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November 23, 2017 / Dan Feeherty / Leave a comment

This will be the first time Sarah or I won’t be home for the holidays. Luckily we live in a beautiful state and have family that graciously invited us over for Thanksgiving. So instead of going back to Missouri I’ll post some photos from one of my last Missouri Adventures. These are from September right after I bought my first Subaru, so naturally I had an itch to get the Subie dirty. I had been wanting to see Klepzig Mill, Big Spring and Rocky Falls. My first stop was Big Spring, not the prettiest Missouri Spring I’ve visited but definitely the most impressive. It is Missouri’s biggest spring and sometimes America’s biggest depending on local rainfall. The average daily flow is around 286 million gallons, carrying with it over 70 tons of dissolved limestone a day. My second stop was to Rocky Falls. The water level was fairly low, so there wasn’t much water flowing over the falls. It was still a beautiful spot, aside from all the locals sitting in the river drinking their Busch light and Natty. Finally I ended at Klepzig Mill. I had seen photos of this and had been wanting to make the trip for a while. It was down a very rocky old service road but the new Subaru soaked up the bumps like they were nothing. It was a beautiful secluded spot with an old mill sitting right next to some classic Missouri Shut-ins. After a fall rain, the beauty of these places would be magnified by the colors in the trees and rush of water. But the hot September day offered plenty of beauty and adventure.

Klepzig Mill

Big Spring

Klepzig Mill

Rocky Falls

Big Spring

Always Chasing Waterfalls

July 7, 2017 / Dan Feeherty / Leave a comment

Don Robinson State Park opened in January and I’ve been 3 times since. It’s only about 45 minutes from downtown St. Louis, so its perfect for a quick day hike. This park features unique geological features including a sandstone canyon. Each of these 3 visits offered something unique because of Missouri’s crazy spring weather. The first was a beautiful Saturday in February and the warmest visit out of the three. The second was a last minute trip because of some late snow and the final visit was after the record rains in May. I knew there would be plenty of small waterfalls so I grabbed my camera and went chasing waterfalls. This visit did not disappoint! The minute we hit the trail we heard the water pouring down the hills and over the rocks and small cliffs. I always say the best time to visit the parks is when the weather isn’t ideal. You may leave muddy and wet but It gives you the opportunity to be out there alone and the opportunity to capture some unique images. These visits are always more memorable than the 70 degree sunny days. So get out there during those cloudy & rainy days this and chase the waterfalls.

Don Robinson State Park

Missouri’s Deep Blue

June 5, 2017August 4, 2017 / Dan Feeherty / Leave a comment

When people think about National Parks. They often immediately think of Yosemite, Yellowstone, RMNP. But many people overlook the parks that can be found right here in our ozark backyard. The Ozark National Scenic Riverways was established in 1964 as the first protected U.S. riverway. The park includes stretches of the Current and Jack Forks rivers. For many years I have fished the Current headwaters located in Montauk state park as well as floated the Cedargrove to Akers stretch a couple times. However this time we decided to visit a few of the massive springs that feed these rivers.

We started our weekend at the brand new Echo Bluff State park located on sinking creek which feeds the Current river. The name sinking creek explains some of the geology that creates these springs. Much of the area lies on karst topography made up of Dolomite or Limestone. So the rivers and creeks actual sink down through the porous stone. These under ground rivers flow until they find an outlet to the surface, like at Round, Alley and Blue Springs that we visited. And yes the springs really are that blue! It’s caused by the dissolved limestone and depth of the spring. Below the photos I have included a few stats for each of the springs pictured.

If you are a Missouri native and have never visited the scenic river ways you should. It will help you to appreciate the great outdoors and beauty that Missouri has to offer. The springs are some of the bluest of blues and seem to be completely out of this world. We are lucky to have this park and fortunate that it is saved from future development and preserved in its wildest state for future generations. Now more than ever it is imperative that we help to preserve the pristine water & natural areas that we have. Our future generations depend on it for clean water, air, job creation and economic prosperity. Even more reason to urge your local government to deliver on the international climate commitments of the ParisAgreement.

Blue Spring Ozark National Scenic Riverways

Alley Mill Ozark National Scenic Riverways

Blue Spring Ozark National Scenic Riverways

Alley Mill & Spring Ozark National Scenic Riverways

Blue Spring Ozark National Scenic Riverways

Alley Mill & Spring Ozark National Scenic Riverways

Round Spring Ozark National Scenic Riverways

Alley Spring Ozark National Scenic Riverways

Round Spring Ozark National Scenic Riverways

Echo Bluff

Round Spring Ozark National Scenic Riverways

Blue Spring Ozark National Scenic Riverways

Alley Spring Ozark National Scenic Riverways

Blue Spring Ozark National Scenic Riverways

Echo Bluff

Round Spring: 26 million gallons per day and named for the almost perfectly circular cavern that it flows into. It is also right down the road from Echo Bluff.

Alley Spring: 81 million gallons per day and location of Alley Mill which is featured on the newest of the America the Beautiful Quarters released on June 5th.

Blue Spring: 93 Million gallons per day and the bluest and deepest of Missouri’s springs. the conduit has been mapped at over 300 vertical feet.

For more info on the Springs: https://www.nps.gov/ozar/learn/nature/springs.htm

Info on Echo Bluff: https://mostateparks.com/park/echo-bluff-state-park