Interstates can be both a blessing and a curse. While they can typically get travelers to and from destinations quickly, they also become monotonous and predictable. Every exit seems to have the same fast food chains and convenience stores. From cheap souvenirs to bland burgers, it downright takes the adventure out of the journey. Perhaps…
When I recently suggested a road trip north of St. Louis to my family, and they weren’t quite sure what to expect. The truth was I felt the same. I prefer exploring spots south of I-44 in Missouri, so this was a step outside of my comfort zone. What can I say? It was a…
Earlier this year, one of my co-workers at the James River Basin Partnership gave me a copy of Izaak Walton’s The Compleat Angler as a birthday present. First published in 1653, the book is an idyllic look at the English countryside of Walton’s day, with songs and poems extolling the virtues of fishing. Fans of Norman Maclean’s A…
What remains of the New Liberty CCC camp can be found deep in the Mark Twain National Forest just south of Winona in Oregon County. When I first visited the area, my only intention was to locate Falling Spring and Falling Spring Mill. However, the yucca plants and stonework caught my eye as I was…
We have not been around much the last month-and-a-half, as we have been following the Oregon Trail, literally! We started out, as most of the immigrant pioneers started, either by crossing the Mississippi River or traveling from different parts of Missouri. The biggest questions are why did so many people come across Missouri (the Gateway…
The next time you are traveling along Interstate 70 between Columbia, Missouri, and St. Louis, plan on getting off the highway at Exit 170. Here at the Danville Exit there are some interesting historical sites right on the north outer road. Just go a little way east on the north outer road for three blocks…
By Len Stagoski As a member of the St. Louis Chapter of the Missouri Smallmouth Alliance (MSA), I have greatly enjoyed their pre-COVID meetings and their planned fishing adventures. One such outing was a planned float fishing weekend on the Jack Fork River in the Missouri Ozarks. I would expect many subscribers to the River…
(Editor’s note: This is the third of a three-part series — Day 3: The Historic Markers.) I discovered 20 of the 32 Daughters of the American Revolution granite markers, and other historic markers, on my two-day trip to explore the Boone’s Lick Road through eastern Missouri from St. Louis to Boone’s Lick State Historic Site. …
