In Search of Dogwoods

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 dogwood bloom
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

©️ COPYRIGHT 2023 Unmeasured Journeys

©️ COPYRIGHT 2023 Jessica Adam- all photos, video, and words done by me

Beauty Now Noticed

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

©️ 2023 UNMEASURED JOURNEYS- ALL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY ME- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Vintage Windows Iowa Style

On my walk around Ricketts, Iowa last Sunday, I saw some cool windows.

front view of the gas station windows
windows through windows behind the pump

Up the block from the gas station, I saw a reflection in this window.

scene in the reflection ~ Ricketts, Iowa
small windows in the mini train station ~ Ricketts, Iowa
church window~ Ricketts, Iowa
reflections on a window of windows in the mini train station and old gas station ~ Ricketts, Iowa

Window are so cool, aren’t they? They allow us to see in, see out, and even see behind us sometimes. I always watch for reflections in windows because it’s fun to get to see something more than once.

And, completely off subject, oh my gosh, you guys! This morning, I was researching the old gas station in Ricketts, Iowa and the town itself.

While looking through internet images, I saw my photos on the internet search! The ones from ‘New Favorite Building’ are on there!

I about fell over! Ha. I’ve never seen my photographs on there before!

Here’s the screenshot of it. How cool is that?

screenshot of my photos on an image search of ‘old gas station Ricketts Iowa’

Thanks for joining me on my Iowa trip recently. I had a wonderful time there.

Hope you have a great day!

Jessica

©️ COPYRIGHT 2022 UNMEASURED JOURNEYS- ALL PHOTOS TAKEN BY ME-ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

** screenshot taken by me of my photographs that were in an image search

New Favorite Building

I have a new favorite building. It’s in Iowa. After filling up on potluck food, I went for a walk in Ricketts. This is the last building going out of town, or the first building coming in.

my new favorite building~ Ricketts, Iowa
a rainbow roof~ Ricketts, Iowa
not sure if it’s still a business, but I love the sign
windows that don’t see out or in~ Ricketts, Iowa
vintage door~ Ricketts, Iowa
on the building’s window reflection, I could see the mini train station and gas station down the block
back end of the building ~ Ricketts, Iowa
sliding door~Ricketts, Iowa

In this age recycle, recycle, recycle, this building models using what you’ve got. That’s my favorite thing about it.

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

Jessica

©️ COPYRIGHT 2022 UNMEASURED JOURNEYS-ALL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY ME-ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Family Potluck in Iowa

We had a family potluck in Ricketts, Iowa today. It’s a tiny town, in the midst of corn fields and farms. Seriously, I saw two streets in town that ended right in a corn field, with no dead end signs even.

When I was a kid, my grandparents had a farm not far from there. I spent a good amount of time in town, at my cousin’s house. There used to be a tiny bowling alley we went to. These days, the bowling alley is long gone.

A walk around town this afternoon led me to some pretty cool opportunities for photographs. Thought I’d share some of Ricketts with you.

old gas station~ Ricketts, Iowa
a mini train station ~ Ricketts, Iowa
Railroad Street~ Ricketts, Iowa
bell in front of the fire station ~ Ricketts, Iowa
Ricketts, Iowa post office, love how the sun tossed the trees on the side of the building
remnants of the old bowling alley ~ Ricketts, Iowa
church on a hill~ Ricketts, Iowa
a town I love in Iowa

Thanks for reading.

Jessica

©️ COPYRIGHT 2022 UNMEASURED JOURNEYS-ALL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY ME- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Some Favorite Photos

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 nest at Alley Spring
a bench up close at Big Spring
a log across Slough Trail
double the scenery at Big Spring
some green at Big Spring
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

©️ COPYRIGHT 2022 Unmeasured Journeys

©️ ALL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY ME- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Slough Trail

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
Slough Trail
steps to somewhere on Slough Trail- we didn’t try them
reflections on Slough Trail
looking up on Slough Trail

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.

stone steps and pavilion
river view
love this sign
Burr Oak acorns

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

©️ COPYRIGHT 2022 UNMEASURED JOURNEYS

©️ ALL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY ME. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Big Spring on a Monday

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

stone wall on the path to Big Spring
bench with a view of Big Spring
small cave and rocks above the spring
mossy rocks and the spring

©️ COPYRIGHT 2022 UNMEASURED JOURNEYS

©️ ALL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY ME. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Persimmons

While driving around the campground by Bluff View Marina on Saturday, we topped a hill and I saw the most glorious things on the ground!

Persimmons.

I’d never heard of persimmons until I moved to southern Missouri. They are a fruit that’s small and sweet. It takes about a million of them to make a pie, but my goodness, so delicious.

I only gathered a few, maybe enough pudding or muffins, but seeing them was such a joy. I actually considered getting some for the wild deer that come to our pond. A sweet treat! Seeing them reminded me of why I love the Ozarks SO much.

Who’s grateful for persimmons?

Me!

Thanks for reading!

Jessica

persimmons on the ground, under those trees
persimmons
persimmon tree
I wasn’t the only one excited to see the fruit!
such a pretty orange color

©️COPYRIGHT 2022 UNMEASURED JOURNEYS

©️ALL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY ME. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Two Beaches

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

beach number one, Bluff View
the first beach we saw, Bluff View
a trail sign
trail sign by where we went in
the spillway by the trails
saw these picnic tables at the spillway
a stone table in a campsite
the trail bridge was closed for a hunting event, next time we can see where it goes
nice view
beach number two
second beach of the day

©️COPYRIGHT 2022 UNMEASURED JOURNEYS

©️ ALL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY ME. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Miracles and Gratitude Challenge Day 22

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
beach number one of the day
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
Tribute to Gram (grandma)
trees above the beach

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

©️ COPYRIGHT 2022 Unmeasured Journeys

©️ All photographs taken by me All rights reserved

Miracles and Gratitude Challenge Day 21

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
Alley Spring Mill about sunset
look how much water flows through here a day
the spring at Alley Spring Mill
view of the mill from the hiking trail
I love this photo- the red, the water, and
sunset on the trees
the mill dressed up for fall

©️ COPYRIGHT 2022 Unmeasured Journeys

©️ All photographs taken by me 2022 All Rights Reserved