We left Oklahoma City renewed and ready again for adventure thanks to our generous family. It was still over 95 degrees and I was certainly ready to put that behind us. We found a park called Sequoyah State Park, at the foothills of the Ozarcs, that was close to the MO border but still in OK and about a 6 hour drive away that seemed to fit the bill. We headed out early to avoid more heat. The ride there was very easy (we generally tell our maps program to avoid highways and we have found, that while longer, the roads are easier to travel with the camper and we get to see cool little towns along the way). We arrived at Sequoyah State Park in late afternoon and we were definitely pleased. The park is on a reservoir and the camping was right at the lake. Given the late season there was ample choice for a camping spot. The residents of the lake were varied; herons, pelicans, mockingbirds, turtles and quite a variety of fish. Jonathan went fishing, we cooked dinner and just relaxed for the evening. The next day promised to be less hot and we were heading into Missouri.
We had intended to stay at a local state park as our first stop in Missouri but we were having a hard time finding anything affordable – even in the state parks so we opted for a HH in Branson. Upon looking Branson up on the web we were informed that it was the Bus Coach capital of the US, meaning that it received many bus tours. Its claim to fame appeared to be that it hosts all sorts of variety shows. We were pretty sure that we were only going to stay one night and continue on our way. Our HH was the Veterans Memorial Museum and we were the only ones being hosted that night in their parking lot. Branson was all that the web said it would be. Once we were settled and had dinner we headed out to see what Downtown Branson was all about. True to form it had variety shows galore. Any kind of act you would like to see – magic shows, music shows and many many dinner theatres. There was a scenic railway, which we decided to get tickets to for the next morning, and Branson Landing which was a tourist shopping and dinner/drinks area right on the river. We walked the shops and headed into one of the local bars to have a drink. We met a very nice couple who were from OK but from the western edge that came to Branson every year. Sadly, they told us that the scenic railroad was not so scenic but we already had gotten our tickets and were resolved to give it a try. It was a nice evening that ended with a stroll on the river despite the spitting rain. The temps had cooled off finally to reasonable and we were able to enjoy the outside.
The next day we needed to get Gigi’s oil changed (we rolled into our 10,000 miles on the trip) and we had our scenic railroad adventure. The train was cool with revamped old passenger cars from different time periods. Sadly, that is where the coolness ended. The scenic railroad proved not to be scenic at all. You could not really see anything due to the trees on the side of the tracks. At the end of the line, before heading back, there was one nice view of the valley but not worth the 1 hour and 45 minute ride. I guess you can’t win them all. We found a place to get the oil change, headed back to the camper and headed out – a bit later than usual but we only had a 3 hour drive to our next stop and we were fine as long as we made it in the daylight.
Our next stop was Big Spring – Ozarc National Scenic Riverways. It is the only riverway protected as a national park. Big Spring was only one of the camping and usage areas in the Riverways but I picked it since it was the furthest east. We wanted to spend more time exploring the Ozarcs. It was definitely off the beaten path but we arrived just as it was getting dark. The campground we found was absolutely beautiful with trees and manicured grass. There was only one other camper there so we found a spot we liked and set up for the night. The days were finally in the 70s and the nights in the 50’s! Heaven! I was also loving how green everything was! My eyes were so happy. It felt almost like home. The morning dawned beautiful and cool. After sleeping late and slowly having coffee we decided to break out the bikes and explore this beautiful area. The park in the Big Spring area was really nice. The area around here is full of underground Springs that break up in the surface and built the riverways. We checked out Big Spring, which was beautiful, and rode around the rest of the park. Some of the trails were closed due to renovations but we spent a great day wandering all around on the bikes. We spoke to a park ranger and he suggested that if we wanted to drive a bit we could check out the area near Emminence up the road a ways at another spur of the riverway. It was about a 40 minute ride away. We decided not to spend any time in the car so stayed close to the campground. In the afternoon there was a multi-school cross country running event that went on. We napped through most of it but it was fun to see the crowds (which, thankfully was not in our campground). We spent a nice evening at the camper and got to see the stars out in full force. I finally got to finish one of the books I brought along – Babel by R.F. Kuang which I really enjoyed. I have started Crossings by Alex Landragin which I only just started but the concept is definitely cool. I am loving the time to read.
We enjoyed the area so much we decided to stay a third night so we could go check out the area recommended to us by the Ranger. So the morning was again beautiful and we headed out towards Emminence. River Falls had been recommended and I also found a trail called Blue Spring out that way. We found River Falls and, while a very short walk, the falls were really gorgeous to see. We then got to ride a very cool roller coaster road on our way to the Blue Spring trailhead. The hiking to Blue Spring, bugs aside, was exactly what we were hoping for. The trail paralleled the Current River. We were surprised at how quickly the river was flowing and how clear the water is. We made our way up to Blue Spring which is one of the deepest springs in the US. Apparently, if you sunk the Statue of Liberty at its deepest point you would only be able to see her flame. The water was a beautiful blue due to the minerals that get washed up from the springs. The water is so clear you could look into the deepest part of the spring and get a real feel for how deep it was. It made us both want to jump in, but sadly, swimming was not allowed. We were the only people on the trail that day. Back to the camper and getting packed up to leave in the morning.
One of the things we were trying to plan around is that Hurricane Helene was making landfall in FL on Thursday and would have affects by Saturday right in Kentucky where we were headed. Tomorrow morning is already expected to be pouring where we are right now in Eastern MO and we had planned to enter KY but central, northern and western KY were in the later stages of her path with concerns about flooding. We had planned on a stay at another state or national park in western KY but we decided to go a bit further north to a HH for an overnight stop tomorrow (Friday) and make some time on the road in the rain. We are staying in a paved parking lot (preferred over anything dirt due to the rain) in Eldorado, IL. From there we are heading into Louisville, KY which is still going to be in the high rain area but we decided to splurge on a hotel room to ride it out. We figure that we can do Louisville even in the rain and visit some distilleries and museums AND have unlimited hot showers 
. We have spent 52 days (I am taking out the days we spent at my cousins) in Sunny (our little camper) and while neither one of us, shockingly, is sick of it – she really does feel like home right now – I have to say that I am a little bit excited about a hotel room stay. It is kind of like a vacation on our vacation. Tomorrow will be a bit of a rainy slog to get to our overnight stop but that is part of the adventure. I am wishing everyone in the path of the hurricane safety above all else. It is a sober reminder that mother nature is a force we cannot control.
We got up and headed out – coffee in the car. Not much to say about the trip. Wind and rain. Yup. We made it to Edorado, IL and we are now snug and safe in Sunny. We have electricity and wifi provided by our fabulous host. This is just an overnight stop and on our way to Louisville, KY tomorrow. It will still be raining but the forecast says wind will be less. We have got this!
