| | I preached a couple of times in Washburn, Missouri, this month, just south of Cassville and our fabulous Roaring River State Park. During the day, between worship services, I was able to pick up some hiking along one of the old CCC-blazed trail. From the steps one gets a view of the trout hatching that is no longer in operation due to repairs of the system. Sadly, I couldn't get to the spring because of the closure. Along the hike, I saw a couple of groundhogs. bright yellow birds, butterflies, some of the cataracts of the river on one side of me, and stone walls towering on the other side. If I get to come back enough times, I plan to hike all the trails in the system. In fact, this area is said to have been improvised as hideouts to Civil War guerillas, so I'll have to be on the lookout for evidence of such activity. I've been to Roaring River a number of times in the last quarter-century, so I was disappointed to see the drained hatchery raceways have been drained for a revamping of the area. Even the Deer Leap Trail and the spring itself are blocked from view during the project, but there is still plenty to keep a family occupied for a few hours, even if no one in the group is fishing. |
Coming home just before sunset was very pleasant on a cool-for-August evening, and I was also reminded of the beauty of our nation's farmlands.
