2015 – 07 – 25: Scenic Destinations Day 41 - Exploring Missouri

From Mari Osa Delta Campground, Jefferson City, Missouri

To Lake of the Ozarks State Park 

Total Distance Traveled:  65 miles

It rained most of the night, so I had to close the windows of the car to keep the raindrops out.  I was very thankful for my fan as it would have been a hot and stuffy sleep without it.

In the morning I did get some work done on my travel notes and photos before packing up.  This gave my tent cover time to dry, before I had to roll and pack it up.  

I thought that the storm would have cooled the air, but by the time I was packed it was extremely nice to have a shower to freshen up before leaving. Even the slightest exertion was uncomfortable in this heat.

View to the Osage River 

Leaving the camp grounds I followed Hwy 63 south toward Westphalia before turning west onto Hwy 133 toward Painted Rock Conservation area.  

Here I stopped for a nice scenic hike to see the Osage River. There were some incredible views!

On the trail I came across the huge turtle.  What an amazing encounter.

There were some very negative reviews about this conservation area on the internet so I can only imagine there has been a lot of cleaning up work done since those reviews because I found the roads and parking lot well maintained and clean.  The trails were well marked and overall I had a good impression of this park. The only thing that would have made it even better would have been a toilet facility and possible a source of drinking water. 

From there I followed Scenic byways through farmlands and small towns. 

Some of the farms were reminiscent of "Little House on the Prairie Days, where I expected any moment to run into the Ingle family. 

Other farms, with their tumbled down barns, reminded me that the days of small family farms are an endangered lifestyle.

Meta 

Hwy 133 took me through Meta. Then I continued on Hwy 52 south through St Elizabeth to Tuscumbia. 

At Tuscumbia I crossed the bridge over the Osage River into the town.  When crossing the bridge I got a pretty good idea what a large river this is. 

The last part of my day's drive was to Lake of the Ozarks State Park where I registered for the night.  I had my campsite all set up and organized by 3 PM.   It was so hot! Even with my electric fan running a constant breeze on my face I felt uncomfortably hot. 

beach at Lake of the Ozarks 

To try to cool off I went swimming in the Lake of Ozarks. The water was almost bathtub warm but even so it felt very refreshing just to be in the water. 

Later, as evening approached, I relaxed at my camp site.  It was most awesome to see deer coming from the forest to eat at the camp site across the street. I was talking to Mel and to Michael on the phone at the time and got to share my excitement with them. 

I decided on a cold dinner (pickles and beet slices), it was simply too hot to cook.

After showering once again, hoping to cool my body temperature down, exhausted  from the heat, I crawled into my tent for an early night.  I think with the rain and the heat yesterday I did not sleep so well and tiredness has caught up with me.  

One of my last thoughts for the day; I am starting to want to get “really clean”!  Clean clothes, a non-shared shower, and some relief from the heat.  And the bugs!  I am tired of being itchy with bites too.  Maybe this is just a symptom of the heat or maybe after 41 days on the road I am starting to long for the comforts of home. 

Renate Dundys Marrello 
2015 - 07 - 25

Link to see all of the day's pictures

Link to my Facebook Reflections Page


Route map for the day