Catching up - Missouri

I have been delinquent in updating the blog, due partly to being busy with actual travel, working to install new LCD TVs in the coach, and being at locations that had no internet connections.

I'll go back in time to catch up.

06/12 - Left Red Bay on our way further west. and we stayed overnight at a campground in St Charles, outside of St Louis, MO. The RV Park had cabins for rent, and although we stayed in our coach Phae, Sylvia posed in front of one of the cabins because she liked the garden. She said 'After this trip, this may be our next home'.

We then drove into St Louis to record the coach in front of the St Louis Arch 'Gateway to the West'. This was not the greatest idea since we almost got stuck in some really small streets with no turn-around areas which is always a problem with a 40 foot motorcoach, pulling an additional 18 feet of towed car (Toad) and tow bar equipment.  We did manage to make it out okay, but held up traffic for a while while manuevering around the area.  Here is the proof with the Arch in the background. After all the trouble getting the pictures, you are going to be forced to look at them.

 6/13 - We erroneously followed instructions from a software package called 'Campground Navigator', and instead of getting to a campground in Lewis and Clark State Park, we went to a really great recreation area in the Ozark Mountains called 'Lake of the Ozarks'. In spite of the fact that we went about 50-60 miles out of the way, this turned out to be a very fortunate turn of events. We both recommend this area highly, especially for vacationers with children from youngsters to teenagers, or young-at-heart husbands. The area is a manmade lake formed by damming up a river, filling up a large area of valleys between the existing hills, creating finger lakes the length of which totals over 110 miles of lake, (they even have lake 'mile markers' like the road markers in the Florida Keys - 'Eat at Joes at Lake MM 42') and they claim over 1600 miles of coastline, which they say is more coastline than California has.  The area we stayed at was Osage Beach, on the eastern end of the main lake, in the 17,440+ acre 'Lake of the Ozarks State Park' area. The amenities there could easily be mistaken for those on the boardwalks in Atlantic City or Wildwood, NJ. However this is a very upscale area, with 18 golf courses , exclusive hotels and spas, limo's everywhere and lots of movie-star like mansions. Very similar amusements, arcades, rides, miniature golf, Go-Kart tracks, plus an endless array of rental water sport boats, rides, cruises, etc. that are available on the lake, and an endless selection of eating establishment from custard shops, fast food chains, buffets, and many ethnic and very fine cuisine ($$$) establishments.  Goodies Galore, not to mention the beautiful lake views of fabulous lakefront homes and beautiful sunsets at every turn, and fishing, fishing everywhere.

 
Lakefront Mansions


Just had a fabulous dinner JB Hook's restaurant. Doesn't she look happy??


Beautiful Sunset

Another shot of the sunset, enhanced by a statue in front of a gun shop.

Don't know if you can click on this to make it larger (and more readable) or not, but trust me, fishing is a very important part of the lake life here.

6/15 - We took a drive at the suggestion of a restaurant employee, to another location on one of the south lakes, another state park called 'Ha Ha Tonka' State Park.  Funny name (Ha Ha) but it started as a 5000 acre estate purchased by a man in the early 1900's, who preceeded to build a castle and several other large structures, but died in an accident a year later, with just foundations completed. His sons completed the properties and the ruins were subsequently bequeathed to Missouri to create the State Park. We did some hiking around the property viewing the ruins and some of the springs.

The property is one of the best examples of 'Karst' topography occuring in the southern part of the state. The weathering action of water on the porous dolomite bedrock, forms many sinkholes, caves, underground streams, large springs and natural bridges.

The water coming out of this underground spring is actually quite blue, I assume being caused by the minerals picked up on it's underground journey. This spring pumps out 48 million gallons per day.

Here is one of the bluffs with the requisite fishermen on their boats in front of it.

Below is a billboard for one of the local festivals that we missed. We wanted to inquire about the activities of this festival, but decided we might be better off not knowing.