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.