After updating the computers at an internet cafe in Rogers, we took off with Faye and Don for some sightseeing into Southern Missouri.
The countryside was a little more open than around Beaver Lake and was mostly rolling rangeland separated by woods. The route took us through parts of the Mark Twain National Forest and Roaring River State Park. At the State Park, the Roaring River originates at a natural cold-water spring. During the 1930s, a government project used the spring-fed headwaters to create a series of holding ponds for a trout fish farm. The public is welcome to tour the facility (no fishing in the breeding tanks) and feed the fish with food available from vending machines. The operation is really impressive. We walked up a short trail to an overlook. In the river immediately below the fish farm, trout fishing is allowed and the number of fish released is controlled by the number of fishing permits issued. To avoid problems, separate areas along the river are designated for fly fishing, lures, bait, etc. Anglers are almost guaranteed to catch their limit. And, with most of the kids back in school, it really wasn’t crowded.
After the fish farm, we stopped in the small town of Cassville for lunch (Pizza Hut) before returning to Rogers. Don slept on the way back while I got a chance to drive the Cadillac. What a cruiser.
That evening after returning to the coach, we watched a Starsky and Hutch on DVD before going to bed.