiked on the scenic Ozark Trail, saw the largest spring in the world,  toured a cave, visited a presidential museum, saw Indian mounds, and learned about  mysterious prehistoric earthworks along the Missouri R.  And that's just a partial list!

Please note: double-clicking on any photo will display a larger version of it.

 

Downpour in St. Louis

We learned by accident that there is actually a designated 4-lane, 65 mph highway route connecting St. Paul to St. Louis, the Avenue of the Saints.  We had no idea this route existed; luckily we blindly followed the route Google selected for us. Cristin had never been to St. Louis so we decided to check out the Gateway Arch, officially known as the Jefferson National Expansion Monument.  We rode out a tornado outbreak that occurred throughout eastern and central Missouri that afternoon in a McDonald's in Bowling Green, MO. 

 

Ground water emerging at
Big Spring in dramatic fashion

 I was excited that the geology of the Ozarks is very interesting as it is a large geographic area of scenic karst terrain, which results in numerous and widespread caves, springs, and spring-fed rivers as well as endless tree-covered "Hills and Hollers" as the locals would say "hollow".  We stayed 3 nights at a historic CCC cabin at the Big Spring outside of New Auburn, MO.  Big Spring is part of the Ozarks National Scenic Riverways, a unit of the National Park system.  Big Spring is one of the largest springs in the world, discharging nearly 300 million gallons of water per day!
We visted several springs in the area: Blue Spring, Alley Mill Spring and Round Cave Spring, all managed by the National Park Service.

Alley Mill and Spring

View from the Ozark Trail

We hiked on a spur trail from McCormack Lake, which is in the vast Mark Twain National Forest, to the Ozark Trail,  a long distance hiking trail similar in design and scope to Minnesota's Superior Hiking Trail.  We had stunning views of the Eleven Point River and its valley on a 5 mile hike in which we saw no other hikers, and only one family camping at the pleasant and very natural McCormack Lake.

Kayaking on Jack's Fork R.

Next we rented kayaks in Eminence, a small town at the epicenter of an incredibly popular area to canoe, kayak, and tube on the Jack's Fork R. and Current R.  We paddled about 12 miles on the Jack's Fork R. on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, from Bay Creek past Alley Mill Spring to Eminence.  Due to heavy spring rains, the rivers were swollen and the lower Current river was closed for paddling as its flow was above safe levels.  The recent weather had been cool and so we saw very few others on the river, maybe 10-12 total.  The current was somewhat fast but the Jack's Fork is perfect paddling stream, even at higher levels.  The water was incredibly clear, many gravel bars, the shores lined with a native bamboo. We paddled past limestone bluffs and saw many green herons and vultures.  We could identify many areas where springs emerged in the stream as the color of the water was blue-green and the water surface was filled with swirling boils of upwelling water.    



We went on a National Park Service-guided tour of Round Spring Cave near the Current River.  We got lucky with our timing as they only give 2 tours per day and the maximum  per tour is 15.  We walked into the ranger office right as the line began to form  It was a good tour. I was especially fascinated by the prehistoric bear claw marks that had been etched into some softer limestone mud and preserved.  I was also excited to see the stromatlite fossils on the ceiling in one area.  Stromatlites are cynobacteria which still exist today (but rarely) and respresent some of the most ancient record of life on earth and are likely responsible for providing our atmosphere with its first oxygen, via photosynthesis.  The massive piles of fossiled bat guana are a favorite of young boys.

Lake of the Ozarks was next, a huge reservoir in a now highly-develped and crowded area of condos, golf courses, power boats, and strip malls.  We camped 1 night at Lake of the Ozarks SP, drove around some the next day to get a feel for the area.


We then proceeded to Independence, MO and the home of President Harry S. Truman and the location of his library and museum.  I had been here briefly in 1989 when I went to see the Twins play at KC, but did not recall most of it. We also drove to Truman's  nearby home when he was President and also saw a childhood home.  The homes were just a few blocks from the museum and in a attractive neighborhood of historic and well-maintained houses.   I found it interesting that Truman worked at the Library right up to his death in 1972, which overlaps a little with my own life.

Location of Mysterious Fortress

Our last night was spent at Van Meter State Park, about 90 minutes east of Independence, and on the bluffs overlooking the Missouri R. Cristin had wanted to see the Indian Mounds.  There is also a 'fort' which is Native American earthworks in which  trenches were cut and hillsides heigtened, as if to create a fortress.  However, it does not appear as if the area was ever occupied and no buttresses or other structures were constructed so its purpose remains a mystery.  Cool!  There is also a Native American museum that highlights the several tribes native to Missouri.

 

On the drive home we were taking a short break in Des Moines and realized we were just a short stroll from the Iowa state capitol so we stretched our legs to check it out.

Cristin liked the Ozarks so much she is now trying to decide when we can fit in a trip to the Arkansas Ozarks.  Stay tuned!



The Missouri Ozarks

 

Jack's Fork R.