Airmapper
Inactive Member
This is a report on my 4 day trip to the Northern Ozarks this past May. It was not a camping trip, more of a scouting run as I was traveling relatively fast (averaging about 250 miles a day) considering I made a LOT of stops to keep the days interesting and try to really see the area instead of drive by it.
Day 1:
Leaving Kentucky was mostly a run for the border, while I'm not well traveled outside the state, but I am well traveled out to Paducah, so nothing new to see until I hit the Mississippi River.
After interstate travel I eventually made it back to my preferred state highway 2 lane with less hustle and nice scenery. I approached the river town of Wickliffe. Now each town has it's own aura about it, this one has an odor. Seeing the town come into view on my navigation screens, I was hit with an odor I can only describe as the olfactory equivalent of a punch to the face. Looking to my right an industrial building appeared, with a sign that read: "FISH MARKET" With the pungent odor explained, I promptly dropped the windows to evacuate the stench as soon as clear air was found, which fortunately was only a mile or so.
Needless to say I wasn't ready for lunch at that point, but it was about time to get out of the vehicle for a bit. I stopped at the Wickliffe Mounds archeological site, a small place run by the Kentucky State Park system. A small entrance fee and you could browse a large building covering the dig site with artifacts from the Native American village that occupied the site.
After seeing all there was to see at the mounds, a quick lunch on the picnic tables and I'm off to the next destination just across the river in Cairo, IL. A trip across one bridge hopped the Ohio river, then I pulled into a park overlooking the confluence where the Mississippi River joins the Ohio, a great confluence of 2 massive rivers, the Mississippi mot even being "mighty" until this point. The site has great importance in history, being used in the civil war, and by Louis and Clark on their Expedition west.
Of my whole 4 day itinerary, Cairo had my most apprehensive concern for my safe passage. Normally, one can cross the Mississippi into Missouri via a less than 1 mile drive from the confluence, but construction sent me into downtown Cairo to find another bridge to cross. I encourage anyone to look this city up, it has a dismal and violent history of racial tension, decay, and a population dive that makes it the equivalent of a modern ghost town. The online descriptions of this sad city did it justice. Abandonment is rampant, but oddly contrasted by well groomed and large historic buildings for local government. Parts of it are beautiful, and the rest is creepily vacant and overgrown. While a creepy town, it was a sight to see and I won't soon forget it.
Unfortunately, another interstate was ahead of me, but within a few miles I'm crossing the Mississippi River for the first time in my life. I've wet my hands in the Mississippi once before in Grand Tower, Illinois, but never set foot west of it. While not all that important to most, it was an exciting moment for me to finally be headed into completely new country. The land turned flat as a table, and I actually was glad I had planned this part of the journey on a fast highway, I set the cruise on 70 and watched the miles of flat expanse fly by all around me.
A while later it was time for another stop. Fuel was starting to run low, I topped off at a unique little store with a stuffed Black bear in the entrance, then a few miles down the road I had planned to stop at Pinewoods Lake. I occasionally find Geocaches, Missouri was a new state, and while I get annoyed trying to find them near busy places, this park was an ideal spot for me to take the time to hunt around in the woods for a box for a few minutes. It was mostly vacant bar one local fisherman. He approached returning to his vehicle, and exchanging hello's I found out he was very friendly and talkative. I bet we talked for 20 minutes or so about local sights, fishing and hunting in the area, and he recommended a few places to see I wish I would have had more time to deviate from my route and explore.
Back on the road, the next planned stop was a place that I knew was going to be interesting from the photos, but when I stepped out of the truck and seen it in person, I was blown away. Big Spring near Van Buren, MO was intended to be a leg stretch stop, but the beauty and uniqueness of the place had me stuck there for a few hours. I'd never seen so much water springing out of the rock in one place. The stonework in the trails was amazing. My camera got a workout but photos don't do the place justice.
After much reluctance, I left the spring but did take a bit of time to search around the rest of the park, finding this awesome view of the current river, with the stream from the springs joining it.
So back underway, I finally left the pavement. I had tried my best to make sure part of every day would be spent on at very least gravel. I stopped for a quick shot of my "cockpit."
After this the rest of the day was making a run for Willow Springs, MO, where I had an awesome dinner at a restaurant, and spent the night in a hotel. Camping would have been wonderful, but that is Phase 2 of my plan to get out more. Getting out more is Phase 1. :smiley_drive:
Day 1:
Leaving Kentucky was mostly a run for the border, while I'm not well traveled outside the state, but I am well traveled out to Paducah, so nothing new to see until I hit the Mississippi River.
After interstate travel I eventually made it back to my preferred state highway 2 lane with less hustle and nice scenery. I approached the river town of Wickliffe. Now each town has it's own aura about it, this one has an odor. Seeing the town come into view on my navigation screens, I was hit with an odor I can only describe as the olfactory equivalent of a punch to the face. Looking to my right an industrial building appeared, with a sign that read: "FISH MARKET" With the pungent odor explained, I promptly dropped the windows to evacuate the stench as soon as clear air was found, which fortunately was only a mile or so.
Needless to say I wasn't ready for lunch at that point, but it was about time to get out of the vehicle for a bit. I stopped at the Wickliffe Mounds archeological site, a small place run by the Kentucky State Park system. A small entrance fee and you could browse a large building covering the dig site with artifacts from the Native American village that occupied the site.
After seeing all there was to see at the mounds, a quick lunch on the picnic tables and I'm off to the next destination just across the river in Cairo, IL. A trip across one bridge hopped the Ohio river, then I pulled into a park overlooking the confluence where the Mississippi River joins the Ohio, a great confluence of 2 massive rivers, the Mississippi mot even being "mighty" until this point. The site has great importance in history, being used in the civil war, and by Louis and Clark on their Expedition west.
Of my whole 4 day itinerary, Cairo had my most apprehensive concern for my safe passage. Normally, one can cross the Mississippi into Missouri via a less than 1 mile drive from the confluence, but construction sent me into downtown Cairo to find another bridge to cross. I encourage anyone to look this city up, it has a dismal and violent history of racial tension, decay, and a population dive that makes it the equivalent of a modern ghost town. The online descriptions of this sad city did it justice. Abandonment is rampant, but oddly contrasted by well groomed and large historic buildings for local government. Parts of it are beautiful, and the rest is creepily vacant and overgrown. While a creepy town, it was a sight to see and I won't soon forget it.
Unfortunately, another interstate was ahead of me, but within a few miles I'm crossing the Mississippi River for the first time in my life. I've wet my hands in the Mississippi once before in Grand Tower, Illinois, but never set foot west of it. While not all that important to most, it was an exciting moment for me to finally be headed into completely new country. The land turned flat as a table, and I actually was glad I had planned this part of the journey on a fast highway, I set the cruise on 70 and watched the miles of flat expanse fly by all around me.
A while later it was time for another stop. Fuel was starting to run low, I topped off at a unique little store with a stuffed Black bear in the entrance, then a few miles down the road I had planned to stop at Pinewoods Lake. I occasionally find Geocaches, Missouri was a new state, and while I get annoyed trying to find them near busy places, this park was an ideal spot for me to take the time to hunt around in the woods for a box for a few minutes. It was mostly vacant bar one local fisherman. He approached returning to his vehicle, and exchanging hello's I found out he was very friendly and talkative. I bet we talked for 20 minutes or so about local sights, fishing and hunting in the area, and he recommended a few places to see I wish I would have had more time to deviate from my route and explore.
Back on the road, the next planned stop was a place that I knew was going to be interesting from the photos, but when I stepped out of the truck and seen it in person, I was blown away. Big Spring near Van Buren, MO was intended to be a leg stretch stop, but the beauty and uniqueness of the place had me stuck there for a few hours. I'd never seen so much water springing out of the rock in one place. The stonework in the trails was amazing. My camera got a workout but photos don't do the place justice.
After much reluctance, I left the spring but did take a bit of time to search around the rest of the park, finding this awesome view of the current river, with the stream from the springs joining it.
So back underway, I finally left the pavement. I had tried my best to make sure part of every day would be spent on at very least gravel. I stopped for a quick shot of my "cockpit."
After this the rest of the day was making a run for Willow Springs, MO, where I had an awesome dinner at a restaurant, and spent the night in a hotel. Camping would have been wonderful, but that is Phase 2 of my plan to get out more. Getting out more is Phase 1. :smiley_drive:
