Meramec Caverns

I feel a little bit like a New Yorker that's never been to the Statue of Liberty. While I've driven past the exit for Meramec Caverns countless times, it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I finally thumbed the turn signal and turned off of I-44 at Stanton.

http://www.americascave.com/

I guess I've always assumed it was a tourist trap, and having finally gone there I'd have to say there is an elemont of truth to that. Above ground the gift shop is filled with cheap Chinese junk and there is a bit of a theme-park atmosphere. It was clean and well lit, however, and it was clear that the folks running the place are accustomed to accomodating a lot of tourists efficiently.

I'm not much of one for crowds or tourist hot-spots so I wasted little time forking over the fifteen dollar fee to join a tour. Below ground things were more to my taste.

Near the entrance to the cavern is a model of a Foucault Pendulum. I won't bore you with the physics. If you have an interest here is the Wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/foucault_pendulum

It would have taken hours to observe the Coriolis Effect so I took the tour guide's word that it worked and moved along.

There was a fair amount of BS in the guide's well rehearsed spiel, but to be fair he was quite knowledgeable about the speleothems, many of which are unique and spectacular. Photography is a bit tricky in a cave but herre are a couple of shots to give you an idea.

and this...

The tour is about a mile in length, all of it underground, and lasts a little over an hour. It's accessible to the disabled, believe it or not, and isn't physically demanding like some other less commercial cave tours I've taken. Wear sturdy shoes and warm clothes (it's 60 degrees and damp down there) and you'll be fine.

I had a good time. I'm in no hurry to go back but everyone ought to see Meramec Caverns at least once.

When you leave, if you are headed east on I-44, find an excuse to stop at Super Smokers Barbecue in Eureka for lunch or dinner.

http://www.supersmokers.com/

Bixby Country Store

This week we are in Iron County, Missouri, in the little community of Bixby. It's at the intersection of Routes 49 and 32 and you'll know you're there when you see the convenience store with the caboose connected to it.

Believe it or not the store has quite a bit of history. It opened in 1906 and has been in continuous operation ever since. The post office, at the far end of the building and hidden by the gas pumps in the photo, is the only one remaining in Iron County connected to a store.

Take a look inside and you'll find an odd collection of antiques, including a slick old wood cooking that I covet in my heart. The propietors make sandwiches to order, and if you're of a mind, you can eat it in the dining area inside the caboose.

I'll grant that Bixby isn't someplace you'd just happen across unless, perhaps, you are headed to Dillard Mill State Historic Site. It's only a few miles from there.

http://www.mostateparks.com/dillardmill.htm

Swing by if you are in the area or just have a hankering for something a little different. Bixby is about 40 miles from I-44 at Cuba or 25 miles from Salem.

War Eagle Mill

This weekend I wandered into a region of the Ozarks that I haven't visited in several years. Midway between Eureka Springs and Rogers, Arkansas, just to the south of Beaver Lake, is War Eagle Mill.

It's been beautifully restored and is fully functional, but unlike any other historic mill in the region I'm aware of, is commercially producing meals and flours. It was running when I was there and I took this photo of the water powered burr mill.

On the first floor, in addition to the mill itself, is an extensive selection of whole grain products to choose from. It was a beautiful October Saturday and visitors were lined up making purchases, myself included. On the second floor is a gift shop with the more traditional "touristy" items, and on the third a restaurant serving breads made from grain milled onsite.

I'm pretty into the whole-grain lifestyle, not necessarily for the health benefits, though that is reason enough by itself, but because it just tastes so damned much better than supermarket fluff. I went with the cornbread sandwich for lunch and it was outstanding. If your tastes run to Wonder Bread and french fries you might do better waiting until you get back to town.

Rather than recite the history of the mill here I'll save space and link to the excellent web page:

http://www.wareaglemill.com/history.htm

If you are in Eureka Springs and get weary of looking at Victorian Houses, or if you are in the Springfield/Joplin/Rogers area and want a great day trip, check out War Eagle.

On a side note, check out the old iron bridge in the first photo. It's a working piece of history as well. I particularly enjoyed walking across it because it reminded me so much of another great old bridge that sadly had to be replaced. On the Black River, just downstream from Lesterville, is a historic resort called Black River Lodge. Until a couple of years ago there was a turn-of-the century iron bridge there with wooden deck stringers. I always loved crossing that bridge. Here is a site with some great photos of it.

http://bridges.midwestplaces.com/mo/reynolds/lesterville/

The new bridge is wider, safer, and far more efficient, but I know a lot of folks like myself that feel like they lost an old friend.

UMR Stonehenge

I wonder how many people have driven by this megalith countless times as they are passing through Rolla on Route 63 and never noticed it. It's not surprising, I suppose, considering that whether the motorist is traveling north or south, frustration with traffic flow is off the charts at that particular bottleneck. Recent changes to the signals and thru-lanes have managed to make things even worse, but that's another subject.

The stonehenge on the campus of the University of Missouri - Rolla is a partial reconstruction of the one on the Salisbury Plain southwest of London. It was dedicated on June 20, 1984.

The stonehenge is basically an observatory and the celestial surveying was done by none other than UMR's Civil Engineering Department (deletion of "Environmental and Architectural" from the new department title is quite intentional thank you very much.) An interesting aspect is that the stone was cut using high-pressure water. No kidding...they cut the stone with water. You can read about it here,

http://web.umr.edu/~stonehen/

That's why the edges of the stone have a rather unique texture,

It's worth taking the time to see if you are in the neighborhood and have an interest in such things. You'll find it next to the highway between McNutt Hall and the observatory,

http://www.umr.edu/admin/images/map.jpg

Parking at the university can be a pain if you aren't used to it so you might want to park at Panera Bread and trot across 63 on foot. If you don't feel like playing Frogger in real life you can take your chances finding a visitor's slot open on one of the campus parking lots. When I have business with the school I generally park in one of the very convenient permit-only lots and throw away the ticket if I get one (what are they going to do, withold my grades?) I wouldn't necessarily recommend that practice to others though.

When I'm in Rolla I generally aim for Alex's for lunch. Give it a try!

http://www.alexspizza.com/