A Jaunt to Missouri



Water had risen and was roaring after rain 8/10/13



This is how the culverts and roadway usually look (2012)




Several ATVers found themselves unable to get back across after water had risen



Mist rising from the creek

We have come back to our beloved Cloud 9 Ranch in Caulfield, MO.  We left home on August 5th with the intention of taking two to three days to make the trip.  We spent the first night in Dothan, AL at a Passport America campground, Pecan Point.  It was very clean and quiet.   After a morning of packing up the RV and then traveling almost 300 miles, we were "early to bed and early to rise".  Usually we don't get a very early start in the mornings, but we were both in the "go" mode, so hit the road about 7:30 on Tuesday.

Gene asked me to look up the Thousand Trails Cherokee Landing in Middleton, TN on our GPS.  I saw Cherokee Campground and  told him it was only about 3 hours away.  Ahh, a short travel day.  That happy thought was dashed a couple hours later when we stopped at a Rest Area near Jemison, AL and he looked at the map.  Cherokee Campground is near Birmingham and we still had about four hours to drive.  I felt really bad and offered to help drive, which I did later on for about an hour.  That gave him a second wind and we arrived at Cherokee Landing about 5:00 that afternoon.  August is their slowest month, so we had our choice of good campsites.  We spent three days there relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet.  On Thursday we walked over to the lodge and played some pool.  Now when I say I played pool, I use the term very loosely.  Anytime I actually make contact with a ball I consider it a victory!  A couple we met the day before came over later and we shot three games with them.  I was ecstatic when a few of my balls actually went into the pocket. 

Friday morning we headed out a little after 8:00 and arrived at Cloud 9 by 3:30.  When we checked in we noticed the sign posted that said "Do not cross creek until Tues."  They had had a lot of rain and flash flood warnings.  The creek had risen and both Wilder Springs and the lower section of Foggy Hollow campgrounds had to be evacuated.  The water had risen and receded several times.  It would seem safe to cross in the morning, then it would rise again.  Several ATVers had crossed over on Friday morning and were unable to get back across.  The rangers were kept busy locating them and bringing them out the back side of the property.  We usually like to camp in site 91 at Foggy Hollow, which is right next to the creek.  Ranger Rick said they couldn't let us do that in case the creek rose again, so we choose a site on higher ground.  It has actually worked out well, as we're closer to the bathhouse and I have a WiFi connection here in the RV.  (Last year we carried the laptop to the bathhouse and set it on the sinks.)

It rained off and on until Tues. and has been beautiful, sunny weather ever since.  I am always in awe of the beauty of God's creation.  The vibrancy of the green of the leaves as the sun shines on them and then more muted shades of the trees farther away makes me wish I were an artist and could capture all of it on canvas.  A camera just does not do it justice.

Gene has been doing some cleaning/fixing jobs on the RV and watching tennis at the clubhouse.  I have been crocheting an afghan and reading.  We take a walk in the evening down to the ford to see if the water is receding or rising.
The "misty" picture was taken on one of our walks.  It is so beautiful when the mist starts coming in.

Friday we'll move up to Lonesome Pines campground so I can be close to the laundromat and we can go to the potluck that evening. 

So, until next time - God's blessings to all our friends and family.