We were up early tending the dogs and breaking down camp. The RV spot turned out to be a pretty little location. Missouri is surprising me with the beauty of its outdoors. We walked the dogs in the neighborhood behind the park and the houses were on large lots with lots of trees. Super green from all of the afternoon thundershowers. A couple of really fit looking horses came running over to the fence when they saw us, I guess looking for treats. The dogs don’t react to the horses. I thought they might bark or chase but they are totally indifferent which is a good thing. 

We put on our swimsuits and jumped in the little pool and enjoyed an early morning cooling off before hitting the road to Meramec State Park in Sullivan MO. Koda did her own brand of cooling off not rolling all around in the wet grass. Amazing how wet she can get from the morning dew.

The first 40 miles was on back roads following the old Route 66. Single lane, lots of farms, many trucks in a hurry that I would occasionally pull over and let pass by. We passed the 2000 mile mark on our trip somewhere in that stretch. We soon rejoined the 44, put it on cruise control and let the miles roll by. Seems like every other building is a Baptist Church. Lots of truck stops and oddly, big porn shops advertising on giant billboards along the highway next to the churches. 

Missouri also offers up giant fireworks emporiums and the single largest collection of dead armadillos lining the side of the highway of any state in the nation. PJ had never seen an armadillo so she was curious about them. She amused herself for a while trying to get a photo as we sped by, but the shutter wasn’t quick enough.

Around 2:30, we pulled into Meramec State Park and drove the 3 miles in to the camping area. There are only a few campers, so we tried to give them as much space as possible. We parked in the very corner of the park along side the river. Total woods. So many trees. Loving the shaded spots as the temp is around 90 and I’m guessing the humidity is the same. We were sweating hard by the time we got everything leveled and set up. 

The dogs were exhausted from their day on the road, so we closed them in the air conditioned luxury to nap while we rode around the park on our bikes. What an awesome park. All forest and river. We would see the occasional boat go by or canoe. We returned to Lexi and tried for a swim in the river at our camp. The bank was steep and slippery and the river shallow and the current was a bit strong.

We hopped back on our bikes and rode down by the boat ramp, a gravel road into the river at the far end of the park. We met some locals pulling their boat out of the river as we rolled up. He proudly displayed 5 large catfish and a medium sized bass they had managed to reel in this afternoon. The water near the put in was slow and deep and we got in a nice refreshing swim. Breathtaking views up and down the river, tall trees on either side with the random granite outcropping here or there. The horseflies were relentless when we got out. I swatted a number of them, then we had to out run them with our bikes.

Back at camp, PJ went for a shower and I played my guitar for a little while, then downloaded the pictures from today. There are zero bars for phone or any kind of communication, so today’s post will get published a few days from now. When Pea came back, we fed the dogs and then fed ourselves. Relaxed inside, nicely tired from a day well spent. 

Looking for varmints

Miles Driven: 2197

Things I know to be true: Being the slowest guy on the road works well with cruise control, you never have to brake and reset, just keep going.