Ozarks - October 2008

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A business trip took me to St. Louis so I went out a few days early and drove 175 miles south to the Ozarks National Scenic Riverways. The "lodge" in this national park is a series of small cabins with fireplaces and screened in porches. During the summer, people come here in droves to float down the Current and Jack Rivers in inner tubes and canoes. In the fall, very few people are around until the leaf peeping season begins. I happened to hit it during a warm spell of 75 degree weather, when the small (150 population?) town of Van Buren was having its annual festival on the courtyard lawn. I also stumbled into a country/gospel/bluegrass jam session in a BBQ restaurant with 11 musicians and 6 people in the audience.

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Photos

Big Spring
The "white" water at the center of the photo is the effect of this spring coming up from underground. It's the largest spring in Missouri, averaging 265 million gallons a day.

Big Spring
The water is absolutely clear in the shallow spots and a turquoise blue where deeper, a result of the minerals in the rock the water flows through before coming out at the surface.