In search of a little sunshine after a few days of rain led to location only a little north of Sedalia in Missouri. Originally named Stonyridge Farm, Bothwell Lodge State Historic Site is home to one of a few castles that dot the landscape in the state.
The lodge stood shuttered on this particular visit, but is regularly open to tours, for a small fee. Constructed at the turn of the twentieth century, using limestone quarried on site, the structure is perched upon a bluff overlooking the valley that also hosts US-65. It is unique in that it attempted to leverage a natural cave, discovered at the time of construction, to provide air conditioning to the home. Access to admire the exterior of the stately home, along with a grand view of the valley below, remains available during all daylight hours.
The only touring available on this round involved stomping through the forests and fields associated with the property. The first, warmed things up for the second of only two trails on the site. The Stonyridge Trail is just under a kilometer and wanders a relatively wide trail near the lodge, visiting a couple of points of interest to visitors of a bygone era.
The second path is a bit more demanding, but only length. Clocking in at just over 5 kilometers, it meanders around the forest and fields related to the site. It is a narrow packed earth trail most of the time, rolling along, widening here and there, though never enough for a side-by-side stroll. A small, quiet pond offers an opportunity for mosquito infested reflection about half way along. The pathway also crosses a few meadows filled with tallgrass, wildflowers, and ticks at this time of year. Only three of the tiny hitchhikers were found on this occasion, before they had dug in for an extended stay. Generally, it is a good route, likely enhanced in the late fall, after everything dies off, or in the early sprint before the insect population becomes too active.
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