It’s been a rainy spring, a very rainy springtime and many areas are flooded out. But this wouldn’t stop us from having some fun, both hiking as well as cycling. We want to ride some of the Ozark Trail and there is access to the trail at the Greer Crossing Recreational Area in Missouri. We rolled in and for $10 a night we had a beautiful campsite, fire pit, potable water as well as pit toilets. For an added perk, with the annual national parks pass the cost was cut in half so our total fee for the 2 nights we spent here was $10 total. Just having access to water and a secure place to leave the van while we are out playing on the bikes was so very well worth is.
It’s raining and now it’s not and then it’s raining and then it’s not. Rain, rain and more rain, rivers and streams are swollen. We hopped on the Salsa bikes and headed south toward Greer Springs Trail. We knew we couldn’t take the bikes on the trail but that didn’t mean we couldn’t ride them to the trailhead.
Greer Springs is incredible, the water boils up from the ground under the Greer Spring Branch, thousands of gallons boiling like crazy. The rain created green lush everything. Beautiful!
We got back to the campgrounds and decided we really wanted to check out the Ozark Trail.
Well, all that rain caught up with us, the trail was flooded out and our ride on the trail ended all too soon. But we did enjoy the spring time flowers.
Upon leaving Greer Springs area, we headed for Falling Spring Mill. It was nearing lunchtime and we opted to picnic at the spring. This place was beautiful! The original cabin and the old mill house still stand.
The butterflies are incredible! They are such amazing insects.
There is something magical about butterflies and we spotted these large clusters on the road. Oh sure, they are feeding on scat that was left behind on the gravel road. These beauties are very docile and I was even able to pick one up.
We headed to our home for the night at Pinewoods Lake. There is a bike / hiking trail around the lake and with it being such a clear day we opted to take a quick ride around it.
There is a lot of beaver activity on the lake. So much so that the whole end of the lake flooded out the trail due to the beaver lodges and dams.
It’s been a remarkable couple of days, skies cleared and we enjoyed fantastic blue skies. The Pinewoods Lake is a free campsite and even though there was no potable water or services, we had a blast.
Our coutry, the USA has such diverse areas, such beauty but we have to look for it. And find it….we did.
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