Hanging out at Three Creeks. Photo courtesy of Julie Zender.

It’s spring! Rain is falling. Robins are warbling. Woodcocks are sniffing around in the mud. No better place to be at a season-switch than beautiful Mid-Missouri, and no better time to go out than THIS WEEKEND! Sustain Mizzou treasurer Andrew has a hike planned to Rock Bridge State Park (details below), so lace up your hiking shoes and get outside! Here are some highlights from Great Outdoors trips of the past.

Grace and Julie biked to Big Tree at McBaine. This photo does not do it justice. Photo courtesy of Julie Zender.

Way super long ago camping trip. Photo courtesy of Tina Casagrand.

To have your own adventure this Saturday, follow these instructions, or RSVP on Facebook.

Hey all,

This Saturday we’re gonna head out to Rock Bridge Memorial State Park to enjoy the (hopefully) great weather and great outdoors. We will go rain or shine, and come prepared. Things you might need: water, sunglasses, boisterous spirits, rain stuff(?), goodwill, cheer, a sled and dog team, ice axe, bear spray, etc. (You know the drill) If you have a car, let us know! And if you don’t, that’s fine! We’ll be carpooling, and we are going to meet at the bike racks of Hitt St Garage.

The sun shines through leaves at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park in Columbia, Mo., Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012.

Leaves getting their fall colors hang on trees at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park in Columbia, Mo., Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012.

Leaves getting their fall colors hang on a tree at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park in Columbia, Mo., Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012.

Leaves getting their fall colors hang on a tree at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park in Columbia, Mo., Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012.

A dead leaf rests on the ground at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park in Columbia, Mo., Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012.

Leaves float in water at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park in Columbia, Mo., Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012.

Leaves crumbling in the fall weather hang on a tree at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park in Columbia, Mo., Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012.

A red leaf rests on a trail at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park in Columbia, Mo., Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012.

A bare tree sits at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park in Columbia, Mo., Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012.

Tool of choice: Nikon D3100

__

Where in mid-Missouri do you look for fall colors? Comment, please. 

“Devil’s Icebox″

Technical details: Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera, EF17-40mm f/4L IS USM lens @ 28mm, ISO 400,  f/11, manual blend of two exposures

In chronological order, the places we’ve visited and gotten pics:

This was the Confederate Memorial State Historic Site. Wow. Teri, Nike, Sadie, Raven, and I visited this one on the way back from the American Royal Dog show on November 6th. We drove 9 miles off the interstate, I think, in order to get here, and it was totally worth it. We visited the cemetery, read all the kiosks, and chatted with the superintendent before taking turns going inside the chapel. Sometime, I’ll upload those pictures. It was breathtaking.

Another nine miles led us to the Battle of Lexington SHS, which was even more eery and awe-inspiring that the first. We didn’t get pictures of the dogs, which means we get to go back!!! Yay! It was approaching sundown and Teri and I wanted to walk the battlefield before we had to leave.

On the way back to the interstate, the alternator went out in the Jeep. Nike is very hard on alternators, as I believe that was her second of three alternators (to date) that have quit on a trip devoted to her. Maybe I’ll post those stories sometime. We made it back okay, and Dad came to swap out the alternator in the rain.

On December 18th, 2011, Nike and I were on our way back from Kansas City when we passed a sign for Arrow Rock SHS. Sooo… we turned around and headed that direction.

~*~*PLEASE NOTE: SP/SHS rules state that all dogs must be on lead at all times while in the SP/SHS. I dropped the leash for 2 seconds to take the pictures, because I was by myself. It was wrong and I am sorry I did it. I have a long line for future photos.*~*~

This was a bustling little town before the Missouri picked up and moved, leaving Arrow Rock high and dry. Nike sat in the Jeep while the awesome park employee played the info movie for me. I spent a few minutes in the museum, chatted with the fellow, and then went outside to wander the town. It was adorable! Everything was so lovely, even though it was a cold and quiet day. I saw maybe two people the entire time. Eventually, our legs were tired and we were cold, so we loaded back up and headed for home.

Last but not least– Rock Bridge Memorial SP, May 27, 2012. It had been a long and exhausting day, but Nike didn’t know that. So, in order to tire her out, we loaded up a knapsack and went for a hike. I wasn’t sure how this trail was, time-wise, so we started out early enough to finish it, but not early enough to try a longer trail. We picked up lots of ticks but the trail was really enjoyable. It was probably 50-50 woods and grassland, and Nike pointed on a deer. There are many, many sinkholes in this park– I lost count of the number on this 1.75 mile trail.

After we finished this trail, we had a few minutes, so we drove to the Devil’s Ice Box parking lot. I love the Devil’s Ice Box so very much, but it is definitely not a good idea to take dogs in it. I hoped that we could bask in the cool air near it, though, so we started up the boardwalk. This trail is 0.5 miles of nicely built boardwalk and LOTS of stairs. Nike handled it like a pro, and sure enough– the temperature difference over the Ice Box was startling. We sat for several minutes, then decided to head on out.

And that is all the pictures I have!! Nike has visited other SP/SHS, like the aforementioned Lexington, as well as Lake of the Ozarks, Onondaga Cave, Cuivre River, Finger Lakes, and others, but unfortunately we don’t have picture proof! Back we go. Our plan is to try to knock out the Central Region (9 more SP/SHS!), then move on to the others. It will be easy to get some, like those on 44, 63, and 70. The outliers will probably require a special trip and more planning. And the Katy Trail…. well… Thru-hiking would be awesome, but let’s face it, I’m in vet school. Maybe we’ll break it up and hike from trailhead to trailhead over the course of a long while.

Anyway, going to the cave is one of my favorite things to do. I love it so much. The trails around it and throughout Rock Bridge Memorial State Park are absolutely breathtaking. However, there’s a downside; ever since I watched The Descent I always get the feeling that there are humanoid bat creatures in the cave that are just waiting to eat me. Dumb right? I know, but it’s a thought I get sometimes. If you haven’t watched it, then you definitely should. I’m not much for blood and gore, but this movie doesn’t abuse the privileges of guts spewing and people being eaten to death. No, instead you’re consumed in yelling at the characters to turn around and then screaming again when they’re too stupid to. Yeah, the gore is present, but it’s quick, therefore it doesn’t distract from the main purpose.. Which is to scare you out of going into caves.

You scared?

Luckily for me, it didn’t work. I have fears of creepy blind albino human-sized bats in caves, but nothing can stop me from exploring and venturing throughout the wilderness that God created in our world. Well, except for white nose syndrome, apparently.

Devil's Icebox, located at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park in Columbia, Mo. on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 is closed due to white nose syndrome infecting the bats inhabiting the cave.

Reagan Nielsen, MU sophomore, frequents the area.

“Hiking is a pastime for my friends and I,” Nielsen said. “The cave is usually the highlight of our hike. The fact that it has closed is very sad because it’s really cool to go in. It’s unfortunate that this is a disease that the bats have to deal with.”

Reagan Nielsen, a sophomore at MU, looks at the sign at Devil's Icebox, located at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park in Columbia, Mo. on Tuesday, April 10, 2012, that indicates that the cave is still closed off.

The closing of the cave is temporary while experts work to stop the spreading of this disease.

When speaking to other lovers of the outdoors I feel that I’m preaching to the choir.  These folks are already excited about being active, and their curiosity has led them to become extremely knowledgeable about the world.  What can I offer them?  Today’s post is not a travel advertisement for a distant wilderness trip or peak bagging route.  It’s about where we get our start.  A place that we all have.  Our home base.

My home base is Rock Bridge Memorial State Park located a few minutes outside of Columbia, Missouri.  My earliest memories of the park are hazy, but include the taste of peanut butter sandwiches and an adult announcing a buddy-check — ensuring that another four year old hadn’t wandered off.  As I grew older it became a refuge of sorts for me, as well as a classroom.  I’ve spent more time in this park than all of my visits to other natural areas combined.  Sometimes I come alone, sometimes with a group.  In 8^th grade science we traversed all over the area as we fumbled over how to use a map and compass.  Ranger-led caving trips showed me first hand the ecological diversity of Devil’s Ice Box Cave as we canoed, climbed, and crawled  our way through the twisting passages.  Reading a list of endangered bat species is one thing, seeing their seven foot pile of guano is another.  One evening I learned the value of the bicycle helmet when I split mine against an oak tree, acorns sprinkling down in the aftermath.

History
Outdoor recreation and education has not always been the focus of the area, but became it through the efforts of a local professor Lew Stoerker.  In 1961 his nine-year old daughter Carol was struck and killed by a passing car prompting his campaign for a place for kids to safely play.  After six years of advocacy the park opened for its first visitors.  The signs of 19^th century homesteads and businesses can still be seen, but are hidden in the restored hardwood forests and prairies.  The initially modestly sized park has grown in the past decades enabling the success of the often conflicting goals of recreation and conservation.  The park staff has balanced the fostering native ecosystems, protecting soil and water quality, and providing recreational opportunities.  Keep in mind that they achieve these tasks both above and below ground, something that is becoming harder every year.

Since its opening Rock Bridge has continued to grow and evolve under state management.  With grants from the Land & Water Conservation Fund totaling over $547,000 the park has expanded several times to its current size of 2,272 acres.  Grants such as this helped the park years before Missouri approved additional taxes to support the state park system in 1984.  Even with the tax, Missouri State Parks are often underfunded, understaffed, and overused.

The city of Columbia is beginning to envelop the park as development encroaches ever closer to its boundaries.  Urban development is sure to have effects on the area’s karst hydrology and may show effects on the Devil’s Ice Box Cave system, the second most diverse in the state.  The rising city population has direct effects on the park as well through increased visitation.  Small trails are quickly turned into highways side by side hikers, bypasses are created from the puddle weary, new social trails are blazed to save precious seconds back to the car—let alone the wayward granola bar wrappers snagged in the branches along the way.  Yes, it is the proverbial case of being loved to death.

As state and grant funding is becoming harder to come by and the local population growth is not expected to slow down anytime soon, we must find other ways to preserve parks such as this.  Don’t look too far, as the solution is you.  We can’t rely on others to preserve the places that we have grown to love; we must take these tasks upon ourselves.  This includes simple things like following Leave No Trace practices such as staying on the trail and picking up trash that you may see.  It could also mean giving your local park staff a call to chat for a few minutes.  Ask them the issues they face on a daily basis and you may be surprised.  See how you, as a park user, can help out and I assure you they’ll be delighted you called.  Without community support our local natural areas will disappear if not in name, in character.  Consider giving back a little this spring to your own home base, so that it may be there for the years to come.

Spend a day exploring castle ruins and nature's wonder at Ha Ha Tonka State Park.

We are all guilty of it: You live in a place for a few years, or even a lifetime, and frequent the same shops, restaurants, parks, attractions.

I have lived in the Jefferson City area most of my life but still hear about great places I have never seen. So, I have decided to make a local must-see list. My plan is to see all the places on my list within the next six months, and I am only selecting places within an hour drive of my home.

• Revisit downtown Jefferson City. I work on the edge of downtown Jefferson City but don’t make it to the other areas of downtown very often. I have heard of some great new shops that I need to check out.
• Revisit downtown Columbia. I have been to downtown Columbia back in my college days, but so many things have changed – drastically (in a really good way). I did stumble across Chong’s, a small oriental market, the other day and absolutely loved exploring all the oriental food options.
• I have always been jealous of the people who have a small market with fresh fruits and vegetables “just down the street.” Jefferson City has one now (has been open for a little over a year) and I still have not made it there, so D&D Main Street Market is on my list.
• Across from D&D Main Street Market is a small, locally owned café, Angelina’s Cafe, which I have not yet visited. In addition, there is a new Missouri Boulevard Café that I am adding to my “must try” food list, and two more restaurants opening on nearby. I’m very excited to try them all.
• There are a couple of Missouri State Parks that I also have not visited. Clark’s Hill/Norton State Historic Site is just outside of Jefferson City on Highway 50, and about five miles from my childhood home. Yes, that close. The trails at this historic site were once walked by Lewis and Clark, and they camped at the base of Clark’s Hill in 1804.
• Rock Bridge Memorial State Park is one that is a little farther from home, but still easily within an hour’s drive. MOTravelSon will enjoy exploring the caves and the “jungle” as we walk the trails at this park. Great exercise and learning experience for him, too! This will probably be one we save for the warmer months.
• This is my cheater one, I have been here before, but not since I was about 10, so I want to go back with my son to share my memories. Painted Rock Conservation Area was the place we would go as a family, with our Labrador retriever, and walk the trails for hours.
• As many kids do in the winter months, MOTravelSon is asking when he can go swimming again. The Arc is an indoor water recreation area in Columbia that many of my friends have taken their children to, but we have not made it there yet. Hope to soon.
• Another indoor water park that is within an hour drive of us that we have not visited yet is Timber Falls at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Lake of the Ozarks. While I have stayed in the hotel many times, it has been for work reasons and have not had much time to enjoy the fun side of the resort or water park.
• I finally made it to Ha Ha Tonka State Park this past summer, but was there for work reasons. We just walked around the ruins and didn’t have time to enjoy the trails. From the scenic outlook we were able to see the beautiful blue water of the spring below and this prompted my need for a return trip. The waters were far below the scenic outlook and were just so beautiful that I decided I must return to see the spring up close.

So, that’s my local must-see list. I would encourage others to create a similar list and share it, too. These are attractions and eateries we pass by daily or those just a short day trip from your home. They don’t require a significant amount of pre-planning but will provide entertainment for you and your family.

This Week, KBIA’s Tony Ulrich looks at how community members help maintain Missouri’s state parks. Then, KBIA’s Brian Pellot takes us underground at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, home to one of the cave state’s crown jewels. Hosted by KBIA’s Elle Moxley.

If you’d like to volunteer at Rock Bridge, there’s a meeting tonight at 6 p.m. You can also learn more about touring the Devil’s Icebox.