It's only 8 hours to Keokuk Ragbrai, he said...We ate way to much in Memphis and crashed at the hotel. Our idea of sleeping in was 6:00 a.m. Yes, we are bad at vacations. I decided to take care of some work things, and Teresa decided to complete some school items before we got started with our 2nd travel day. It was only going to be an 8 hour drive so we weren't in any hurry.
As we
debated on whether or not to U-turn and head to the Bass Pro Pyramid, we
crossed into Arkansas and decided to save that Pharaoh sized adventure
for the next time we were in Memphis. Onward North ish!
After about 10 minutes I pulled out my little blue Passport To Your National Parks
book and started looking for cancellation stamp locations we could stop
at along the way. Sure, we may have to detour a little bit, but YOLO,
right? I also took the time to determine the possibility of stamps
within the U.S. Forest Service - Mark Twain National Forest.
We've noticed that while a lot of National Parks have these stamps, the
National Forests may or may not. Given there are many, many visitor and
Ranger Stations in any given National Forest, the chances of stumbling
on the right one, with the stamp, is really a gamble. Regardless, I made
my pick and Poplar Bluff Ranger Station would be our first stop on our
way to the Ozark National Scenic Riverways Visitor center.Going off the interstate. 3/4 tank of gas.
I chose well from the 20 or so options for Mark Twain National Forest Ranger Stations and the Poplar Bluff location delivered! It ended up being on the outskirts of the forest and the employees were very eager to help with the stamps and provide some additional recommendations for places to stop. I love the US National Parks & U.S. Forest Service employees/Rangers. They really enjoy the outdoors and are eager to share and help!
With my book stamped, more maps in hand, and a couple of brochures we were back on the road headed to Ozark National Scenic Riverway. 1/2 tank of gas.
Again, the Ranger was extremely helpful. I got my stamps and we walked around the little museum/visitor center. "Someone" wanted to swim so we got a recommendation that was only 5 miles away at Big Spring along the Current River. We headed down the road. 1/4 tank of gas.
The plan was to take a "short" walk and a "quick" swim. We kind of got lost because of a closed bridge, but we found it. Our walk was longer as we were looking for a secluded area to swim. We found a nice spot along the shore and started making out, like teenagers. Aw. Then some boats came so we moved on. Then we found a very romantic overlook viewing the area where the river and the spring met and kind of started necking, again. Aw. Then we realized we were in direct line-of-site of the main (only) road. Cars came so we moved on. We finally jumped in the river and frolicked for a little bit. It was a fun side trip, but we had more to do and headed toward Elephant Rocks State Park. 1/8 tank of gas.
So there aren't many options for gas stations in the Mark Twain
National Forest. At this point in the day, the low fuel light was on and
the needle was reading "E." We're winding through two lane, desolate
roads, when we saw a sign: "Highest Point in Missouri."
YYYYYAAAAAASSSSS. So I made the turn and we started driving up. Fuel for
our vehicle could wait. This impulse stop wasn't even a possibility of a
stamp, but how often do you drive by the highest point in Missouri?
Pavement ended and we entered the gravel road to the Taum Sauk Mountain State Park. We got out and saw the "marker." It's not a typical peak. We just as quickly jumped back in the car and ventured to a close Taum Sauk Lookout Tower. From the top we could see the Taum Sauk Reservoir. It was pretty cool!Back in the car. Mission Alpha: Find a Gas Station. Low fuel light on for 20+ miles. There is exactly 1 gas station between the highest point in Missouri and the Elephant Rocks State Park and we JUST made it on tank fumes.
Breathing a sigh of relieve and realizing it was getting kind of late, we continued to Elephant Rocks State Park. We obeyed the no swimming signs, but it was increasingly harder to keep Teresa from removing clothes and jumping off the big boulders into a spring fed lake. The pink granite rocks were impressive and EVERYWHERE. It as a great stop.
When we got back in the car, the GPS indicated we still had 6 hours to Keokuk. I truly thought it was lying. It was not. We were still very much south-west of St. Louis. Kevin Swenson heroically waited up and flagged us down in front of a Middle School Gym. He then showed us the place he and Kelly saved for us to sleep, helped us set up my hammock and Teresa's sleeping bag, and immediately and impressively fell fast asleep on his air mattress. I don't know how Kelly slept through all Teresa's beating and banging.
Pro-tip: Sleeping in a gym with a bunch of strangers is not as glamorous as it sounds. I was to sober and my ear plugs didn't help a lot.
Regardless, we had made it to Iowa and that's how an 8 hour driver turned into a 13 hour adventure. As far as the story telling goes, I'm still 2 days away from the actual cycling on our cycling trip!
You'll notice there was no mention of a food stop. I don't think we stopped for food. I managed to keep Hangry Patrick at bay with a cooler full of snacks - this was a miracle in and of itself.
If you are able, please help us support the Navy SEAL
Foundation.Patrick & Teresa are actively raising money for the Navy Seal Foundation. Supporting the Navy Seal Foundation-Frogman Swim
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