Missouri notes...

We came to this area of Missouri, near the town of Versailles, so my wife could do some research on her family tree. I tried to find an area with photographic appeal, but the search results were discouraging. I took on some subjects, but nothing exciting.




So, I decided to take it easy for a couple of days and go for some bike rides while my wife drove into town to do her research. All I found were some dirt roads, so I took the nearest one out of the RV park. Pretty soon I started to come across “Keep Out” signs. Sure, I thought, when I looked at the farm style gates at the front of big wooded seemingly empty lots. After a couple more miles, more signs, “Private Road,” “No Trespassing,” “No Hunting,” and “Private Property.” I started to see driveways and junk-yard type properties and dwellings. OK, is this really a “private road”? Or just yahoos who do not like “visitors”?



As I keep pedaling and wondering about this, I started to hear barking and the sound of paws running in the dirt. Great! Just what I needed, some dogs taking a break from listening to Glen Beck to chase a passing cyclist. I was able to outrun the dogs, but since the road turned out to be a dead end, I had to pass them again. This second time I went through full speed and did not hear them at all.

Other Missouri pleasantries included a visit to Lake of the Ozarks and Jacob's Cave.




Lake of the Ozarks is huge, but narrow and with lots of “fingers,” in the map, it almost looks like a river. It is not very scenic, its shores are overdeveloped with private residences and business. We visited the Lake of the Ozarks State Park and it was somewhat nice, but not very exiting.



Jacob's Cave is a privately owned and operated cave about 5 miles south of Versailles. It is of modest length and depth, but worth a visit.