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

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*

Some Favorite Photos

November 10, 2022 / Jessica / 10 Comments

Gratitude:

forgetting our bag
visiting with new friends
favorite photos I’ve taken recently
naps
warm days

My son has a club on Wednesdays and I’m supposed to remember to take our bag with us. It contains the papers and pencils he needs and the notebook and pens I need to take notes to track the week’s story.

Yesterday, I forgot the bag.

So, instead of my normal note taking, I sat with the other moms. My goodness, it was divine! We talked, got to know each other better, swapped stories, and laughed. Maybe I’ll forget the bag more often!

Today I thought I’d share some of my favorite photos I’ve taken over the past couple weeks.

*a mossy rock hillside on Black River Trail*

*a stunning tree at Clearwater Lake Beach*

*a heart with little tiny angel wings at Bluff View Beach*

Today is our last warm day for awhile. We may stick around home and hang around outside or go to the river. Yesterday I took a nap! How glorious. I may even do that again, ha ha.

Thank you for being here! Hope you have a great Thursday.

Jessica

Slough Trail

November 9, 2022 / Jessica / 8 Comments

Gratitude:

afternoon hikes
natural areas
reflections
noticing details
Burr Oak acorns
fall days

Monday when we were at Big Spring, we hiked the Slough Trail. It parallels the park area near the spring and ends at the road coming into the park.

*trail sign at Big Spring near Van Buren, Missouri*

*steps to somewhere on Slough Trail- we didn’t try them*

When we reached the road, we crossed over towards the campground area that brought us to swings, a pavilion, stone steps, and a river view.

When we walked back to our truck, I saw this reflection on my truck window. Is that beautiful or what?

*reflection on my truck window at Big Spring*

We had a wonderful time. So glad we got to go.

Thanks for being here.

Jessica

Big Spring on a Monday

November 8, 2022 / Jessica / 16 Comments

Gratitude:

living near Ozark National Scenic Riverways
errands that put us near beautiful places
noticing different angles
natural springs

Yesterday we had an errand that landed us by a natural spring and hiking trail! How cool is that???

I’ve written about Big Spring before, so this time I thought I’d share photos of different view points. The spring itself gets tons of attention, and rightly so. It pumps out over 276+ million gallons of water a day!

Whoa! I can’t even get my mind around how much water that is!

Hope you have a great day!

Jessica

Two Beaches

November 6, 2022 / Jessica / 22 Comments

Gratitude:

Saturdays
hiking
time with my son
Missouri beaches
adventures on untraveled roads
small towns
Clearwater Lake
nature time

Yesterday my husband had a bowling tournament, so my son and I dropped him off at the bowling alley where we have our league on Tuesday nights.

Because the bowling alley is 55 miles from home, that opened us up for some new nature adventures.

Some new-to-us highways, streets, and gravel roads filled our afternoon with lake views, hiking trails, the dam spillway, and two beaches.

My, how I love Missouri. The backroads lead to some amazing sights, but so do the ones made of pavement.

I just love nature, don’t you?

Jessica

*saw these picnic tables at the spillway*

*the trail bridge was closed for a hunting event, next time we can see where it goes*

Miracles and Gratitude Challenge Day 22

November 3, 2022 / Jessica / 11 Comments

Holy smokes! I’m guessing this could possibly be the longest 22 day challenge in history. I started this gratitude adventure on September 25, but because of some “I miss my momma” grief sprinkled in, it seems to have stretched it out a bunch.

Gratitude:

Lake Wappapello
beach time with my son, in Missouri (which isn’t near any oceans)
reflections on the water
a beautiful afternoon in nature on some random Wednesday

My son has a club on Wednesday afternoons for a couple of hours. Instead of just going home afterwards, we went out for lunch, then drove north to an area lake.

It was the perfect day to go. It was sunny, warm, and not very busy. We did a 1.5 mile hike on the hiking/bike trail near the marina and beach. It runs right next to the water and is absolutely beautiful! .

There was only one other person on the trail and she was very nice. She said that she walks 6 miles on the trail most days and sometimes she does it twice a day. I can see why! If I lived near that lake, I’d probably want to see those views every day, too.

Miracle photos:

*part of the hike/bike trail at Lake Wappapello in Missouri*

*the section of the trail we were on has a walk out in*
*front of the marina*

*toes on the beach at Lake Wappapello in November*

We went to two other areas around the lake after our hike. This one was completely new to us and it was down a lake road we haven’t been on before.

*a new to us area on Lake Wappapello called Lost Creek*

*reflections at Lost Creek, Lake Wappapello in Missouri*

From there we ventured to beach number two. We’ve been there many times. In fact, I’ve done other posts about this beach before.

This time, my son and walked the beach at sunset, drew in the sand as a tribute to his grandma/my momma, and tried to skip rocks. We are always on the lookout for heart shaped rocks, too.

*beach number two, a heart for my momma*

We had a really wonderful afternoon. Saturday we are going to a new hiking area about an hour north of our home. It’s near a lake as well.

For some reason, my love for hiking has kicked back in. Luckily, it’s a wonderful time of the year! Less crowds, less bugs, plus beautiful fall colors.

Thanks so much for being here!

Jessica

Miracles and Gratitude Challenge Day 21

November 2, 2022 / Jessica / 22 Comments

Gratitude:

Alley Spring
hiking
this lovely area where we live

On Halloween, after we went to Rocky Falls, we drove north and west about 20 miles to Alley Spring. My boy and I have a history there. Many times we have gone in autumn, when the leaves have fallen. We always make leaf piles and lay on them while watching the sky.

We arrived just about sunset and there were only a few other people there. There are two hiking trails. One is a mile and a half and the other is a third of a mile. Since it was close to evening, we chose the shorter one.

We’ve hiked it several times and I’ll tell you what, the views definitely change with the amount of sunlight. With or without much sunlight, the place is just amazing.

All the people left, so we had the place to ourselves! We made the leaf pile, stared at the sky, and walked back up to the mill near nightfall. The thought occurred to me, that now that almost all of the humans are gone, maybe nature could take a breath and rest for the night.

It puts on such a glorious show.

Thank you for reading. Hope you’re still seeing miracles and gratefuls.

Jessica

Miracle photos:

*sign to the mill near Eminence, Missouri*

*Alley Spring Mill near Eminence, Missouri*

*look how much water flows through here a day*

*view of the mill from the hiking trail*

*I love this photo- the red, the water, and*
*sunset on the trees*

Kangaroo Time

July 7, 2022July 8, 2022 / Jessica / 6 Comments

Van Buren is a small town in southeast Missouri. The population is 1,241 (in 2020). But, sometimes small towns can offer big things to do.

Tuesday my son and I drove about 40 miles to visit Van Buren and do some of those fun things.

There’s the Jolly Cone restaurant with its outside walk up and order counter. We went there for ice cream, tater tots, and french fries. Yum.

The Landing is a hotel and restaurant that offers float trips down the Current River. They had a fire in 2021, but are rebuilding and open. We didn’t float or stay there this time, but we have in the past. Here is their link is you’d like any information. https://thelandingcurrentriver.com

We went to Big Spring, which I wrote about in my last 2 posts. It’s a wonderful natural spring with 2 hiking trails, some buildings the CCC built in the 1930’s, a campground, picnic pavilions, and access to the Current River.

Another place we went is called Missouri Down Under Adventure Zoo. It is a small zoo, right outside of town. The big draw is the kangaroos. They also have gem panning, a cave, a quarry dig, other animals, and some amazing tree carvings.

The kangaroos are in a huge fenced enclosure and you get to go right in there with them. The day we went it was 102 degrees, so shade was a priority for most of them.

We did see one over at the water tank. I was able to give it a snack out of my cup.

We had a great time. They also have lemurs, baby goats, rabbits, birds, snakes, porcupines, and a few other animals. Their website is https://www.missouridownunder.com if you’d like to see the hours or ticket information.

We had a great day in Van Buren on Tuesday with some hiking time, ice cream time, and kangaroo time.

Hope you have a great day!

Jessica

Big Spring Dining Hall

July 7, 2022 / Jessica / 11 Comments

We live in an area filled with natural springs, Forest Service land, hiking trails, and history. What an amazing place to be! Three miles from our house is the Current River.

It is clear and cold, which makes it a popular area year round for swimming, fishing, boating, and floating.

Tuesday, we were about forty miles from home at Ozark National Scenic Riverways near Van Buren Missouri, which is also on the Current River.

Big Spring is the natural spring that I wrote about yesterday. The area itself is full of some pretty cool history. Back in the 1930’s, the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) built the roads and buildings there.

One of my favorite buildings there is the dining hall. Set back off the road, in the trees, it just feels like it was an important place many years ago. Stately, is the word that comes to mind, with its rock walls and river view.

The windows are amazing. I’ve never been inside, but they offer a glimpse in and a glimpse out, via nature’s reflections.

*a peek into the dining hall from a window*

Back in its day, it must have been a busy place. While we were there, one other car came, but I was the only one at the building. Back in the 1930’s though, I bet it was bustling with people. I love that the building is still standing after nearly 90 years.

Here is a great link from the National Park Service about the history of the CCC and Big Spring:

https://www.nps.gov/ozar/learn/historyculture/ccc-2.htm

Thanks for reading!

Jessica

Big Day at Big Spring

July 6, 2022 / Jessica / 14 Comments

One time my parents came to visit us and we took them to a couple of local springs. My momma LOVED water. I mean loved!! Oceans, rivers, lakes, pools, and mountain streams, water was her thing.

Yesterday, my son and I went back to one of the places we took her. Near Van Buren, MO is a place called Big Spring.

It is a beautiful, powerful natural spring, tucked back in the corner of the rocks, by a small cave. I took a video so you could hear it.

Big Spring, Van Buren Missouri

When we were there in 2018 with my parents, my momma took a picture of me that she absolutely loved. It was me, looking at the spring.

*picture of me my momma took in*
*September 2018 at* *Big Spring*

To try to recreate it, I had my son take a picture of me yesterday. Funny thing is, I had no idea, but I was actually wearing the same blue long sleeve shirt!

Behind the spring is a set of rock steps that go up and lead to a short trail. It was 102 degrees yesterday and luckily, the trail was shaded.

The trail just sort of ends. You can turn around or walk across a bridge and back to the parking lot. We chose the bridge because it’s new and it took a couple of years to build. It was our first time to walk across it.

*view back towards Big Spring*
*from the new bridge*

If you are ever near Van Buren, MO, Big Spring is definitely worth a stop. There is a campground, access to the Current River, an old CCC camp as well.

We really enjoyed our day, despite the heat. Our adventures didn’t end there, but that’s for another post.

Thanks for reading. Hope you have a wonderful day.

Jessica

Unmeasured Journeys

life without limits, life unmeasured

Missouri Travel

In Search of Dogwoods

Beauty Now Noticed

Sun Dog on the Lake

Some Favorite Photos

Slough Trail

Big Spring on a Monday

Two Beaches

Miracles and Gratitude Challenge Day 22

Miracles and Gratitude Challenge Day 21

Kangaroo Time

Big Spring Dining Hall

Big Day at Big Spring