Cosmic Caverns

One thing we have learned about Missouri is that it has plenty of caves to explore and there were a few very close to us, however we found one just over the border in Arkansas which suited us because of the entrance fee and formations to be seen.  It was also a good choice as it was doable for our little ones- a third of a mile long, but with very many stairs to climb.  The children were okay with that until the very end when they started to complain.  Our tour group had many children but the guide was a retired school teacher and knew just how to keep their attention.

Cosmic cave has some unique features.  It is one of the warmest caves in the Ozarks, keeping a constant temperature of 64 degrees F.  Bats love this cave for its warmth during the winter months.  We were assured that currently they are out of the cave, raising their babies and foraging for food.   It is also a very wet cave, heavy rains in the outside area immediately flood the cave.  The cave has been mined for cave onyx, that gem can be seen above.  The cave formations are translucent and quite pristine except in one location.

When cave tour guides have warn us not to touch the stalactites and stalagmite I always wondered what would happen if I did.  The blackened formation pictured above is what happens, and that piece
of the cave will no longer grow.  This was one place on the tour which we could touch.

This cave is famous for its helictites, one of which can be seen above.  In the upper spot-lit yellow area look at the twiggy- looking formation hanging down, like 3xes in a row.  That is a helictite.  I have been on quite a few cave tours in the past, and that was a new formation for me.

The cave was discovered in 1845, and has had 14 owners, the current owner has had it since 1980.  He has dynamited and explored parts of it over the years.  Two bottomless lakes have been found, but not explored.  One last formation I have here to show you is what looks like poached eggs.  We had seen on the tour stalactites which looked like bacon,  and here we found the rest of our breakfast!

And for lunch you may need a soda straw.  This cave has plenty of them!

Needless to say, it was a beautiful cave to tour, muddy to walk through and drips of water were frequently coming down, but well worth that discomfort!

Summer Vacation

I know, we are retired, so why do John and I need a summer vacation?   Well, we do still have the travel bug, so it is necessary for us to get out once and a while and hit the road.  Our daughter and her family had a small window of time between their son’s various summer camps to get away for a week, so we chose to join them on the first week in July at Table Rock Lake.  When we embarked on planning for this vacation at the beginning of this year we failed to take into account that many vacation rentals had already been booked.  We did find one available condo in Kimberling city, which is part of the Branson metropolitan area.  I was quite concerned as to whether we would find enough to do with our young grandchildren at a fishing resort, but it turned out to be a good week with them!

We found a scenic train at the Branson train station (actually an elderly Amtrak train from the 1950s) which took us out over the rolling Ozark hillsides two hours out and back.  Our 5 year- old grandson and 2 year- old granddaughter enjoyed that a lot- the dome and snack cars were their two favorite sections of the train.

Moonshine Beach is located on Table Rock Lake.  Nathan and Clarissa had been asking to go back to the beach in Florida, so this beach satisfied that desire.  Another day we went blueberry picking at Persimmon Hill farms- the cinnamon buns with blueberries at their bakery are quite delicious.  All five of us dove into one bun with our forks and it disappeared very quickly. 
And just because we were in a small town did not mean we missed fire works either.  On July 3 fireworks were shot over the lake, we had seats on a grassy hill near our condo- did not even have to take our car out for that.  Our two grandchildren also had fun trying out their fishing poles- patience is not a strong suit for children at this age! 

  We also toured Cosmic Cave with the children, that experience will be in my next posting.

Spring Road Trips

It has been a very wet spring and the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, both of which are close to our current residence, have been over flowing their banks.   Still, John and I have managed to find some very sunny dry days to take some road trips. 

I first would like to mention New Town, a town we were interested in seeing because of The Bridge, a not-for-profit coffee shop located in that town.  Walking through the city park we came upon some very large animal statues.  We had been told that they were moved to the park from Noah’s Restaurant- an establishment which met its demise many years ago.   We had some good memories of that dining establishment so I was happy to see the animals again.

A couple of weeks later our next adventure was to Dillard Mill State Historic Site- it is located fifty miles due west of Farmington.  We combined that trip with a visit to relatives in Farmington. 

The mill is located on the Huzzah Creek, and is a very picturesque site with water cascading down a rock dam.  The village of Dillard grew around the mill, which now is located in the Mark Twain Forest.

The first mill built in 1850 burned and was rebuilt in another location close by in 1881.  That one also burned in 1895, and after the turn of the century was rebuilt.  It was a water powered grist mill used to grind corn and wheat, and operated until 1965.  We spent most of our day there, taking a tour of the mill, as well as walking around the town of Dillard’s cemetery.  There we found names of people who first settled the area, including proprietors of the mill- one of which was Marie Mischke, born in Poland in 1872.  She ran the mill from 1907 until 1917, after which she sold it to her brother.   By the way, the Dillard family name can also be found in the cemetery.   Joseph Dillard Cottrell was the owner of the mill in 1881.  There is lots of fascinating history in this state park!

Pictured above is Sandy Creek Covered Bridge, located in another state park of Missouri.  In 1872 it was one of 6 bridges built to allow passage from Jefferson County seat of Hillsboro to St.Louis.  We are quite fortunate that the state of Missouri passed an act in 1967 declaring all covered bridges in the state to be state historic sites.  There are 4 remaining covered bridges in the state.  High waters removed the Shady Creek bridge in 1886, it was reconstructed in 1899 using about one-half of the original timber.  For this trip we took our grandchildren to give their Mom a break.  They spent a wonderful afternoon wading in the creek below the bridge.  The water was clear and the level low enough for the children to play safely.  Big rocks and logs in the creek also added to their fun.

Spring 2019 in Missouri

It has been a very rainy season here in Missouri.   John and I rode our bikes yesterday on a path which normally would have taken us to Lakeside 370 park, a place where we use to bring our rv when we were in town.   Unfortunately, that park is now under water; paths and one road into it are now blocked off.  Spencer Creek and the Missouri river are over their banks.   A park ranger we encountered informed us that if we wanted to see the park, as it now appears, we should log into Facebook.

Despite the rainy days, we have also had some warm sunny days when we have been able to see the beauty of spring.  Blooming trees and flowers were that their peak when we took a hike two weeks ago.

At that time we hiked in the Shaw Nature Reserve out in Grey Summit.  The dogwood trees were in bloom, as well as many wildflowers.  Fortunately we had just started out on a trail when we met up with a lady who seemed very eager to share with us the names of some of the wildflowers.  And there were many which were unknown to us, as the leatherleaf plant which has white bell-like blooms.

 

We also were not aware that there is a dwarf iris which certainly looks like an iris, just a bit shorter

 We wished that the friendly lady could have continued walking with us, as there were many wildflowers the names of which we did not know.  What we did recognize was the columbine, Indian paintbrush, mayapple and buttercups.

What a beautiful park to visit at this time of the year!  Also, of interest in this park, along the Brush Creek Trail, is a sod house which the Nature Reserve park staff and volunteers built.  I have read of these huts, built on treeless prairies in the mid-to-late 1800s, but never had the experience of walking into one.  They are for sure cool during the hot summer months, but other than that I can see that they have their disadvantages! 

One other joy for me, besides seeing the park dressed in all of its spring glory, was meeting up with a lady from England.  She was here visiting her daughter who just had her second child.  We had much to share with each other regarding grandchildren.  Unfortunately she can only see hers about twice a year!  Something else we had in common were our travels through out the United States.