Thursday, August 30, 2018
August 29, 2018 “Sharing the journey can double the fun”. Tonight this was certainly true. Our new friends, Don and Bonnie joined us for an evening at Honky Tonk Row in downtown Nashville. Honky Tonk Row consists of several blocks, on Broadway St, with bars and clubs that have become famous for starting the careers of many famous country music stars. Regional musicians play for tips in hopes of being discovered. You can hear some pure talent floating out of these places at all hours of the day and night. Most of the clubs and bars have no cover charge, so you can wander in and out for as long as your feet hold up. We spent about 5 hours down there and heard some great music and ate fantastic BBQ. One of the most famous places we stopped at was Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge that has been in continuous operation since 1958. It was a home for many struggling musicians before they became famous. These include Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Kris Kristofferson, and many more. The walls are lined with photos and memorabilia, creating a Tootsie’s Wall of Fame. It was the most crowded bar we stopped at, and had some of the best music. We also went to Legends, AJ’s (Alan Jackson), Nudie’s, Second Fiddle, The Stage, Luke Bryan’s and a few others. We had a delicious BBQ supper at Jack’s (recommended by the corner policeman that overheard us talking about where to eat). It was the most enjoyable evening we have had in awhile. Thank you to Bonnie and Don for “doubling” our fun!
August 27, 2018. “It’s a journey of discovery “. Pops is not crazy about country music, but we are in Nashville! Today I “encouraged “ him to go to the Country Music Hall of Fame and the RCA Studio B tour. The Hall of Fame is fun and has so much history that it is, at times, a little overwhelming. Pops grudgingly admitted that he enjoyed it, but the most fun was the Studio B tour. The guide admits she loves this place and it shows. She shares stories and music from many of the famous people who recorded there over the years, since 1956. It became famous in the 1960s for the development of the Nashville Sound ( more background vocals and strings, less twang). This pretty much revived the popularity of Country Music. The guide said that Elvis Presley recorded more than 250 songs at Studio B. It was his favorite recording studio. Another interesting fact was that Chet Atkins was a record producer and manager of Studio B before he became a recording artist. It was a fun day. Back at the RV Park we tried to listen to the evening entertainment but the weather has turned so hot and humid that we had to escape to the air conditioning.
August 25, 2018. “And the journey continues “. Today we packed up and moved on to Nashville, Tennessee. We are staying at the Grand Ole RV Park. It is a small park with some interesting amenities. Every evening on the back porch they feature live music and a meal. The music is free but the meal is not. Our first evening we met a very nice couple, Don and Bonnie, from North Carolina. We enjoyed the music and the new friends.
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
August 21, 2018. “Journey equals adventure and surprise”. We had an adventure today at Greer Springs, the second largest spring in Missouri. This spring flows from two outlets 300 ft apart at the bottom of a steep ravine. Its daily flow is 220 million gallons of water and is said to double the size of the Eleven Point River. One person told us that the hike down to the river is a mile and the hike back up is a mile and a half. I would agree with that. The path was narrow but in good shape, with switchbacks. It wound through the forest and was quiet, shady and peaceful. However, the whole area was full of poison ivy, considered to be Missouri’s best crop:). The water from the spring flows over a rock- filled canyon for a mile beforeemptying into the Eleven Point River. The bottom of the hike involved climbing over and around some rocks and getting our feet wet, but it was worth it. The hike took us a couple of hours but it was fun to discover another beautiful secret gem of a place in the Missouri Ozarks.
August 20, 2018. “Enjoy the journey and you get better every day”. We had a full day today visiting three more springs. Falling Springs Mill was built in 1927 and stands in front of Falling Spring which flows from the middle of the bluff. It is a small waterfall but very picturesque. The mill was used to grind corn, saw shingles and generate electricity. This site also has The Thomas Brown cabin which was built of square logs in 1851 and is, surprisingly, in good shape.
Next we visited Greer Springs and Greer Crossing. You will hear more about this our next post. It has a 2 mile hike down into a ravine to the spring and the river. We decided to wait for another day to do the hike.
Finally we drove to Turner’s Mill Spring. This mill was once part of the town of Surprise, a thriving village on the Spring Branch of the Eleven Point River. The Surprise School was preserved but the rest of the town is gone, including the Mill. However, this mill had been powered by a gigantic steel wheel that was brought in pieces from Fremont Depot in 1915. It was powered by a spring that flowed out of a cave. The wheel is still standing in the forest stream and a short hike takes you to the small falls and cave. It was so beautiful and peaceful. We waded across the stream and walked up to the falls. We also met some of the forestry people that were working there and enjoyed hearing about the history of the place.
Another beautiful day!
Next we visited Greer Springs and Greer Crossing. You will hear more about this our next post. It has a 2 mile hike down into a ravine to the spring and the river. We decided to wait for another day to do the hike.
Finally we drove to Turner’s Mill Spring. This mill was once part of the town of Surprise, a thriving village on the Spring Branch of the Eleven Point River. The Surprise School was preserved but the rest of the town is gone, including the Mill. However, this mill had been powered by a gigantic steel wheel that was brought in pieces from Fremont Depot in 1915. It was powered by a spring that flowed out of a cave. The wheel is still standing in the forest stream and a short hike takes you to the small falls and cave. It was so beautiful and peaceful. We waded across the stream and walked up to the falls. We also met some of the forestry people that were working there and enjoyed hearing about the history of the place.
Another beautiful day!
Monday, August 27, 2018
August 18, 2018. “Focus on the journey”. The next spring we visited was Alley Spring and Mill. This is another beautiful place with an interesting history. The spring has a daily average flow of 81 million gallons and was that same beautiful blue color. Alley Mill was built in 1894 and was the center of community life. The school and general store were on the property, as well, and provided the social activities for the area. The mill was unique because it used a turbine instead of a water wheel and steel rollers instead of grinding stones. It was also larger than most of the mills in the Jacks Fork River system. It has all been beautifully preserved and we really enjoyed the visit. After visiting the mill we hiked the short trail that ran along the river and under the bluff.
After we left Alley Springs we continued on to Round Spring. This was a little disappointing. While it was round and had blue water, it was a little underwhelming. This spring is actually a sinkhole that formed when the rock above the stream eroded away. The average water flow is 26 million gallons daily, but fluctuates with the amount of rainfall. There is also a cave here but we didn’t do that tour because we had Jax with us.
Moving on, we drove to Rocky Falls. This is an example of a shut-in, which is an Ozark term for a river that is naturally confined in a narrow channel. Rocky Creek cascades forty feet over the rocks into a pool of cold, clear water that makes an excellent swimming hole. The waterfall is beautiful and Jax enjoyed a nice swim.
After we left Alley Springs we continued on to Round Spring. This was a little disappointing. While it was round and had blue water, it was a little underwhelming. This spring is actually a sinkhole that formed when the rock above the stream eroded away. The average water flow is 26 million gallons daily, but fluctuates with the amount of rainfall. There is also a cave here but we didn’t do that tour because we had Jax with us.
Moving on, we drove to Rocky Falls. This is an example of a shut-in, which is an Ozark term for a river that is naturally confined in a narrow channel. Rocky Creek cascades forty feet over the rocks into a pool of cold, clear water that makes an excellent swimming hole. The waterfall is beautiful and Jax enjoyed a nice swim.
August 16, 2018. “It’s not the destination, but the journey that matters”. We intend to savor every part of this new journey. Our first stop is Big Springs, Missouri. If you have never traveled along Hiway 60, through the Missouri Ozarks, you must put it on your list. It is gorgeous. There are rolling hills, dense pine and oak forests, and crystal clear free-flowing rivers. We stayed at Big Srings RV Camp which is right on the Current River. We watched the kayaks, canoes, tubes and rafts float past every day.
After checking with the Visitor’s Center, we discovered that the area was full of natural springs that flowed into three rivers. The water from these springs is crystal clear, and sometimes aquamarine because of the minerals from underground. The water temperature stays between 55 and 58 degrees year round. This area is part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. It was established in 1964 to protect these spring-fed streams that run through some of the Ozark’s most beautiful scenery. They cannot be dammed or harnessed in any way. We lived just a few hours from here and never even knew it existed. We tried to visit as many of the springs as we could.
Big Spring is the largest spring in Missouri and one of the largest in the world. It has a daily average flow of 286 million gallons (no, that is not a typo). It boils out from beneath the base of a bluff and travels 1000 ft to feed into the Current River. The water is a beautiful aquamarine color. The park surrounding it has hiking trails and cool shady picnic areas that are very peaceful.
After checking with the Visitor’s Center, we discovered that the area was full of natural springs that flowed into three rivers. The water from these springs is crystal clear, and sometimes aquamarine because of the minerals from underground. The water temperature stays between 55 and 58 degrees year round. This area is part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. It was established in 1964 to protect these spring-fed streams that run through some of the Ozark’s most beautiful scenery. They cannot be dammed or harnessed in any way. We lived just a few hours from here and never even knew it existed. We tried to visit as many of the springs as we could.
Big Spring is the largest spring in Missouri and one of the largest in the world. It has a daily average flow of 286 million gallons (no, that is not a typo). It boils out from beneath the base of a bluff and travels 1000 ft to feed into the Current River. The water is a beautiful aquamarine color. The park surrounding it has hiking trails and cool shady picnic areas that are very peaceful.
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