A summer goal is to stay in all the state parks with camping facilities in Traveler country as I make my advertising rounds for the publication.

I prefer camping to staying in motels. It save you money and puts you in contact with other people and nature.This summer I’ve camped in Babler, Hawn, St. Joe, Sam Baker, Washington and Meramec State Parks and a National Parks Service Campground at Alley Spring. I’ve met campers, volunteer hosts, various wild animals, birds and insects, and seen some of Missouri’s prettiest scenery. (more…)

Cross-country bicyclists are a common sight on the steep hills and scenic byways of Traveler Country. Many are heavily loaded with camping gear and supplies. Their itineraries are not for the weak-kneed or faint of heart.

Traveler encountered Charlie and Sue Johnson of Bettendorf, Iowa, taking a break from camping at the Madison Inn in Fredericktown. The couple is on a three-month ride from the Quad Cities in Iowa to Mobile, Ala., then to Owen Sound, Ontario, north of Toronto.

This is their fourth major summer ride. Previous trips took them from Washington to Maine, California to Florida and Oregon to Virginia.

The pair found some of Missouri’s highway signage confusing but the countryside beautiful.

They had overnighted in Lesterville, and came to Fredericktown on Missouri 72, which they planned to take to Cape Girardeau. They found Fredericktown appealing and decided to stay an extra night to take in the rodeo and attend church. Then it was off to Cape in hopes of finding a good bike shop before heading to Mobile.

Add to Technorati Favorites

Jim Anderson of Eminence and I spent a pleasant day last week fishing and floating a stretch of the Jacks Fork River between Bay Creek and Alley Spring.

Jim grew up in Piedmont, earned an ag degree at MU, and worked in agribusiness in Iowa, Kansas and Colorado before buying the Shady Lane Cabins and Motel in Eminence five years ago. He’s a wealth of information about the Current and Jacks Fork.

The night before we fished, we drove out to see some of the wild horse band that roams the Scenic Riverways. As many Traveler readers know, the horses are descended from those turned loose by farmers in the Great Depression of the 1930s and have been the subject of much controversy and publicity over the years.

It was fun to watch the stallion, mares and colts graze and frolic in the dusk. Jim tells me the National Park Service culls the herd to keep the numbers around 40.

So far as the fishing goes, we caught enough to keep things interesting but nothing to brag about. Jim’s an excellent guide and didn’t want me to be skunked. I don’t think he went so far as to put a fish on my hook when I wasn’t looking, but he worked hard to make sure I caught something.

One lesson learned is to be careful about pulling on lures caught in tree limbs. I had one, I think it was a Rooster Tail, come flying back across the river and knock the right lens out of my glasses and cut my cheek. I’m lucky not to have lost an eye. Snipping the line or at least ducking my head would have been the wiser course. Hindsight’s 20/20, even out of one eye.

It was also nice to renew the acquaintance of Shane Van Steenis at Harvey’s
Alley Spring Canoe Rental. Shane hails from Bloomfield, Iowa, near where I worked and lived the past several years. He and Jim both report a good start to the season on the Jacks Fork and Upper Current.

Emery Styron
River Hills Traveler

Add to Technorati Favorites