Apparently I was a bit grumpy earlier this week. Grumpy enough that Debbie would suggest that I leave her alone with the crazy Saturday schedule that comes with raising four kids and working full time to get some outside time. “Maybe you can take a hike this weekend,” she volunteered/ordered. I can take a hint,…
Mention “Snake Road” and you are guaranteed to get an emotional response. At least that was my experience after visiting the so-called snake road in Union County, Illinois earlier this month. Some people were totally thrilled and begged me to bring them next time I go, some wondered what was wrong with me for going…
We finally had a Saturday afternoon free, or at least relatively as we had an open afternoon. Life has been crazy and the last 4 weeks were an absolute blur. Ben and I agreed that we were both up for a hike, we just couldn’t quite decide where to go. After some back and forth…
Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center located in southwest St. Louis County is an absolute treasure. It’s nearly impossible for me to take a walk in the nature center without having flashbacks to a past trip with one of the kids. Katie loved hiking the trails, and we have some fantastic photos of a family hike…
A pleasant surprise The Turkey Ridge Trail at Rockwoods Reservation Conservation Area is a worthy two mile loop trail in far west St. Louis County. The short trail offers an easily accessible trailhead and varied terrain that caters to almost all hiking skill levels. It had been a few years since I hiked the Turkey…
I finally made a hiking trip to Washington State Park near De Soto, MO on a cold Saturday afternoon. I had been to the park many times, usually fishing in the Big River or driving through for a look at the fall colors. But somehow I had never taken the time to hike any of…
I had an hour to kill before an early afternoon meeting, so I thought I would take a quick lunch-time walk through the woods at Phantom Forest Conservation Area. Once at the trailhead, I discovered that the short trail at Phantom Forest actually led to another short trail at the nearby Bittersweet Woods. Looks like…
You would have to try really hard to find a bad place to go hiking on this beautitul, sunny Saturday in Missouri. I couldn’t escape until late afternoon, but when I finally did I made my way to Don Robinson State Park in Jefferson County. I had already hiked the Sandstone Canyon Trail earlier in…
In 1984, I turned 19 and graduated from high school and went away to college in St. Louis. My sister Mary was there, a year ahead of me, and I had two high school classmates who came along with me. These were the only people I knew. You never know who God is going to…
