Sunday 4-5-26 Happy Easter, Hiking Big Spring Loop & Having Fun

 

Happy Easter (Larry's crafting at home)

Happy Easter to everyone. We had a great Easter with blue skies.

We woke up to a brisk morning with the temperature of 39 degrees and the high of 65 degrees. 

I was glad Larry told me to plug in the heaters when we got here. Our heaters are small and controlled by remote controls, where you can adjust the temperature. It was nice getting out of bed with the heater running. I crawled out of bed at 7:45 and Larry was wrapped up in the unicorn blanket. I got dressed and then made mini waffles for breakfast.

After breakfast we got ready to go on a hike. We decided to hike Big Spring Loop because we can walk to the trailhead. We started the hike from our site at 8:30 and returned back at 10:15. We hiked the park road for .75 to the trailhead. Then we walked a stone walkway made by the CCC to a few rock steps we climbed to the trail. We climbed 329' in elevation to the top of the mountain using switchbacks at places. The trail went on the rim of the forest and through the trees. It was a challenging trail where we had to climb over rocks and roots and in between some boulders. The climb was for .75 mile and then the trail flattens out. When it flatten out we found a rock to sit on to rest. It was a perfect place to rest because we had beautiful views of the forest, the river and surrounding area. After our rest we continued our hike The rest of the hike was going back down the mountainside gradually. The trail terrain was the same going downhill. Once down the hill we had to walk the park road for .10 of a mile back to the trail. This section of the trail was flat but it was still challenging because you had to hike a rocky trail. In places it was very narrow. The trail took us to Big Spring and we hiked over it. As we did this section we saw a few caves, that were formed by the water. After walking around Big Spring we hiked the rock walkway back to where we entered the trail. While walking the rock walkway we saw three bicyclist, there was a bench so we sat on it until the bicyclists rode by. We said our hellos. Then we continued back to the Minnie. By the end of the hike we had hiked 3.75 miles and for an hour and 45 seconds. It was a super hike.

Big Spring trail on top of the mountain

View of the river from the trail and through the trees

A turtle we saw on the trail on the way down the mountain

Geese enjoying the weather

Big Spring

A cave at Big Spring area

We use a GPS program to track our walks and hikes, it tells you the elevation and how far you go. Larry's watch has a cute program that verbally tells you every mile: how far you've gone and how long it took you to do the mile. At the end it summarizes the hike: your heart rate, elevation, time, distance, stress and more. We like this feature, its fun but it's not necessary.  

Here is a fun fact about Big Spring:  Big Spring moves 286 million gallons of water and 173 tons of dissolved bedrock away per day. 

Once we were back to the Minnie we spent the rest of the day relaxing. 

We decided to stay another couple of nights so Larry paid for them via the internet. Earlier on the trip we had to replace the fuel filler hose and they put a temporary radiator hose on the Minnie. Larry wants to get the correct hose so he got the old hose out and did some research on getting a replacement. Of course with the Minnie being so old the original hose is no longer available so he found some alternatives that should work. He could order one from Auto Zone for $70 or they had one in stock that might work for $90. He found he could get two hoses from Amazon for $22 but they won't be in Poplar Buff  until Wednesday. We were planning on going to Poplar Buff to get the thermistor for the refrigerator on Tuesday but we could put this off until Wednesday. Larry ordered the part off of Amazon. If it doesn't make it here Wednesday we can find something to do for another day or more.

Larry spent sometime planning our hike for tomorrow by reading reviews. He started reading another book. I played games.

I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Two Game Tango Mini of 10 games (5 Free Cell and 5 Pyramid). It took 41 minutes and 48 seconds, which put me in 10th place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

For dinner Larry barbecued pork patties and we had chips to go with them. After dinner we got the motorcycle off the carrier because we're going to use it tomorrow morning to get to the trailhead we're going hike. Then we went for a walk around the campground. Larry walked around the tent loops with me (1 mile) and then I walked them two times by myself. By the end of the walk I had done 3 miles for an hour. By the end of the day I had done 20,000 steps. 

In between playing games, hiking and walking I continued reading Northern Borders.

Saturday 4-4-26 Rainy Day & Minnie Project

 

Rainy Day

We had a rainy day so we didn't do too much. We hung around the Minnie keeping dry. The morning temperature was 62 degrees and it stayed there all day.  

Larry noticed our refrigerator is acting up. The refrigerator is very cold but the freezer is barely below freezing. Our refrigerator runs on both propane and electric. When it's on propane it seems to be a bit better. Larry did some research on what the problem could be. People said it could be the thermistor assembly. If it is it's easy to fix. 

Larry looked to see if  Amazon had any drop boxes in the area. He found they had a pickup center in the CVS and the UPS Store about 50 miles away. However since we are in a very rural area apparently Amazon doesn't deliver as often, they indicated the part would not arrive until Wednesday or Thursday. He found a RV repair shop in the same town (Poplar Bluff ) and called them. The gentleman said they had a couple on the shelf but they were not the correct ones, he usually has the one we need. He said he would order the part and it would be on the truck Monday. Larry told him we wouldn't be there until Tuesday or Wednesday. He said it wasn't a problem even if we couldn't be there he needed the part on his shelf anyways. 

Camping at Big Spring Recreation Area

While hanging around the Minnie Larry read and I played games. Larry started a book and finished it today.

I have been writing my blog and playing my Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong but I had missed a couple of days so I spent the morning catching up on those games. I played the event, which was Event: World Tour Mini of 10 games. It took me 52 minutes and 48 seconds, which put me in 20th place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

After I played my games I continued reading Northern Borders by Howard Frank Mosher. 

Reading is fun and relaxing

The rain stopped about 12:00 but it was still overcast. We wanted to wait until the roads dried a little before going for a walk. I did do a walk at 1:30 for 45 minutes for 2 miles. I walked the tent loops twice, which are four small loops. After dinner we went for a walk. We walked to where the hot showers were located and the trailhead for Big Spring Trail. It was .75 miles to the trailhead. We wanted to see how far it is to the trailhead because we might do that trail tomorrow. The trail itself is a two mile loop. By the time we got back to the campground we had walked a little of 1.5 miles for a half hour. Larry decided to go back to the Minnie and I continued walking. I walked the tent loops twice for another 2 miles. By the time I got back to the Minnie I had walked for an hour and fifteen minutes for 3.5 miles. Thank you Larry for walking with me. The rain cooled things off so the walk was very pleasant at 60 degrees.

While I walked Larry researched where we're going next. I hate making decisions so I let him plan our trip. He always does great. I'm a happy camper where ever he takes me.  

By the end of the day I had done 14,000 steps, which is super considering it rained until noon.       

Friday 4-3-26 Good Friday, Big Spring & Motorcycle Ride

 

Big Spring Recreation Area in Ozark National Riverways

We had a great day. The morning temperature was 66 degrees in Mountain Grove, Missouri. The high was 84 degrees in Van Buren, Missouri. 

Larry woke up at 6:15 and did his normal routine. I crawled out of bed at 6:45 because I had to go to the bathroom. I decided to stay up so I got dressed. Then we started to put things away and secured. We had a quick breakfast of a Hostess Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake and shared a meal replacement shake. We were on the road by 7:15. Larry wanted to get an early start so we did.

We didn't have too far to go. Our drive was on highway 60 East, a four lane highway for 80 miles to Van Bren, where we got off and onto a National Forest road to Big Spring Recreation Area in Ozark National Riverways, which was about 4 miles. 

As we were driving highway 60 we saw people on the side of the highway holding tall crosses. There were a lot of them. It took us a bit to figure out why they were doing this. The reason is because it's Good Friday. The people were in groups of two or more. As you drive by they waved so we waved back. This was the first time we have seen this and it was cool to see. 

One of the crosses we saw

Every year volunteers on Good Friday stand along highway 60 in Missouri to participant in the annual "Carry the Cross" event. Hundreds of Christians hold 10-foot tall white crosses every quarter of a mile to create a "live cross" spanning the state. The event runs from 7 to 11 a.m. The participants stand from the Illinois line to Oklahoma and intersection at highway 63 (running north-south from Iowa to Arkansas) to form a giant cross shape across the state. The crosses are constructed from PVC pipes during church "Cross Building Parties", with the goal of making a visible witness to the significance of Jesus Christ's crucifixion.  

We arrived at Big Spring Recreation Area about 9:30. We found a site with no problem, there was only two RVs in the loop. We backed into the site, which is #228 and then Larry reserved the site for a couple of nights. If we want to stay longer we can. We have been here before, back in 2024. During our stay we were evacuated because of the river was going to flood the camping area. 

Big Spring Camping Loop

After making reservations we setup the Minnie and relaxed. While relaxing we watched a guy mow part of the camping area. We have a wild turkey that walks around the campground. It's not afraid of people and it must be use to getting fed because it walks right up to your RV. 

The turkey payed us a visit

Mowing the campground

The loop is very beautiful. The park has paved roads and the RV pads are paved. In our loop each site has a picnic table, fire ring, a lantern hook and power. There is one water spicket in the middle of the loop and at the dump station. There is one bathroom in the whole loop with running water. 

After lunch we went on a motorcycle ride. Larry wanted to explore the park and find where the two trailheads were located. We found them, the Chubb  Hollow Trail (four mile loop) and Ozark Trail (five mile loop). We found a place where we can park the motorcycle while we hike. It's where the cabins and CCC buildings are. The CCC built the cabins, dining lodge, pump house, storage shed, garage, ranger station, which is the visitor center, shelter house, footbridge, a museum, restroom and two picnic shelters. We walked around the area and looked at the buildings. There was a nice dock area for you to launch kayaks. We saw the cabins and there were a lot of stone steps getting to your cabin from the parking lot. This area was being rebuilt when we were here in 2024. They did a great job. We walked over to the signs, that explain the history of the park and CCC work. There use to be a lodge right there but it's gone now. It was a nice walk around. 

CCC Dining Lodge

The river by the dining lodge

CCC Shelter House

CCC Pump House

CCC seals

 

CCC Ranger Station

CCC Footbridge

We got back on the motorcycle and drove around looking at the cabins. On the way back we stopped at the day area, where the Big Spring was located. There's a short hiking trail around the Big Spring but we didn't walk it because we didn't have the correct shoes on. Big Spring is gorgeous. After looking at Big Spring we went back to the Minnie.  

Big Spring

While relaxing I played my games. I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Free Cell Adventure of 20 games. I only solved 19 games. I worked on doing the games for 1 hour, 44 minutes and 15 seconds before giving up. I came in 11th place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

While I played games Larry did some research on where to go after we leave Big Spring. He also started reading a new book.

For dinner Larry barbecued hamburgers. After dinner we walked around the campground. Larry walked with me for 20 minutes and did a mile, which was doing all the loops once. Then he went back to Minnie. I continued the walk around I did the loops another two times and our loop a couple of times. I walked a total of 3.5 miles in 1 hour and 15 minutes. By the end of the day I had done 13,000 steps.  

   

  

 

Thursday 4-2-26 Windy Day

Hold on tight Pooh

We had a very laid back day. The morning temperature in Springfield Missouri at Bass Pro Shop Shop was 68 degrees. The high was 77 degrees. It rained on and off all day.

At 4:00 in the morning I got up and closed the windows because it was raining. We didn't have any power at Bass Pro Shop so we slept with the vents and windows open. It was very comfortable to sleep. Larry got up at 6:15 to do his morning routine, which is read his e-mail, news groups and other groups he follows and post my blog. I crawled out of bed about 7:20 and got dressed. Then I made pancakes for breakfast. We weren't in any hurry because the streets were still wet from the early morning rain. There was still a little rain in the area. About 9:00 we were on the road.

Today we were planning to be in Big Spring which was about 150 miles away. They weather prediction indicated wind but no rain. The wind came up and kept getting stronger, along with the wind rain started falling. The Minnie was getting blown around quite badly and Larry decided it was too dangerous to continue. He's a great driver and very safety conscious. We had only driven about 65 miles but when we got to Mountain Grove, Missouri we called it a day. There is a Walmart here that allows you to stay overnight in the parking lot. Larry found a spot, where it was level and parked the Minnie. It was about 10:30 am.

Larry looked on the internet to see if there was a park or somewhere we could sit at for the day. Maybe we could walk around a bit and later move back to Walmart. He couldn't find anything, this is a very small town. He really doesn't like to park all day in the Walmart parking lot. We feel it's very nice Walmart lets you stay overnight in the parking lot but we don't want to abuse their hospitality. 

We did do a little grocery shopping in Walmart. We bought Larry a belt. We bought a new pair of scissors because the pair we have been using isn't quite working right.

Burger King was right next door to where we were parked. When lunchtime came around Larry decided to do an online order. This was the first time he ever did this so it was a little challenging. He had to open an account first. Then he got to the menu and ordered a Whopper Jr., an order of onion rings and a Hershey's sundae pie. I walked over to Burger King and picked it up. I showed them the order number and the guy got my order. We were very impressed because the service was excellent.

We spent the day relaxing. Larry had finished a book yesterday so he started another book and finished it today. I read a little bit when I wasn't playing games. The book I'm reading is called Northern Borders by Howard Frank Mosher. It's a cute story about a six year old boy, who was sent to live with his grandparents on their farm. It's good so far.

Relaxing 

I played my Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Two Game Tango Mini of 10 games (5 Klondike and 5 Pyramid). It took me 56 minutes and 4 seconds to complete, which put me in 25th place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

I didn't do too many steps. I only did 2,500 steps.

        

Wednesday 4-1-26 April Fool's Day & Fun Time in Springfield Missouri

 

Happy April Fool's Day

Happy April Fool's Day! Did you play any jokes on anyone? We didn't play any jokes on each other. We had an outstanding day.

We woke up with the morning temperature of 68 degrees at Roaring River State Park. The high was 79 degrees in Springfield Missouri. It also was overcast and a small rain storm now and then.

We had three super nights at Roaring River State Park. We did two hikes for a total of 6.5 miles. I did 7.5 miles of walking around the campground. We barbecued all three nights. Today we said good-bye to Roaring River State Park.

I woke up at 7:15 am because I couldn't sleep anymore. I got dressed and we had a lite breakfast. Then we put everything away and secured. We were ready to go at 7:45 am. On the way out of the campground Larry stopped by the dump station and dumped the tanks. There are no water at the sites but the dump station had a fresh water tap to fill the water tank. 

We didn't have too far to go. Our destination was Springfield, which is 71 miles away. The drive was two lane highway. It was a little different then other highways because it was really three lanes. It had a passing lane that switches back and forth from one side of the road to the other side. It didn't have any turn lanes and no shoulders. It took us through small towns and cities. We saw a lot of ranches with cattle and horses. It was a nice drive.

We got to Springfield about 10:00 am. Larry surprised me by taking me to the movie Project Hail Marry. It was showing at 11:00 at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. We have never watched a movie at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema before so it was very exciting. Larry told the cashier we wanted two senior ticket to Project Hail Mary. He assigned us a seat and showed us where they were. Larry was surprised because usually you pick your own seats. He said he could change the seats if we wanted him to. But the seats were perfect. They were in the middle of the screen and not too close and not too high. We found our seats and sat down. They have tables at the seats because you can order food on your phone and they deliver it to you. A gentleman came to us and said he was our greeter and he would be available to help us before the movie started. Larry told him it was the first time here so he explained how to order the food. We didn't buy any food because we had just had a sandwich in the Minnie.  Project Hail Mary was a good movie but I highly recommend you to read the book first. By doing so you can follow the movie better.

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

While we were watching the movie a small rain storm came in and was gone by the time the movie was over (two and a half hours). When we got back to the Minnie we continued our adventure in Springfield. Larry plugged in our next destination in the GPS. It was Mega Games to play pinball. It was eight miles down the road. We have been at Mega Games a couple of other times so Larry kind of knew where it was. 

Mega Games is a very nice place. We played pinball for an hour and a half with fourteen different games. I guess I should say I played mostly, Larry did play a few games. The games were Godzilla, King Kong, Foo Fighters, Elvira and the House of Horrors, Rush, Iron Man, Cactus Canyon, Metallica, Monster Bash, Dungeons & Dragons, Beatles, Robo Cop, Dead Pool and Star Wars. Last year we played Indianapolis 500 but they didn't have it this year instead they had King Kong. While playing we ended up playing King Kong five times because it already had some credits on the cabinet. Larry played Iron Man twice because he matched. I played Elvira and the House of Horrors a couple of times because I matched. Larry played the Beatles because I won and extra game. I played the Beatles twice because I matched. When we were leaving we stopped and talked to three guys who were setting up a board game. Larry asked them how to play the game. They were more than happy to explain the game and other games. They said the games may take between one and a half hours to 2.5 hours, it depends on what game you're playing. The board games keeps Meta Games in business. They have a brand new pinball game, which is Pokémon by Stern. It was just released in March. We watched one of the workers play it. We had an outstanding time playing pinball.

Meta Games store front

Playing Iron Man

Dead Pool

Elvira and the House of Horrors

King Kong

Robo Cop

After playing pinball we went to Bass Pro Shops, which was four miles down the road. This is our final destination. We're spending the night in their parking lot. After setting the Minnie up for the night we walked down the road a few blocks to Springfield Family Restaurant to have dinner. We shared a deep fried pork loin sandwich and fries. The food was ok and the service was good. The restaurant was old but very well kept up. We had a good experience.

Our dinner at Springfield Family Restaurant.

Before calling it a night we walked through Bass Pro Shop, which took about a hour. While walking around we bought some fudge for dessert, a piece of cinnamon roll fudge and a piece of chocolate walnut fudge. The fudge was delicious. I needed to get a little bit of steps. I ended up doing 5,000 steps for the day.

Grizzly bear exhibit by the fishing area in Bass Pro Shop

Elk exhibit at the back entrance of Bass Pro Shop

A wheel circulating the water for the bass

 Chocolate walnut fudge and cinnamon roll fudge

When we got back to the Minnie I played my Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Experts Only of 10 games. I only completed nine of the games. I played the games for 1 hour, 48 minutes and 29 seconds, which put me in 11th place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.  

   

        

       

Tuesday 3-31-26 Roaring River Hiking, Camping & Having Fun

 

Camping at Roaring River State Park

We had a beautiful day. The morning temperature was 66 degrees and the high was 81 degrees.

I woke up at 7:15 am and got dressed. Then I made mini waffles for breakfast. Afterwards we went on a 4.25 mile hike/walk for 2.5 hours. We started our hike from the campground on Pibern Trail, which is 1.5 mile trail. It was a challenging trail with a lot of rocks. The trail took us up a steep mountain side for about .25 mile. Once we were on top the trail flattened out. We hiked along the rim of the mountain, which overlooked a creek. The creek flows by the campground when it has water. Today it didn't have any. As we hiked we saw rock formations, caves created by water and a lot of trees. Then we climbed down the mountainside to where the creek bed was. The trail goes through the creek to get to the campground. It was easy to cross the creek because it didn't have any water. We walked the creek bed until we got to the campground. The trail was rocky and at places there were loose rocks and steep terrain. It was a beautiful hike along the rim of the mountain and creek. 

Rocky Mountainside on Pibern Trail

Caves made by water

Once in the campground we sat down on a bench and rested. Then we continued our hike/walk. We walked through the campground to the highway, that goes to the day area. Instead of going to the fishing area we walked the highway to the picnic area. We had to walked over the river using the bridge, which we shared with traffic. The picnic area was beautiful. It had a few picnic tables, areas where you can fish and release, a playground, a group shelter (built by the CCC), a water fountain (originally built by the CCC) and a gorgeous statue of a CCC worker. The playground was very cute, it had a giant fish and by his mouth there was a jeep (park ranger). 

Playground at picnic area

Group shelter 

CCC worker statue

After taking pictures we walked back to the fishing area, hatchery (built by the CCC) and hiking trails. There were more people fishing today then yesterday. We walked around the fishing area and the hatchery. It was nice to see families fishing together. One group I thought was grandparents and grandchildren (teen age boy and girl). We hiked a short trail called Deer Leap, which is .2 miles. It's pretty challenging because you have to climb rock stairs, it was built by the CCC. Then you hiked on a boardwalk with stairs and overview of the hatchery and the history of the hatchery. Before doing this trail we walked to where the river begins. It begins as and underground spring, it produces an average of 20.4 million gallons of water per day. The water feeds into the hatchery. The water at the beginning is an aqua color and at the hatchery the water is more of a green. The trail takes you by the lodge and cabins. It was a nice walk around.

Learning building where the eggs are located

Where the river begins

Trout at the beginning of the river

CCC steps we climbed

The boardwalk we walked

Hatchery from Deer Leap trail

We rested on a bench for a little while before continuing our hike back to the Minnie. By the time we got back to the Minnie we had hiked/walk for 4.25 miles and 2.5 hours.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing under the air conditioner. Larry read and I played games.

I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: World Tour Mini of 10 games. It took me  39 minutes and 48 seconds, which put me in 15th place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2. 

After lunch we went over and took a shower. When we finished I did a couple of loads of clothes. They have a laundry with three washers (one's out of order) and four dryers (one's out of order). The showers weren't that clean but it was ok to use. The laundry was old but it had tables to fold your clothes. People didn't clean a dryer out after doing their dog bedding so there was fur in it. It did need a little cleaning but there weren't dryer sheets or trash laying around. The washers and dryers worked great. It cost $1.25 per load of clothes to wash and $1.50 per load of clothes to dry. 

Doing laundry

After doing laundry I swept out the Minnie. We have been on the road for almost 2 week and this was the first time I had swept. 

For dinner I barbecued a seasoned chicken breast, which we shared. We had chips to go with the chicken. After dinner I walked around the campground one lap, which was for 30 minutes and 1.5 miles. While walking I met the camp host. He is very nice and friendly. 

By the end of the day I had done 17,000 steps.