Out on the road relatively early, a beautiful, and mostly cool day unfolded in the windshield. It seemed to matter very little that the drive back to Johnson's Shut-Ins lasted 40 minutes. Time was not much of a loss, winding through the Ozark hills and fields, enabling contemplation and building anticipation for the coming exploration.
Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park sits in the morning shadow of Taum Sauk Mountain, but more so in that of the reservoir that doomed the state park approximately 15 years ago. It was at that time that the reservoir failed, leaving a path of destruction 2.5 km long, which continues recovery today.
The first trail encountered this day, the Scour Trail, covers portions of that path. The 3.5 km trek roams through the devastated area, showcasing newly exposed geologic features against a backdrop of the current evolution of the environment.
A little over a kilometre down the road, and across the river, a relatively new Black River Center stands tall and proud at the entrance of the park. It discusses the history and the geology of the area through a few minor displays and videos detailing additional interesting facts about the effort to restore the park.
Following the Shut-Ins Trail from there leads through dense forest to distinctive features associated with the volcanic activity that formed the St. Francois Mountains. On this occasion, the main attraction held the final position on the journey through the gorge of the East Fork of the Black River. If it had begun at that juncture, the remaining 4 kilometres might have been ignored in the increasingly hot day.
Plenty of time remained to make the journey home, after playing in the cool waters river. Enough stood in waiting to enjoy another stop just up the road, while wandering the Ozark forest.
A half mile hike leads to the Dillard Mill, one of Missouri's best-preserved examples of a water-powered gristmill. The red mill, tucked into the trees along the clear running Huzzah Creek, which cascades over a rock dam below there. The first structure to leverage water power on the site appeared around 1850. The present incarnation of the mill was built in the early 1900's, after the prior mill burned to the ground. All remained shuttered on this Tuesday afternoon.
Another surprise came when it was discovered that the spare was flat too. It was not damaged. It just lacked any sort of inflation. Immediately following that revelation, an air pump at the station not currently functioning. An attendant offered to run to her house, a couple miles down the road, returning with an air pump that could remedy the situation.
Thankful for that assist, yet another wrinkle appeared. It seems that Ford designed fantastic lug nuts, but so ugly that it necessitated covering them. Over time the covering swells and the lug wrench no longer fits; another Engineering Masterpiece from the 20th Century!
It seemed that "Roadside Assistance" was growing imperative by the moment. However, they proved themselves useless. One call required a text back, with a link to a web site to complete a request. That would be fine, if one is in an area where signal actually existed consistently.
All was not lost though. A passing customer called up a couple of her friends, who quickly came ambling into the station with the appropriate tool. The quickly and efficiently swapped out the tires, steadfastly refusing to take any compensation for their efforts. That is southern hospitality.
A limping detour north to Jefferson City was definitely not in the plans for the day, but fake tires were not meant to go another 300 kilometres. The thought of traveling that distance at 72 kph at night was not the most stimulating consideration either. It did leave more time for wandering the next day.
. . .
Further Reading
Missouri State Parks
Missouri State Parks
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