Our Missouri R O A D T R I P October 2014!

A little fun at Johnson's Shut-Ins. Oct 2014. 

Oct 17th. 
- Work the last home football game right after a full day of teaching.
- Come home. 
- Crash. (Ears buzzing from the night at the stadium.)

Wait, it will get better.

Oct 18th. 
- Crawl out of my hibernation and hit the road with my daughter for an adventure! 
- Lunch at Subway in St. Clair.
- A few geocaches along the way.
- Johnson's Shut Ins State Park http://mostateparks.com/park/johnsons-shut-ins-state-park
- No "hikes" since daughter has a runny nose, but lots of beauty all around us. 
- Dinner of cheeseburgers, sides, soda, and ice cream in Lesterville, Mo for crazy cheap! (Reminding me how far my retirement check could go in such an area one day.)
- Check in at Wilderness Lodge Resort. http://www.wildernesslodgeresortltd.com
- Fun at our cabin, in the game room (my daughter is a POOL SHARK!), and s'mores by the fire. 
- CRASH HARD! 

The trees were just blazing with color at Johnson Shut-Ins!  

Flowers still in bloom. 

A sign long forgotten...

Lost track of how many images I took to get this one I am pretty happy with. This is the closest I have gotten down to the water... there weren't a MILLION people there jumping off rocks and being crazy, so it was easier to get around.

Oct 19th. 
- OVERSLEEP. Almost miss breakfast at the Lodge, but they are so awesome they weren't bothered. Said they were glad we could rest and even let us check out an hour later since it is off-season. I can't stress how awesome Wilderness Lodge Resort is. This was our second time there. 
- Try to go see the new Taum Sauk power plant, upper lake... only to see what was once a gravel road is now paved and guarded. No tours. Nothing. Just a nice lady explaining one day they hope to reopen again for the public. 
- Hmmm?
- My daughter requests a "new way home" since she'd done Hwys 47/21 so many times. 
- Head up through the Mark Twain National Forest http://www.fs.usda.gov/mtnf
- Blink and miss Black, Missouri.
- Happy to find Bixby, Missouri (and a wonderful lunch at their store, along with a geocache!) http://www.yelp.com/biz/bixby-country-store-boss after a nice little backroad adventure off the black top though the Mark Twain NF. 
- Stumble upon a brown sign for Dillard Mill and fall instantly in love! http://mostateparks.com/park/dillard-mill-state-historic-site
- Make our way through Steelville, Cuba, up I-44 back home for a late dinner and a solid night of sleep before heading back to the real world on Monday Morning. 

Donna Cregger says this is my "money shot" - I say this was a fun moment off the pavement in the Mark Twain National Forest south of Bixby, Mo. Lovely spring-fed creeks, colorful trees, etc. just made the day wonderful!

So, I have this thing about old things. I pulled over and took so many photos of this... and not one person drove past. Solitude. Love solitude!

Dillard Mill. Must go back. Need to go and take the full tour and do some trails when my daughter is feeling up to it and we have a full day! Another Missouri gem I am finally happy to say I have visited. Only took me about 40 years. 

FALL! Dillard Mill. 

This very well could be my fave photo from the whole weekend. She's a my true Missouri gem! We loved our time at Dillard Mill and hope to return. Karlene was so happy she requested a different route home, and so am I.

OK, so little to no hiking involved.  
No real camping... we were more of a "Glamping" pair on this road trip weekend. 

BUT... I just can't say it enough... GO OUTSIDE! 
- Missouri (our home) is such a lovely state. Fill up with gas and see where you end up. 
- Brown signs are often good things to turn off at. 
- Get the itch and go off the pavement. 
- See our State Parks. 
- Check out our National Forest(s). 
- Snuggle up in a homemade quilt in a cabin. 
- Make some S'mores. 
- Count the stars. 
- Try a local mom & pop store for lunch, don't eat Subway or chain restaurant food for EVERY MEAL. 
- Get your kids out in fresh air. 
- To be perfectly honest, I've yet to see any negative side effects to exploring our state. 
- I think it helps us appreciate our Missouri home more, and each other. I love time like this with my daughter. I pray she never "outgrows" it. 

Until next time, 
Michelle of MK Designs