Lake Wappapello Hiking

September 18, 2023 / Jessica / 24 Comments

All summer, almost every Saturday we’ve gone to different bowling alleys within about 2 hours of our home to try them out. My kiddo called it our “Summer World Bowling Tour.”

We’ve really been enjoying it. Being down by the boot heel in Missouri, we were able to bowl in Tennessee and Arkansas and still be 2 hours from home.

With about 10 new-to-us bowling alleys under our belt now, we decided to do something else this last Saturday: hike.

Lake Wappapello is about 45 miles from us and we’ve been there many times. We chose to hike the Allison Cemetery Trail which is on the State Park side of the lake.

Before we got there, I’d read some comments on All Trails that there are trees down on the trail in spots, but we decided to try it anyway.

sign at the trailhead ©️Unmeasured Journeys

The weather was amazing, 80 degrees and sunny. About a quarter mile in, the trail splits and goes to the Allison Cemetery. The map said it’s a pre-civil war cemetery, and oh my goodness, yes!

The stones were from the mid 1800’s and almost all of them were handmade.

Allison Cemetery sign ©️Unmeasured Journeys

One stone really caught my eye~ an amazing angel. It was absolutely beautiful. Stunning, really.

angel at the Allison Cemetery ©️Unmeasured Journeys

From there, we went back and found the green trail blaze. What a great hike! It’s mostly wooded with an amazing lake view. I always try to have my camera ready and was awarded with seeing colorful mushrooms, ferns, a tiny beach, and the lake through the trees.

colorful mushrooms ©️Unmeasured Journeys

lake through the trees ©️Unmeasured Journeys

The hike is rated moderate and I found that to be true. There are places with tree roots, many uneven rocks, and we seemed to lose the trail a couple of times, but were able to find it again.

2.5 miles is a bit over our average hike of 2 miles, but we did it, haha. We even managed to wear croc type shoes and navigated it pretty well.

The comments on All Trails were pretty accurate- there were a couple of trees down across the trail at times but they were easy enough to get over or around.

sat on a tree that was down across the trail ©️Unmeasured Journeys

If you’re in the Wappapello area and like moderate hikes, maybe keep the Allison Cemetery Trail in mind. There are maps online and there were paper maps on site.

Next time we go I believe I’ll swap the croc type shoes for hiking shoes- easier on the ankles, haha.

Thanks for reading!

~ Jessica

Tiny Nests

September 9, 2023 / Jessica / 15 Comments

I’d always heard hummingbird nests were tiny, and honestly, until a recent stay at my dad’s, I’d never seen one.

Lucky me, I got to see two.

The chapsticks are for a size reference and they’re about 2 inches long.

~ Jessica

The first tiny nest:

©️2023 Unmeasured Journeys ~tiny nest next to chapstick for size reference

©️ 2023 Unmeasured Journeys~ tiny nest tucked in a branch

©️ 2023 Unmeasured Journeys ~ nest size compared to my index finger

The second tiny nest:

©️2023 Unmeasured Journeys ~tiny nest with chapstick for size reference

©️2023 Unmeasured Journeys ~ heart shaped tiny nest

©️2023 Unmeasured Journeys ~my hand as a size reference to a tiny nest

©️2023 Unmeasured Journeys ~ Maxie, who was with me when I saw the nests

Old Tractor

August 9, 2023 / Jessica / 25 Comments

I sit to write, I cry. Three months have passed since I buttoned up my lip on writing. I’ve no idea what to say… so instead I think I’ll share some pictures I took yesterday of my dad’s old tractor.

P.S. Thanks, dad, for always letting me share pictures of your tractor, tools, and stuff.

Thanks for reading, blogging friends. Hope you’re doing well.

Jessica

In Search of Dogwoods

April 8, 2023 / Jessica / 15 Comments

Today, kiddo and I had a bowling tournament in the same town where my husband and I have Tuesday bowling league. It’s about an hour drive north of here and it was a beautiful day for a trip.

A lot of the trees are blooming around here right now and the redbuds are really putting on a show. But, we set out in search of dogwoods.

After the tournament was over, we tried the beach area on Clearwater Lake to see if any were blooming there. No luck and, actually, there wasn’t even a beach because the lake is so high.

*April 8, 2023 sign at the bowling alley*

*April 8, 2023 water on the parking lot at the beach*

*April 8, 2023 water over the road at the beach*

From there we went to Lon Sanders Canyon Conservation Area. I posted about awhile back, about how we never even knew it was there. We started our hike riverside and I was beginning to think we weren’t going to see a dogwood there either.

We got downstream, and right next to where kiddo planted himself by the water, was the lone dogwood of the day.

It was so beautiful!

Those white petals with green accents make me smile! I mean, how amazing is it, that something so tightly tucked away in a bud emerges so perfectly?

*my favorite is a dogwood bloom with a blue lit sky*

*dogwood blooms at Lon Sanders Canyon Conservation Area*

*April 8, 2023 Lon Sanders Canyon Conservation Area*

Before we left, we went up the creek towards a waterfall we saw last time. It was glorious, once again.

April 8, 2023 waterfall near Piedmont Missouri

We didn’t win the bowling tournament, but we both got our averages and above. What a super fun mom and son day!

Thanks for reading!

Jessica

Photos Do the Talking

March 30, 2023April 1, 2023 / Jessica / 19 Comments

Went to my dad’s for the one year mark of my momma’s passing. So happy I was with him, it was a pretty hard day.

I decided to take a break from wordy posts and share some of the photos I took while there. It seems like sometimes, photos can do the best talking, all on their own.

*I stepped in a hole by the apple tree, fell on my back, but looked up to see the moon in one part of the sky and this sun in the other*

Thanks for being here. Hope you have a wonderful day.

Jessica

Beauty Now Noticed

February 27, 2023 / Jessica / 22 Comments

It’s funny how sometimes there’s a place that’s incredibly amazing within a few miles, but we don’t even know it’s there.

Every Tuesday since September, we’ve traveled 50 miles to bowl at a town north of us. I thought that in the past 5 months, we’d seen everything there is to see around that town.

Within 10 miles, there is an area called Clearwater Lake and we’ve ventured there many times. It’s very beautiful. One Saturday we went north about 20 miles and stumbled upon a campground, marina, and beach. So pretty there.

This time though, we took our feet to a hiking trail within 5 miles of the bowling alley. I’d heard about it, but we’d never been there.

My goodness. All I can say is nature’s grace was right around the corner! I was missing out and didn’t even know it. It’s called Lon Sanders Canyon Conservation Area and it’s part of the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Whoa. Simply put, it’s stunning. Huge rock walls, waterfalls, granite, clear water, stone steps, a path along the creek. Breathtaking beauty.

It’s like a combo pack of places we’ve been. It’s a touch of Colorado, a smidgen of Klepzig Mill 60 miles west of here, it sort of reminds me of Castor River Shut Ins northeast of us, and it’s even a bit like Johnson Shut Ins by Elephant Rocks State Park. Lon Sanders Canyon Conservation Area feels sort of familiar, but it’s totally new.

Spring is starting to show her lovely face, bringing longer days and sweet wild flowers. We will definitely be returning there to see nature’s spring show.

Thanks for reading. Hope you find some ‘under your nose but you don’t even know it’ nature treasure, too. Beauty unnoticed becomes beauty now noticed. Love that.

Jessica

*©️ 2023 Unmeasured Journeys- stone steps at Lon Sanders Canyon Conservation Area*

*©️ 2023 Unmeasured Journeys- creek at Lon Sanders Canyon Conservation Area*

*©️ 2023 Unmeasured Journeys- rock wall at Lon Sanders Canyon Conservation Area*

*©️ 2023 Unmeasured Journeys- looking up creek, Lon Sanders Canyon Conservation Area*

*Lon Sanders Canyon sign at the start of the trail*

Sun Dog on the Lake

February 26, 2023 / Jessica / 17 Comments

Yesterday, I saw the most incredible thing. The sun and a sun dog were reflecting on the lake at the same time. I mean, sunsets are awesome enough, but what a miracle to see a baby rainbow in the sky and on the water in the same moment!

Jaw dropped.

Nature… sometimes it takes my breath away. It’s soooooo beautiful.

Hope you have a wonderful Sunday.

Jessica

*Sun dog on the lake- ©️ 2023 Unmeasured Journeys*

Sunset at the Boat Ramp

January 29, 2023January 30, 2023 / Jessica / 21 Comments

We’re lucky. We live by a tiny town with a river that’s part of Ozark National Scenic Riverways. It’s called the Current River and is known for its clear water, movement that flows enough to carry canoes and kayaks, swimming holes, and fishing.

A couple of nights ago, my son and I went to the boat ramp in town. I was able to catch these sunset pictures. What a lovely evening it was.

*January 27, 2023- sunset at the Current River*

*sunset at the boat ramp- January 27, 2023*

*snow in my mirror reflection- January 27, 2023*

*a tree in my window reflection- January 27, 2023*

*Current River view from the parking lot-*
*January 27, 2023*

It’s so wonderful to have nature close by. It fills up this photographer’s heart a million times over.

Hope you have a great evening/day!

Jessica

Unmeasured Journeys

life without limits, life unmeasured

Scenery and Such

Lake Wappapello Hiking

Tiny Nests

Old Tractor

In Search of Dogwoods

Photos Do the Talking

Beauty Now Noticed

Sun Dog on the Lake

Sunset at the Boat Ramp