We’re on our first interstate of the trip with a speed limit of 75. Must be a sign of straight roads to come. Yesterday’s trip through southern Missouri was remarkably scenic. We were passing through the northern part of the Ozarks on route 60. Rt 60 seems like a new road because it has been twinned or is being twinned through most of the state. We stopped for a short walk at Big Springs state park. Blue-green water gushes out of a rock face forming a creek with very clear water. No swimming there unfortunately, but on the Current River there were lots of innertube rental places. The spring was botanically interesting with a native flowering hydrangea in bloom and many chestnut oaks.
For lunch we made a U-turn to eat at a trailer selling barbecue. Fortunately for our waistlines they were out of Jumbo cupcakes. Barbecue in this part of the country is sliced beef brisket with a tomato based barbecue sauce. Very good!
About the time we crossed into OK, very black clouds started moving our way. We weren’t far from the campground when it started hailing, but we pulled into a service station to wait it out. It hailed for 5 minutes or so and sounded pretty bad, but no dents on the car. The campground had only gotten a shower.
Eastern OK has many reservoirs used for recreation of which Lake of the Cherokees is one. It is close to the Trail of Tears and I suppose when the Cherokee arrived here it would have been rivers passing through forests. Now there are lakes and casinos. One nice benefit of the campground was that there were lots of chanterelles growing! We walked around the camground filling Jake’s t-shirt with chanterelles and a few milk mushrooms. I am now drying them on a plastic plate in the back of the car.
For lunch we made a U-turn to eat at a trailer selling barbecue. Fortunately for our waistlines they were out of Jumbo cupcakes. Barbecue in this part of the country is sliced beef brisket with a tomato based barbecue sauce. Very good!
About the time we crossed into OK, very black clouds started moving our way. We weren’t far from the campground when it started hailing, but we pulled into a service station to wait it out. It hailed for 5 minutes or so and sounded pretty bad, but no dents on the car. The campground had only gotten a shower.
Eastern OK has many reservoirs used for recreation of which Lake of the Cherokees is one. It is close to the Trail of Tears and I suppose when the Cherokee arrived here it would have been rivers passing through forests. Now there are lakes and casinos. One nice benefit of the campground was that there were lots of chanterelles growing! We walked around the camground filling Jake’s t-shirt with chanterelles and a few milk mushrooms. I am now drying them on a plastic plate in the back of the car.
2 comments:
Sylvan and Jake -- Was sleeping in that tent under the strong light REALLY as good as it was in the Ardennes?? Come on, fess up now, but guess we'll have to take your word for it! Your trip is a dream that my husband and I have longed for - a whole year of adventures together. Through your blog, we can share in that dreamt, in a way. Thank you for what you've "shown" us so far. Bye for now. Lynn L.
Great trip reports, love those kayaks!
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