While I’m no stranger to traveling to far-off places, I also don’t think you need to travel long distances to explore something new—and worthwhile.
On a whim, I recently bought “Missouri’s Natural Wonders Guidebook” by Don Kurz. For months now I’ve been aching to get in nature, find new spots, hike, go camping and just roam. This random purchase was my push to get moving, even if just in my own backyard.
The book discusses the best natural wonders of Missouri. It features 100 scenic areas in the show-me state including prairies, wildlife areas, springs, waterfalls, swamps, geologic features, caves, trails, woodlands and streams. I live in Missouri, but I hadn’t heard of most of the areas mentioned in this book.
I’m ready to grab my boyfriend, grab my dog and get out there.
A note on guidebooks
So, why did I buy this old-fashioned kinda hokey guidebook? There’s just something about holding a book in your hands, you know? Flipping through the pages with the pad of your thumb. Making notes in the margins and referencing them later. Opening the book, letting the pages fall and reading whatever page fate decides to land on. You can’t get that with a computer.
I’ve been carrying the guidebook around with me. I even take it to work. It makes me happy when I spot it in my bag and can just escape for a few minutes by reading about a spot I should trek to.
Explore, wander, roam
This summer, I’m determined to travel my state and search out the small wonders and sites I haven’t seen.
It’s unlikely I’ll visit all of the areas in this book this year, but some of the spots I want to hit include:
• Big Spring
• Big Sugar Creek State Park
• Devil’s Well
• Elephant Rocks State Park
• Grand Gulf State Park
• Painted Rock Conservation Area
• Prairie Hollow Gorge Natural Area
• Roaring River State Park
• Rocky Falls
• Round Spring
• Taum Sauk Mountain State Park
• Vilander Bluff Natural Area
• Virgin Pine Forest
• Welch Spring
If you have the travel bug too, follow along with me. I hope to show off some of the best nature spots in Missouri, and maybe inspire you to explore your own home state.
As I make my way through the guidebook and explore new spots, I’ll update here on the blog. I can’t wait to share what I discover!
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May 29, 2015
Kirsten, I saw that book on your coffee table last week and flipped through and thought, “I need to get this book and check out these places”. It looked really interesting. I can’t wait to see where you go and what you discover!!!!