Ozark National Scenic Riverways

We had just gotten through a rainy cool weekend when we realized that a couple nice warmer days were ahead of us.  On Tuesday morning John suddenly commented that we should leave that day to finish our trip down into southern Missouri.  That sounded like a good idea to me and we suddenly left the breakfast table, packed and headed out the door.  Never, in all our married years had we been that spontaneous.   We may not be in our mobile home any more, but we still have the yen to travel!
Also, now that we are living in the Midwest,  we have a different appreciation of the seasons- it is not sunny and warm up here year around as in Florida!

Our first stop that afternoon was Big Springs.  A sign in the park noted that it averages a daily flow of 288 million gallons- which would fill up Busch Stadium in 33 hours.  It, as well as the other two springs we were planning on visiting, is part of the Ozark National Riverways.  In the 1950s and 1960 America was into damming up its rivers for hydroelectric power.  Concerned citizens in Missouri  fought to keep the Current and Jack Forks Rivers open and free-flowing.  A bill was introduced in Congress and the first national river based park (the Ozark National Scenic Riverways) was opened in 1964.

Pictured above is Alley Springs, located on the Jack Forks River.  The mill located there was a grist mill in 1868, and a steel roller mill (powered by a turbine) in 1894.

Round Springs is on the Current River- by the way, that river is the most spring-fed river in the Ozarks and can be floated any time of the year.

John and I have seen many of Missouri's springs over the years and have floated a few times on the rivers.  Our main goal for this trip was to see Echo Bluff  State Park, located near Eminence Missouri.  A new lodge was built in the park two years ago, and we had planned to stay there Tuesday night.  Surely there was no need to make reservations for a night in the beginning of the week- but we were so wrong, it was filled up.  Maybe that was because it was a new lodge, or that families were vacationing for fall school breaks.  Could have also been that people were in the Ozarks for the fall colors.  It so happens that fall is slow this year, here in St.Louis we are just starting to see the leaves change into beautiful hues of red, yellow and orange.

We spent Tuesday night in a motel in Eminence- at about a quarter of the cost we would have paid at the park.  Echo Bluff's famous feature is a large sheer bluff located right outside of the lodge.  Also in this park is Sinking Creek, a crystal clear stream which feeds into the Current River.  The creek seems to sink into a hill as it flows into a tunnel at the base of the hill.  After hiking the Current River Trail (which has sections in both the Current River State Park as well as Echo Bluff State park) we head back north to St. Louis.  We may miss warm and sunny Florida, but the rolling hills and beauty of the Ozarks still makes it a place near and dear to our hearts!

Saxon Lutheran Memorial

John and I had planned one trip down to southwestern Missouri, but cold and wet weather changed our plans.  We decided to try for two different forays into that area, with the first being last Saturday when the Saxon Memorial was having its fall festival.  Many years ago we had been to that festival and I still remember the large kettles of apple butter which were cooked on outside fires.

Summer flowers are still blooming!  In the distance is the Fenwick Cabin built in the late 1700s.  The memorial features four log homes, including a two story cabin and a double one.  They were moved from other areas of Perry County.  Joseph Fenwick had 10 children and numerous slaves.  We were able to tour the two story cabin and I was quite impressed with the antique bed pictured below.

In the Hamilton-Goehring cabin we watched a lady weaving rugs on a loom which had been in her family for 200 years.  She thinks that she will be one of the last of her family members using the loom.  The cabin was once located on the western part of the 660 acres of the Wittenberg tract of land purchased by the Saxons.  Goehring obtained his land in 1839.

Perhaps I need to explain further the Saxon immigration from Germany.  In 1839 some 700 Lutherans came from Saxony to American in search of a haven for their beliefs.  Some stayed in St.Louis, others traveled down the Mississippi River and established seven settlements in what is now Perry County.  On the Memorial grounds is a statue of Carl Walther, born in 1811 and arrived with the Saxons in 1939.  He organized and founded the Lutheran Church in America- becoming known as "the American Luther".

 

It was a very cool damp day, we dashed into the visitor center/museum a couple of times to warm up.  However, everything was so interesting- from the cabins and artifacts to the crafters and artisans that we quickly forgot our discomfort.  And we were able to ride in a surrey with a fringe on the top through the corn fields!  Amazingly it was a comfortable ride despite the bumpy field under us.

Farmers from the surrounding areas loaned their draft horses for the day to pull the surrey as well as an old farm wagon.  Apple butter was being cooked in a large kettle, we purchased a quart of that as well as Missouri maple syrup before heading home.

Gateway Arch National Park

A funny thing happened on the way to the arch from our home.  My husband John got off highway 64 and could not find the arch!  My sister Linda (from Atlanta) was his copilot, I was sound asleep in the backseat.  John ignored the signs for downtown and thought there would be one specific for the arch, and doing so missing the exit which would get him to the arch.   My sister feels very certain that there is no highway exit signs for the arch grounds.  Yes, I know, the arch is big enough that you can not miss it.  And we did get there fairly easily once we got off the highway.

It was an overcast day, just great for walking around a park where there is no trees and little hope of finding shade.  We had not been here for at least 20 years.  There was a grand opening of the park this past summer- it was built between 1963 and 1964, but major changes were made to the grounds and entrance to the museum in the past two years.   I thought that those changes would mean shaded walkways, benches and picnic tables.  Boy was I wrong, and we had packed a picnic lunch.

 

  We parked in a garage north of the arch down by the river (quite fortunate at finding that place, our daughter parked west of the arch and paid double the amount we paid).  Anyway, as we walked toward the arch along the river we did come upon some picnic tables.belonging to various food carts which were not open for business the day we were there.  Pictured above is a view of the Mississippi River from the arch steps.  By the way, the riverfront is part of the national park.

Paved paths took us over a large grassy area to the entrance of the underground museum- I was intrigued- not a park bench in sight.  If one got exhausted climbing the many steps up from the river and then hiking across the arch grounds, there would be no place to rest!  Or else, to avoid that,  pay for a more expensive parking garage close to the entrance of the underground visitor center and museum.  Pictured above is the Old Courthouse, which is also part of the national park.

Above John is looking at decals which has recently been placed at the entrance to the arch by the Maplewood artist Margaret Keller.  It is a temporary exhibit.  Her artistic work represents 735 navigable miles of the Missouri River from St.Louis to Sioux City, Iowa.  The river is the longest in North America.

 

The new entrance into the visitor center and museum is quite impressive.  Coming down the escalators we saw a large map of the United States with all the major rivers shown.  It brought back many pleasant memories of the rivers we have crossed while traveling in the past ten years- the Ohio River, Mississippi, Missouri, Columbia, Colorado, Brazos and Rio Grande- to mention but a few.
Despite the cloudy, warm day there were many visitors to the arch, and the lines were long for the tram ride to the top.  Changes that have been made to the museum and grounds are good and long over-due.  I still think, however, that the grounds are a bit austere.

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