If you haven't noticed a trend by now, most of the attractions here in Pulaski County are more natural than cultural. Not that there aren't a few museums in the county, and even a theater on the square in downtown Waynesville. However, until I have a day where I am strictly limited by the weather or my desire to climb the hills, my expeditions will probably have me out and about in the physical arena for the next couple of Wednesdays.
Whether on the major or minor rivers of Missouri (38 total, to include large creeks on which adventure organizations offer outdoor recreation activities), the beautiful lakes (Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock, Mark Twain, Truman Reservoir), or deep within the caverns created by the karst topography of the land, theres a reason Tom & Huck were always finding something to explore (and a way to get in trouble) here in the "Show Me" State. So, with my trusty Nikon at my side, I ventured out yesterday to show me - and you - another beautiful site in the area: Stone Mill Spring.
Named for an old "stone and smith mill" which operated near the site in the 1860's, the site is nestled at the base of a large bluff overlooking the Big Piney River. Much like the Roubidoux Spring - which I ventured to last month - I was met by a beautiful turquoise pool of freshwater that seemed other-worldly compared to the stark mountain looming above and the snow-melt surrounding it's edges. The algae fringed borders of the pond and its the continuing spring branch - a stocked trout stream - seemed to beckon the Spring with their verdant hues.
At the end of the quarter-mile long spring branch a weir has been emplaced to feed the Big Piney. Measured discharges at the spring range from 11 to 34 million gallons of water each day, with an average, daily output of 19 million gallons of water recharging the surrounding 30 square miles of the Big Piney River Basin.
What's interesting about Stone Mill and its corresponding stream was that for years it was just another mountain spring in the Ozarks. However, once the federal government purchased 97 square miles of land at the northern edge of the Mark Twain National Forest in 1940, the Army acquired the spring as part of the purchase of Ft. Leonard Wood. Realizing they had gained a "local national treasure", the government turned the site into a park and recreation area for trout anglers. Over the past half-century it has become a premier spot for anglers to catch rainbow trout in southern Missouri, and home of an annual trout fishing derby for children.
The park was beautiful and I look forward to going back sometime soon to explore the nearby trails and perhaps have a picnic lunch by the stream with the hubby. It was a bit of a hike to get to the spot (one mile roundtrip along the river), but I enjoyed having the time to just be and take in everything around me.
Heading back out of the woods and across the river, I stopped at one last site on Ft. Leonard Wood, an old one room schoolhouse built in 1912 within a two mile hike from the spring. I hiked along the trail behind the schoolhouse for a bit, took a few snapshots of the rushing water that was abundant everywhere yesterday - no doubt brought on by the melting snow and intense rainfall from the day prior, and then ended my day's journey at the Big Piney spillway. Taunted by a dark sky and a change in the wind that made me feel like a downpour was about to befall me, I returned home and closed the garage door as a sheet of rain plummeted from the sky.
When I walked through the door I was exhausted. I had gone straight from a 45 minute spinning class that morning, to my hike through the woods. My clima-tec running pants had brambles and dirt stains across the legs, my fleece was damp and turning itchy, and (although I didn't look before I quickly jumped in the shower) I'm pretty sure there were some leaves and gnats in my hair. But I felt refreshed and rejuvenated from my hike over the river and through the woods.
As I emerged from the sauna of my bathroom - towel wrapped turban-like around my head and fuzzy bathrobe donned - I noticed the sunlight streaming in through my bedroom window. I looked outside, and lo and behold....
...a rainbow, in my own backyard! A fitting end to a beautiful day.
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