Day 32: The Oh-No! Ozarks
Posted by the girls on Friday, May 6, 2011
When we woke up, Hermnn was preparing breakfast for us. He made really delicious fried eggs with parsley and paprika and put them on toasted rye bread. We also had bananas and hot chocolate. Herman took some photos of us for his album and sent us on our way. Thank you so much, Herman, for letting us stay with you!! We enjoyed listening to your stories about life in Germany and moving to America. Your cooking was wonderful. We hope to see you again in the future!
As soon as we were out of Ellington, we met our first of many challenges: a steep hill. As soon as we climbed one, there would be another one beyond it. Once in awhile we had some nice downhills, but it was hard to enjoy them knowing that we'd soon have to climb ourselves out of the valley we just descended into. We were on Hwy. 106 which is part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverway. The area was beautiful, but constantly climbing out of the river valleys tired us out quickly. After 27 miles, we stopped for lunch in Eminence, MO. We were surprised by the number of restaurants and businesses for a town of only a few hundred people. We just got some bagels and cream cheese from the grocery store, but splurged on ice cream from the Dairy Shack for dessert.
At this point, it was almost 2pm. We originally thought we'd make it to Summerville, but that was another 14 miles up the road. We opted to go 5 more miles to reach Alley Springs Campground. Those last 5 miles were not any easier than the first 27! We had to walk our bikes up a couple of the really steep hills and it was feeling a bit hot with the sun beaming down. We made it to the campground. However, the place was deserted. Alley Springs has a very large campground, but no one else was there and there weren't any envelopes to self-register/pay. We figured we should just set up camp and somebody would come by to collect our fee.
While Michelle and Emily were in the shower, Rebekah talked to one of the maintenance men. He informed her that the park was closed due to high water issues. The ground was soaked in some places, but it didn't seem as though the high water was still a problem. He wasn't sure if we'd be able to stay, so he went to go talk to the ranger on duty.
We were then told that we had to leave. We did not like this idea. We were tired and already had our tents set up and we were freshly showered. Getting back on our bikes was the last thing we wanted to do. So, Emily and Michelle went to find someone else on duty to talk to and plead our case. After waiting for the rangers' meeting to end, and a few phone calls, it was decided that we could stay. However, we weren't supposed to use any facilities (good thing we had already showered). The best part is that we weren't even charged the usual $14 camping fee.
As soon as we were out of Ellington, we met our first of many challenges: a steep hill. As soon as we climbed one, there would be another one beyond it. Once in awhile we had some nice downhills, but it was hard to enjoy them knowing that we'd soon have to climb ourselves out of the valley we just descended into. We were on Hwy. 106 which is part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverway. The area was beautiful, but constantly climbing out of the river valleys tired us out quickly. After 27 miles, we stopped for lunch in Eminence, MO. We were surprised by the number of restaurants and businesses for a town of only a few hundred people. We just got some bagels and cream cheese from the grocery store, but splurged on ice cream from the Dairy Shack for dessert.
At this point, it was almost 2pm. We originally thought we'd make it to Summerville, but that was another 14 miles up the road. We opted to go 5 more miles to reach Alley Springs Campground. Those last 5 miles were not any easier than the first 27! We had to walk our bikes up a couple of the really steep hills and it was feeling a bit hot with the sun beaming down. We made it to the campground. However, the place was deserted. Alley Springs has a very large campground, but no one else was there and there weren't any envelopes to self-register/pay. We figured we should just set up camp and somebody would come by to collect our fee.
While Michelle and Emily were in the shower, Rebekah talked to one of the maintenance men. He informed her that the park was closed due to high water issues. The ground was soaked in some places, but it didn't seem as though the high water was still a problem. He wasn't sure if we'd be able to stay, so he went to go talk to the ranger on duty.
We were then told that we had to leave. We did not like this idea. We were tired and already had our tents set up and we were freshly showered. Getting back on our bikes was the last thing we wanted to do. So, Emily and Michelle went to find someone else on duty to talk to and plead our case. After waiting for the rangers' meeting to end, and a few phone calls, it was decided that we could stay. However, we weren't supposed to use any facilities (good thing we had already showered). The best part is that we weren't even charged the usual $14 camping fee.
