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JULY 2017
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Here’s how to photograph the eclipse By MATTIE LINK mattie@sextonmediagroup.com _____________
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age temperature of 50-55 degrees year-round. It flows at the average rate of 220 million gallons per day. The spring comes out of two sources from the ground. From under the mouth of a cave and down a little further where it comes up as a “bubble� or “washing machine.� The spring is 1 mile long and flows into the Eleven Point River. It is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. It is located about 18 miles south of Winona off of Highway 19. The Greer Spring Acquisition and Protection Act of 1991 established
any people are preparing for the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse by deciding where to go and booking hotels. But has anyone stopped to think about how to photograph the eclipse? Whether you are photographing it from a cell phone or an actual camera, there are certain precautions to take before taking pictures. There have been several discussions online about whether or not it is safe to point a camera directly at the sun. “Most digital cameras have an auto mode in which it will automatically reduce the exposure speed and increase the f/stop to take the photo, and this will not harm the camera. However, you will need to point the camera at the sun, and you will no doubt accidentally glimpse the full-on solar disk and that could damage your eyes if you prolong it,� said Dr. Sten Odenwald, astronomer and director of NASA/HEC Citizen Science. Proper solar eclipse eyewear is available online and several Missouri towns celebrating the eclipse will have viewing glasses available during the day. It is very important that everyone wear the glasses when instructed to prevent eye damage from the sun.
Please see GREER, 15
Please see ECLIPSE, 12
You can not only hear the "roaring" of the spring flowing along, but actually feel it through your body.
Greer Spring is one of Missouri’s most beautiful natural treasures By Dana Sturgeon s I began to descend on the trail, I suddenly heard a sound in the distance. It was a soft sound at first. But as I kept hiking downhill, it became louder and louder, like a roaring sound. It seemed to draw me like a magnet. I wanted to see where this noise was coming from. Then, I saw it! A mighty rush out of a mouth of a cave. Beautiful emerald green and blue water. Greer Springs. What a beautiful natural treasure. Greer Springs is the largest spring
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found on the National Forest land in the United States. It is the second largest in the state of Missouri (first being, Big Springs). It has an aver-
Thousands attend ONSR quarter launch ceremony By Heath Wood eing born and raised in beautiful Shannon County, I sometimes catch myself taking for granted how many amazing landmarks and so-called natural areas there are in my backyard that attract thousands of people a year. One of those often visited attractions is the historic Alley Spring Mill
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near Eminence, Mo. My whole childhood I lived within 25 minutes of this picturesque attraction. Throughout those years I have attended picnics, school functions, weddings, company picnics, Halloween events, and hundreds of visits with my family and friends just to swim in the Jacks Fork River, which Please see ALLEY, 14 The Alley Mill quarter is one of the best things to happen to Missouri in a long time.
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Here’s why I don’t shoot these brown-head birds
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t gets harder, as I think more about things, to shoot something just because I disagree with it’s lifestyle. It was not so hard to shoot a big blacksnake last summer that was crawling up an oak tree to eat the little bluebirds in a bluebird box I had attached to it. He made me realize that I need to take that box off a tree and put it on a steel post, then keep the post greased so his descendants can’t climb it. It is easy to shoot the occasional copperhead that ventures too close to my home here on this wilderness hilltop we call lightnin’ ridge. As I get older, instead of heading for the lake or river early in the morning, I make a cup of coffee and sit out on my screened porch; looking at the patch of grass and plant life we jokingly refer to as a “yard” or “lawn.” Larry It is a place for Dablemont occasional wild———— flowers and mushLightnin’ rooms, rabbits, and Ridge all kinds of birds. Some snakes, like the hognose or garter snake or blueracer, may cross it safely, as do terrapins or a variety of lizards. The lizards occasionally fall prey to the yellow-billed cuckoos, which us Ozark country folks call “raincrows.” Normally I would never shoot a bird in my backyard, but there is one I ought to pick off with my .22 rifle every time I see one… the brownheaded cowbird. Yesterday, there they were, hopping around in my backyard, beneath the big oaks, a male and a female cowbird of the brown-headed variety. Only the male has the brown head. The female is gray. Though only the male is brownheaded, I think both of them are blackhearted, because they are like so many of us in the Ozarks — they are too lazy to work to provide for their offspring. That does not include me. I worked hard to make a good life for my offspring without causing difficulty for my neighbors. When my daughters left the nest, they left a nest I had built myself. This cannot be said of the brownheaded, black-hearted cowbird. They build no nest, they find one made by a cardinal or bluejay or mockingbird and kick those eggs out of the nest, laying
their own in the nest where returning birds of some other species will hatch and raise their young for them. You would think that any bird would be wise to this, but they aren’t, displaying the traits for which we refer to really dumb folks normally found in suburbs of big cities, as “bird-brains”! At any rate, now that I have made many city people mad at me, let me tell you why I let those brown-head birds venture off on their own to do what they do without being shot. The male, all black except for his brown head, was following that smaller gray hen around, standing straight and high, then huffing up his feathers to make him look taller and wider than he really is, throwing his brown head forward, making him look hunch-backed and disheveled. That quite often makes the female receptive to mating with him. Who knows why that would be, he looks awful doing that. It didn’t work that day. She was apparently quite hungry and seemed to be trying to get away from him. He really looked stupid running around on the grass and leaf litter right below my place on the screened porch, huffing up and hunching over. It reminded me that I had often done something similar as a youth, trying to show off my muscles and getting some girl to notice me. It never seemed to work for me any better than it did for him. Eventually they both flew up on a white-oak branch only a few feet from where I sat drinking my coffee whilst I listened to an old gobbler sounding off down the ridge from my nest… er, I mean house.
I could have plugged the two cowbirds with my .22 rifle, but it would mean making a pair of holes in the screen of about 1/5th of an inch, big enough to let in a fly or mosquito later in the summer. So I left it to the Great Creator to deal them justice for their evil ways. But really it seems as if he has been overlooking a great deal of evil everywhere lately. I may, later this summer, take things into my own hands and shoot their progeny, even if it will upset some mama cardinal or brown thrasher that raised them. You wonder why God created things like brown-headed cowbirds or copperheads, or cockleburs. I guess he had
His reasons, and as I see the perfection of His hand in the woods and streams not yet ruined by the hand of man, I feel a lot better than I do sitting on the porch watching some devilish blacksnake trying to eat my baby bluebirds. Then I begin to think that the blacksnake and I aren’t so much different. I wouldn’t eat a baby rabbit or squirrel for anything, but I would sure eat either one this winter when they are grown up. If the blacksnake waits until everything grows up, he will starve to death. It likely is best for me not to get into such deep thinking as I sit on the porch and drink coffee. I am fairly sure God didn’t create me for any deep thinking! It is best to get up early and head for the river and try to catch some fivepound, evil-minded largemouth, which might eat a baby wood duck or a whole household of young crawdads in his self-indulgent whims. I think that is perhaps what God put me on earth for… to stand up for the weak and defenseless, catching evil bass and evil catfish and evil walleye. But the cowbird episode shows me I am getting too old for such purposes, growing too kind-hearted to do what should be done. However, through this column I might encourage others to keep a shotgun handy and shoot every cowbird and copperhead they see. In such a manner, I continue to be of some value, straightening out Mother Nature in her misguided ways. (Larry Dablemont lives in southwest Missouri. He can be reached by email at lightninridge@windstream.net, or by phone at 417-777-5227.)
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July 2017 • Page 3A
Tourists & locals using state’s welcome centers By MATTIE LINK mattie@sextonmediagroup.com _____________
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ost people think that welcome centers are only for those who are traveling through the area or are not from around here, but in several cases welcome centers in Missouri are assisting local residents looking for something new to do. “Every year we get several people that come in and plan their vacation for the year,” said Pam Ebbinghaus, manager at the St. Louis Welcome Center. The St. Louis Welcome Center gets about 48,000 visitors a year coming from the east, traveling westbound. “We get visitors from Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, and Wisconsin and in the summer they come from anywhere. We’ve had people from Japan and Australia before,” said Ebbinghaus. In St. Louis, the welcome center's busiest months are in the summertime. “We have been very busy starting in May, but we are usually busy from the start of summer and well into fall,” said Ebbinghaus. In the fall months they get several people wanting to know about winery tours and festivals. “Once kids go back to school, we get a lot of adults wanting to know about all the festivals going on in the fall,” said Ebbinghaus. When visitors come into the center, the staff asks them what they are interested in, in order to help them find something they will enjoy. “If they are interested in flowers, we refer them to the botanical gardens. If they like history, we give them a list of historic museums. If they want family fun, we send them to Six Flags, the City Musuem, or the St. Louis Carousel by the Butterfly House,” said Ebbinghaus. There are nine welcome centers in the state operated by the Missouri Division of Tourism, each located on a major highway or interstate: • Hannibal, on Highway 61 South. • Joplin, on Interstate 44 at the Mile Marker 2 Rest Area.
Each summer many children and adults enjoy learning how to ride a Segway at Branson Segway.
• Kansas City, on the Blue Ridge Cut-Off. • Hayti, at Mile Marker 20 on Interstate 55. • Rock Pork, on Interstate 29 South. • St. Louis, on Interstate 270 at Riverview Drive. • Eagleville, on Interstate 35 at exit 112. • Conway-West, on Interstate 44. • Conway-East, on Interstate 44. The types of historic places the St. Louis Welcome Center refers visitors to include the Scott Joplin House, the Missouri History Musuem, White Haven, Grant’s Cabin, and Old Town St. Charles. “We get several ladies groups that we send to Old Town St. Charles because they enjoy that type of historic feel,” said Ebbinghaus. In addition to museums, the St. Louis center claims that they get several people who are interested in cemeteries because of the history. “I think some of the strangest things we get asked is how to pronounce Missouri, why it’s called the Show-
Me State, and what the population of a certain city is,” said Ebbinghaus. The Anheuser Bush Brewery Tours is another attraction the St. Louis Welcome Center refers people to. “They give free tours and people find it very interesting to see the brewing history of America,” said Ebbinghaus. When it comes to the Conway-East Welcome Center, they get several questions about Route 66 and area Civil War history. “We have three different brochures and books on battle lines in Missouri, but we usually send them to the Civil War Museum in St. Louis,” said Valarie Nash, manager of the Conway-East Welcome Center. For Conway, the busiest time of the year is April through Thanksgiving. “We get several visitors from all over that are interested in totally different things. We get people asking about Route 66, history, and sights to see along their journey,” said Nash. Most travelers that stop at the Conway-East center are traveling west, toward Branson. “We also get several people interested in what the state bird is, the state flower, and the state tree,” said Nash.
The Missouri History Museum in St. Louis.
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Did you know Missouri has 1,050 miles of navigable rivers?
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he Ozark Heritage Project (OHP) will host its annual Lower Current River Cleanup on Saturday, July 8. This will be the ninth year the nonprofit has held this event on the Lower Current, and this year registration will be available at Log Yard and at the boat ramp in Van Buren; both places from 810 a.m. OHP’s Current River Power Team will provide trash bags and work gloves for volunteers. Jimmy Sexton A meal will be ———— served at Log Yard Journey On around 1:30 p.m. and free T-shirts will be distributed as well as door prizes for Most Trash, Largest Single Group of Volunteers and other awards given. As with all OHP events, activities will be started with a prayer in recognition of God's establishment of our beautiful hills and streams and in petitioning His guidance for our stewardship.
T-shirts are being sold to help fund OHP’s many activities. Shirts may be ordered and picked up at numerous local businesses, including the city hall and Holt’s Sales in Van Buren, Rocky’s Barbershop in Winona, Rowden’s Express in Eminence, and Ellington Auto Parts, Don’s Place and the Orange Blossom — all in Ellington. OHP has been instrumental in removing debris and water hazards form Missouri streams for nearly a decade, and has removed more than seven tons already in 2017. They have also been instrumental in some building preservation in state parks (including Montauk) and again co-hosted the massive river cleanup
with NPS/ONSR earlier this spring. Other upcoming events include addressing water hazards in Jacks Fork and being part of an effort to remove much of the debris from Jacks Fork river bottoms later this summer. Shirts are only $15 or two for $25 and are available in two colors. Their purchase supports these efforts as well as show community support for our clean streams. Anyone with questions is encouraged to call the OHP at (573) 663-2269. ——— MoDOT's mission includes responsibility for other modes of transportation such as rail, river, air and public transportation. In these areas, most of MoDOT's funding comes from federal sources or from state funds that must be appropriated by the State Legislature because the State Road Fund revenues are constitutionally required to be spent on roads and bridges. Some MoDOT facts that might interest you include: • Aviation — Missouri has 123 public-use airports and 35 business-capable airports. • Railroads — Missouri has 4,822 miles of mainline railroad track.
Kansas City and St. Louis are the nation's second- and third-largest freight rail hubs. Missouri has the 10th largest rail network with the 4th most tonnage carried. • Waterways — Missouri has 1,050 miles of navigable rivers and 14 public river ports, including St. Louis that is the third largest inland port in the U.S. • Public transit — Some 63 million public transit trips are made by Missourians per year. Some form of public transportation exists in all 114 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis. • Freight development — Missouri is ideally suited to become a national freight leader due to its extensive transportation network and central U.S. location. Trucks, planes, barges and trains in Missouri move 1.1 billion tons of freight each year valued at $1.2 trillion. • Bicycle & pedestrian — MoDOT has approximately 600 miles of shareduse paths on the state system, and works with planning partners to create transportation facilities that accommodate non-motorized travel. (Jimmy Sexton is owner and publisher of the River Hills Traveler. He can be reached at (800) 874-8423, ext. 1, or jimmy@riverhillstraveler.com.)
Some sundry snake superstitions of the Ozarks you haven’t heard
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never much cared for snakes. I know some are good to have around, such as black snakes and king snakes, which help keep the rodent population down. King snakes also supposedly kill venomous snakes. Still, I’m just not a fan of any kind of snake. I once had a green snake drop out of a walnut tree, right at my feet. Startled the bejezus out of me. The slithery creature was harmless, of course. Still made me jump back with a shout, though. Folklorist Vance Randolph had some things to share about snakes. These were superstitions and beliefs he had picked up from Ozarkers in the first Wes Franklin few decades of the ———— 20th century. FortuNative Ozarker nately, he jotted it all down. Take, for instance, that green tree snake I mentioned. According to Randolph, a lot of folks in the Ozarks used to believe the green tree snake was actually a “doctor” of sorts in the snake world. Oh yeah. He supposedly heals other snakes when they are sick or injured. This notion came around when the green tree snake was seemingly often found in the same vicinity as wounded snakes. As to the aforementioned king snake, they are immune to venom. The Ozarker of yesteryear said that is because when they are doing battle with a copperhead or rattlesnake, they nibble on a plant called snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae), which is in the daisy family. The leaves were thought to be an antidote to poisonous venom. Randolph knew people who believed in “milk snakes.” These are serpents who feed by attaching themselves to a cow’s udder and sucking the milk. The same folks may have also believed in the mythical “hoop snake,” which tucks
its tail into its mouth and rolls in a hoop toward its victim. If you find your baby playing with a snake, remove the child from danger but don’t kill the snake, says the old superstition. If you kill the snake, the baby will also die within a matter of a short time. My brother recently killed what we at first thought was a blacksnake. If it had been, he wouldn’t have killed it, but though black in color it didn’t actually look like a blacksnake. It had brown designs on its back and its head was shaped more like that of a copperhead. It turned out to likely be a non-venomous water snake, according to photos on the internet. Odd thing is, we were about a quarter-mile away from the nearest creek. We may have misidentified it too, though. Some folks used to believe that water snakes, namely the poisonous cottonmouth, won’t bite you underwater. Others believed that they can bite when underwater, but can’t release their venom. I don’t believe I ever want to find out. You will never find this guy noodling under some rock. Never. Supposedly, if you drop a horsehair into a stream during the summertime, it will instantly transform into a snake. It was also commonly believed that timber rattlers grew hair, according to Randolph. Folks used to plant gourds all around their house as a method to keep the snakes away. Supposedly a snake won’t cross the gourd line. Burning old shoes in the fireplace was a method to drive any snakes out of the house, if they
happened to get in. I am more apt to believe in the gourd custom. We did have a big blacksnake invade the house once, when I was a kid. My mother chopped it up with a hoe. The linoleum forever bore the scars of the great battle. If you are bit by a snake you are to burn the snake immediately, even before seeking medical attention, says the old Ozark superstition recorded by Mr. Randolph. Please note, this is a superstition. If you get snake-bit, go to the hospital. I realize I don’t have to say that, but you never know. I’m rarely surprised anymore. I have an uncle who was bit by a coral snake when he was a boy. Coral snakes are a Southern snake. They have small mouths but are very poisonous. In my uncle’s case, my grandfather cut open the tiny bite wound with a pocket knife and squeezed out as much poisoned blood as he could before bringing his son to the hospital. My uncle is still going strong today, at age 75. One old Ozark snakebite treatment was to stick the wounded appendage in a bucket of kerosene. Other folks used a poultice of soap and salt (I presume the soap was for disinfecting and the salt to draw out the poisoned blood). You can also eat the boiled leaves from the snakeweed plant mentioned earlier. I’ve never been bitten by a snake of any kind, but I think if I do I’ll just go to the emergency room. Of course, back when Randolph recorded these beliefs and customs, travel was much harder and slower, and the nearest doctor could be many miles away. People had to tend to themselves. It’s good to be self-reliant, but as long as we can get to a hospital much
On the Cover A couple enjoys a sunset at Lake of the Ozarks State Park. Wish you were here? Get in your vehicle and make it happen!
(photo courtesy of www.funlake.com)
quicker these days, I’m going there. And I still don’t like snakes. (Wes Franklin can be reached at 417658-8443 or cato.uticensis46@gmail. com.)
River Hills Traveler 212 E. Main St., Neosho, MO 64850 Phone & Fax: 800-874-8423 www.riverhillstraveler.com Email: jimmy@riverhillstraveler. com Owner & Publisher Jimmy Sexton Managing Editor Madeleine Link Circulation Manager Amanda Harvel Staff Writers Heath Wood, Wes Franklin, Mike Roux, Bill Wakefield, Bill Oder, Bill Cooper, Michelle Turner & Dana Sturgeon Advertising All of us River Hills Traveler, established in 1973, is published monthly by Sexton Media Group and Traveler Publishing Company at 212 E. Main St., Neosho, MO 64850. Postmaster: Send change of address notices to: River Hills Traveler, 212 E. Main St., Neosho, MO 64850. Subscription prices: $22 per year; 2 years, $40. Back issues available up to one year from publication, $5 plus sales tax & shipping. COPYRIGHT © 2017 No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express written permission of the publisher of the River Hills Traveler or his duly appointed agent. The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertising or editorial submission for any reason.
RiverHillsTraveler.com
July 2017 • Page 5A
OUTDOOR FINES
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he Missouri Conservation Commission met on Thursday, June 22, for its closed executive session, and on Friday, June 23, for its regular open meeting at the MDC St. Louis Regional Office at the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area. The Commission: • Approved the advertisement and sale of an estimated 734,114 board feet of timber located on 240 acres of Compartment 9, Clearwater Conservation Area in Reynolds County. • Approved the advertisement and sale of an estimated 907,047 board feet of timber located on 324 acres of Compartment 2, Fourche Creek Conservation Area in Ripley County. The Commission also: Suspended or revoked one or more hunting, fishing, or trapping privileges of 12 individuals for a variety of different causes: • Christopher J. Bates, Moberly, fishing, one year; • Tommy L. Calvert, Rich Hill, hunting & trapping, one year; • Jessica L. Conley, Kirksville, all sports, one year;
• Corey A. Cooper, Joplin, hunting, one year; • Paul E. Glaser, Pleasant Hope, hunting, two years; • Tracy G. Lunceford, Mexico, all sports, one year; • Corbin C. Mertgen, Warsaw, hunting, three years; • Andrew A. Moesch, Stover, hunting, 10 years; • John T. Morgan, Fisk, hunting, one year; • Christopher J. Nichols, Edina, hunting, one year; • Travis L. Sharp, Taylor, hunting, one year; and • Jesse L. Silvey, Liberty, hunting & fishing, one year. Suspended or revoked all hunting and fishing privileges of 203 individuals who are not in compliance with applicable child support laws. Suspended or revoked one or more hunting, fishing, and trapping privileges of 233 individuals in accordance with the terms of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact. The Commission’s next meeting is schedule for August.
VINTAGE OZARKS: Hogs
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eal photo postcard by Hall. Probably taken in Stone County, Missouri, but Arkansas sounded more primitive. The hog’s board collar is to keep it out of fenced gardens. Cattle and hogs were released in the woods to feed themselves. The destructive rooting of feral pigs was, and still is, an environmental problem. Though the hillbilly icon didn’t emerge for several decades, the Ozarks has been depicted as a primitive place inhabited by people living a pioneer lifestyle since the early 1800s. This mythos was rejected by progressive Springfieldians, but in Galena, and the White River Hills, it was a component of tourism. Arkansas was held to be slightly more regressive than southern Missouri, but only slightly so. (This feature is courtesy of Leland and Crystal Payton at Lens & Pen Press, publishers of all-color books on the Ozarks. Their new book, James Fork of the White, will be published in 2017. Some pages from this book can be seen on www.beautifulozarks.com. Their earlier river book, Damming the Osage, can be at seen www.dammingtheosage.com)
REMEMBER WHEN From the July archives of the River Hills Traveler: 5 years ago • Sometimes I tell people my job with the Traveler for most of its 40 years has been to go fishing in neat places and write about it. Yeah. But I also have a fierce allegiance to this particular part of the world, especially the natural world here. This is a special place and it has been a privilege to cover it as a journalist. (Bob Todd) • I remember exactly when Traveler entered my life. That in Itself speaks volumes. Heck, I even have a hard time remembering relatives names. Traveler Bob and Pat Todd’s original creation, literally helped shape the lives of my family and me. (Greg Rudi Rudroff) 10 years ago • It ain’t often that an ‘ol gar gets a bunch of attention, but there was certainly plenty of it in late May when the Conservation Department stocked a handful of alligator gars in Mingo National Wildlife Refuge. Kathleen Burchett, Mingo manager, said, “A lot of people go through a career without being part of a species reintroduction. You can’t imagine how excited I am.” Indeed, she’s the architect of the Mingo reintroduction. She’s been working for seven years to bring back this fish that was once a component of Mingo’s historic ecosystem. (Bob Todd) • We sometimes measure the passing of time by recurring events. Like the fishing trip my son Bo and I usually do on Father’s Day. To start out at daybreak this time of year requires getting up very early. For Bo, it was about 3 a.m. to get to my house in time to head for the St. Francis River. We got there and had the canoe in the water not long after 5. But we could have been 30 minutes sooner. (Bob Todd) 15 years ago • The role of competition in fishing…. Pat and I had been to the weighing of a smallmouth tournament on Current River the day before, and as a personal preference, I’d affirmed yet again that tournament fishing isn’t my thing. (Bob Todd) • For most parts of Missouri, a change in the Missouri deer season for 2002 is minor. For much of southeast Missouri, however, the change is huge. For this fall, you can take a deer of either sex without getting any deer tag. No applications. No drawings. Buy a deer tag and it is good for any deer.
Even the botheel, where taking of females has never been legal, your tag will cover ether sex this fall. (Bob Todd) 20 years ago • When my mother arrived in Missouri for a twoweek visit, we informed her that she was scheduled for a canoe trip down the Jacks Fork River. The look she gave me said: “Oh, you’re just trying to scare me.” “I’m not joking,” I responded to her look. “You mean raft, don’t you? Over the phone you said raft.” “Well, that’s true, Ma, but uh… things have sort of changed. Now we’re going in a canoe. But don’t worry, it’s an inflatable canoe. Big soft cushions of air all around you.” (Ray Facteau) • Holding the jar at arm’s length I cracked that lid a little bit and the smell almost took my nose off. Thank goodness the wind wasn’t in my face. What in the world is in there, I asked my friend? Doc thought this was extremely funny that I could smell it with the lid still on. It was a new batch of Doc’s homemade dip bait. His wife and I know he has to make this stuff in the shed, because even on the back porch the smell sometimes gets into the house. (Charley Schmidt) 25 years ago • The fish looked to be three pounds. Ozark walleye always excite me, and I guess I just saw it as bigger. Catching a walleye was a priority for the trip to Castor River with Steve Ramey, and as it turned out, about the only priority we managed to accomplish. (Bob Todd) • On June 4, Ozarkers got a small taste of what can happen if Missouri does not tighten its regulation of mining companies and provide enough of an enforcement arm to see that regulations are followed. (Bob Todd) 30 years ago • Ordinarily, we save trips that involve much walking in the woods for cool weather. But we figured we
could make two miles before it got hot, so when we had an opportunity to hike the Pickle Springs area, we took it. Pickle Springs is a Conservation Department natural area featuring sandstone box canyons, something most folks have never seen in Missouri. • Things that carry through… The family had begun to gather here Saturday, and by Sunday, the bulk of the crowd was on hand. Pat was leading a tour of the office, explaining how the process camera works. Apparently she was telling more than anyone really wanted to know and the least of the group, a 7-yearold Hannah, let her know it. “Well, I have to go now,” she said when Pat paused. Through the rest of the week, if a relative or in-law was starting to bore, “Well, I have to go now” put an end to that. (Bob Todd) 35 years ago • If a person wasn’t aware of it sooner he should have become suspicious when the fellow in charge of starting the tournament didn’t have a watch. And then late… and no one particularly noticed. (Bob Todd) 40 years ago • Quiet in the Osage encampment, no singing, no chanting or morning prayer. Not even any snoring during the night and most of all no gunfire. Even though the people are hungry and the nearby stream has many ducks in it, there is no gunfire. The place is probably somewhere in eastern Colorado beyond the western limit of trees, even along the streams observed as events unfold. (Bob Todd)
‘Blood in the Ozarks’ D
eep in the eastern Ozarks of Missouri, a battle still rages about a Union massacre of Southern civilians that happened on Christmas Day, 1863. While some call it a simple rescue mission to liberate captured Union soldiers, others claim that it was mass murder, which included women and children. $17.00 + $4.00 s/h order online at www.bloodintheozarks.com or by mail by sending check or money order to: Blood in the Ozarks 807 Englehart Ln Marble Hill, MO 63764
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Timber Charcoal is made right here in Missouri
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o you remember as a kid watching your dad pour black, lightweight charcoal that “tinkled” as it piled up on the BBQ grill? Did you recognize the charcoal even had growth rings, cells and bark? The charcoal could even be snapped in two easily then used to draw on the concrete hopscotch or ticktack-toe games. Is that REAL CHARCOAL a thing of the past? NOPE! It is made right here in Missouri (Timber Missouri), Timber Charcoal! Where is Timber? Well, if you have been to Eminence or our newest state park, Echo Bluff, and were going south on Highway 19, you passed it. Yep, there are at least two structures visible from Highway 19 in Bob Brennecke Timber and usually a few tractors ———— and trailers parked off the road to the entrance to Timber Charcoal on the east. Being a member of a trailer club — (WBCCI) Wally Byam Caravan Club International — we were having a trailer rally at Echo Bluff. Wherever we go we try to have entertainment and/or tours of interesting places. Echo Bluff was certainly beautiful, the “Crown Jewel” if you are looking for up-to-date lodging, roads, camping, programs, hiking trails and facilities, all very nice. I only found a few negative items. One of which
was the campground sanitary dump station. The dump station had a raised or elevated receptacle for releasing waste, and we all know what (flows downhill) from a waste tank. Special considerations should be taken unless you have a fifth wheel or super-high trailer dump tank. I will say no more. Echo Bluff is located on Sinking Creek north of Eminence and south of Salem with Shannondale Mission Church and camp between, just north of Timber. The location is perfect with the Ozark Mountains surrounding the camps and the presence of nature all around including one of the two or three herds of wild horses roaming the National Forest. These horses roam at will, wild in front of the lodge, around the campsites and cabins crossing Sinking Creek, contented and looking healthy and happy. As some people know, Eminence seems to be a mecca for horse riding, floating on the Current River and riding all-terrain vehicles. Getting back to charcoal, Todd Hamilton is one of the family-owned, owner-operators that gave our group a tour. While standing in the storage lot between thousands of board feet of wood slabs and “trash” wood, Todd explained how the plant worked. He said that anyone could make charcoal by an easy process of setting fire to a covered pile of wood and allowing it to burn for a prescribed time, then shut off all oxygen, then let it cool. The hardest parts of making charcoal is controlling the oxygen and air pollution regulations set by the government. When setting fire to a stack of lumber
20 feet high, 30 foot wide and 55 feet long, regulating the burn and burning the wood with air quality clean air emissions of 99.5 percent is the kicker. Todd explained their immense emissions control system which sat above the kilns and was likened to a catalytic device that is on our car emission system. Everyone at Timber Charcoal was friendly, courteous, knowledgeable, hardworking and BLACK AS CHARCOAL, of course, because it was a charcoal plant. It was raining that day and this is the only time I had ever walked in a black charcoal paste puddle. Todd explained that charcoal made at Timber Charcoal was shipped around the Midwest under other names, and used for different things, like briquettes, medicines, gunpowder, cosmetics, and even BBQing. Many of the high-end smokers and pits recommend “natural hardwood charcoal” to enhance the flavors of the foods that are cooked in them. One thing Todd reiterated was that their product was 100 percent all natural, no binders, no additives and burned clean. We used Timber Charcoal on our outdoor cooking while at camp and were very happy with the startup of the charcoal and the end results. All of us who went on the tour of Timber Charcoal were surprised with the immensity of the operation and found all aspects of the charcoal making process very interesting. I can’t wait to try Todd’s suggestion to lay steaks directly on hot coals and cook the meat quickly at 1,100 degrees, sounds great! (Bob Brennecke lives in Ballwin, Mo., and can be reached at robertbrennecke@hotmail.com.)
The e Gre Great e Am merican Ec E lip Eclip pse On Aug. 21, 2017 7,, a total solar eclipse e willl cut a swath across Missouri on its path over over 12 United United States. For about two minutes, the sky within the path, path about 70 miles wide, will go dark. This period of darkness is called totality. A totall solar eclipse happenns somewhere in the world at least once a year. In the Continental U.S., the last tottal solar eclipse was in 1979. Buut it has been 148 years since d li h went out somewhe daylight here in Missouri, and 575 years since the last totall solar eclipse in the central part off the state. 9 What was happening in 1869 when Missouri had the last total solarr eclipse? Ulysses S. Grant became president,
Create a Solar Ecllipse Model
Jesse James robbed his firsst bank, a “golden spike” markked thhe first transcontinental railroad, a the Cincinnati Red S Stockings open the season as the first fully professionaal b baseball team.
In this activity, you willl creeate a replica off a solar eclipse. Materials Needed: Flashlight or Ta Table Lamp (represents ( the sun), Soccer orr Soft Ball (repressents the earth), Ping Pong Ball (representts the moon), Wire or String, Ta Tape, 3 Peeople, A Dark Room
A solar eclipse p happens pp when the sun and the moonn line up so that the shadow off the moon falls on the earth. People in the moon’ss umbra experience a total solar eclipse, while those inn the penumbra see a partiall eclipse. (see graphic)
cedure: 1.
2. One person will hold the wire with the earth at arm’s length in the middle off the room, one person will hold the t wire with the moon at arm’s length, and one person will stand behind the light sourcce against the wall.
The bright glow coming from behind the moon during thee eclipse is called the coronaa. This is a part of the sun we don't normally see; it is always there, but the glare of the bright sun hides it.
Use Prop per Glasses It’s neverr safe to look at the sun without protectioon, and the view leading up to the tottal solar ecclipse is no different. Wearing safe eyewearr is essential. Even cameras and cell phonnes can be damaged by their view off thee sun. Learn more about safe viewingg at eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety.
Bits off hydrogen gas, calledd the chromosphere, may bee visible as red and pink colors.
Eclipse waatcher: Is it true that the m atmospheere focuses the light of sun, making it dangerous d to be outside on eclipse day?
Solar Eclipse
Z Z Z Z
Air temperatures Animals and inse Insects willl start
Lookk up th the foll llowing i vocabulary words: TTootality • Umbra Penuumbra ra • Corroona Chromospherree
The sky will be d Stars and planets willl be observable: Venus will be the brighhtest!
Doctor Sppeck: The moon does not have an a atmosphere, and so it cannot behave this way. It is no more dangerouss than any other day .
4. The moon willl need too be between the sun and the earth at a disttance where it willl cast a shadow on the earthh (this may take some trial and error to find the perfect spot). 5 The moon will very sllowly orbit around 5. the Earth.
Learning Standards: I cann follow sequential directions to create a replica. I can draw conclusions and analyze results. r I can make text-to-world connectionss.
Doctor SPECK
Eclipse waatcher: My textbook says that the t sun’s corona gives off harmfuul X-rays and UV rays — shouldn’t we w be scared of them? Doctor Sppeck: The corona does give off those rays, but it does that every day, it’s jusst that the bright sun makes it difficuult forr us to see the corona on a norm mal day — so we don’t notice it. The earth’s atmosphere protects us from thhose harmful rays on eclipse day andd on every other day. Drr. Angela Specck is Directorr of Astronomy at Univerrssity off Missouri, Coluumbia.
3. When the room is com mpletely dark, switch on the light and aim thhe light source straight at earth.
6. Note the various points in the orbit that create night and day. At what point is there an eclipse?
Sourrce: GreatA GreatA AmericanEclipse com AmericanEclipse.com
Get Smart
Use tape to secure the wire or string to the soccer/softballl (earth) and the ping pong balll moon).
Learn more: eclipse.aas.org
Read more: “When the Sun Goes Dark,” by Fraknoi and Schatz
Brought to you by this newspa aper, the Missouri Press Press Foundation Foundation and
RiverHillsTraveler.com
July 2017 • Page 7A
Exploring this Missouri gem should be on your list
T
he Missouri State Park system has so much to offer that it may seem impossible to have a favorite state park, but I do. Hawn State Park is located between Sainte Genevieve and Farmington off of Highway 32. I’ve been camping and hiking there for nearly two decades. Being there gives me an opportunity to slow down and enjoy life. Since this area is so special to me, I have shared it with friends and family. Most people who have come on an adventure with me to Hawn seem to appreciate it just as much as I do. My most recent trip with my daughter, Karlene, was yet another peaceful and restorative experience. Thanks to summer break, we were able to leave our home on a Monday afternoon to avoid the weekend Michelle Turner crowds. ———— Once in the area, we started our trip with a visit to Hickory Canyons Natural Area. It is approximately 10 miles from Hawn State Park. Take Highway 32 to C, and then go down Sprott Road. I quickly learned that my GPS was not to be trusted. It wanted me to stop and park near a farmer’s field, but I continued driving and found a parking area nearby. This was our first visit to this unique natural area. We hiked the shortest trail, but plan to go back and hike the longer trail on another day. The area is quite impressive.
Once we arrived at Hawn State Park, it felt like coming home. Luckily, our campsite was adjacent to another mother/daughter duo. My daughter and her new camping friend discovered they were the same age. The girls enjoyed quite a bit of splashing in Pickle Creek and a few walks together before it was time to make dinner and settle in for the night. After sleeping to a symphony comprised of whippoorwills and tree frogs, we woke up on Tuesday ready to explore places we know and love. We spent the day on our favorite trails within the park. I recommend that you study the maps carefully and make a plan of action before heading out. All of the trails within the park connect and loop in multiple ways. It’s not too hard to get turned around. For the more adventurous, there are even options for overnight hikes. We decided to take Pickle Creek Trail all the way up to where it connects to Whispering Pines. If you continue along Whispering Pines, alongside the creek, you’ll see many waterfalls and shut-ins. There are many places to stop and cool your heels to make a fun day of it. To finish the hike, we backtracked on Whispering Pines to where it crosses Pickle Creek and loops back to the trailhead parking lot. If, like me, you are not always surefooted, I recommend using a hiking stick. The trail along Pickle Creek is very rocky and you have to climb over
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a few obstacles. However, the sights and sounds make it totally worthwhile. Once we arrived back to our campsite, it was time for more wading in the creek with Karlene’s new camping friend, a quick game of Uno, and other typical camping experiences. What’s a camping trip without a campfire and s’mores? On Wednesday, we took our time breaking down camp to enjoy a few more hours at Hawn before it was time to head home. Even though the time flew by, Karlene and I both know we’ll be back again sooner than later because Hawn is indeed my favorite Missouri State Park. I highly recommend a visit to Hawn State Park. Don’t let any fear of the un-
known come into play. Exploring this Missouri gem should be next on your to-do list. (Michelle Turner lives in Union, Mo.)