Time to get out of town Out of the city Out of the neighborhood Away from the concerts, the theme parks, and the sports arenas Away from the job, the school, and the people we know Away from the politics, the neighbors, and the traffic Away from social media, cable news, and gossip Out - into nature Out into the world Out into our beautiful state Here's a little series of posts about the great state of Missouri. It's time to get off the beaten path and do some exploring! |
Go for a walk with me: just up the washed out gravel road, just past the fallen trees, just three miles from the nearest pavement, we'll find the trailhead. We'll also find ourselves about as-in-the-middle of nature as one can get. We're just outside of Eminence, Missouri, a bustling river town, but we might as well be in the complete wilderness, absent all amenities save a restroom at the trailhead, and a few well-placed stones for navigating through the mud. The payoff is just a little bit further - Blue Spring - with views of the rushing river, beginning at a spring the emits the bluest waters outside of Belize. Native Americans knew this location as Spring of the Summer Sky. According to the National Park Service: While completely surrounded by National Park Service land, Blue Spring itself is owned by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Staying here for a while, in silence, is the only option. Blue Spring is simply not a place you can walk by without considering the majesty of this natural phenomenon. At 310 feet deep, the Statue of Liberty could be completely immersed in the water here, and her torch would be five feet below the surface. | |