So, you may be wondering, why would the Rossmans stop in
Mountain View, MO? Well, first of all it
was on our way westward and also because it is listed as one of America’s most
Scenic drives and part of the beautiful Ozarks in the Mark Twain National Forest.
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| Summersville Mill |
The first stop was Summersville Mill. This mill was constructed in 1886 as a grist
mill. It was restored in 2009. It is currently open only for specials events
so we only snapped a picture of the outside. If interested in more information, see https://www.visitmo.com/summersville-mill.asp.
I’ve never been in one place that had so many streams
bubbling up out of the ground. The
Ozarks have the nation’s biggest number of springs. The calmness of the surface of the Blue
Spring belies the fact that it produces more than 85 million gallons of water
per day. There is was a cave nearby
that we didn’t visit because we had Bear with us and it was far beyond too hot
to leave him in the Jeep.
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| Blue Spring |
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| Alley Springs Mill |
Alley Spring Mill was built around 1890 and used the waters
of the spring to grist mill. The building is overseen by the national forest
and we were able to go inside the mill to learn about early grist milling
practices. This was probably one of the most
scenic of the mills we visited.
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| Rocky Falls |
We didn’t realize that Rocky Falls was a huge “locals”
place. When we arrived there, it was standing
room only. Kids and adults alike were
romping in and around the falls on a day that reached nearly 90 degrees.
We were surprised at how much elevation the Ozarks
have. At one point my altimeter
registered 1,100 feet. Several times as
we crested one of these “hills, we pulled over to take in the views of the sceneries
below. The views were breathtaking. I can imagine that in the fall when the
leaves change, this drive is probably bumper with people doing their annual “leaf
peeping” (a northeastern term).
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| A View from the Top |
We are now staying in Nevada (pronounced ne-vay-da by the locals). We will be visiting Harry S. Truman’s
birthplace and Fort Scott.
Until later, we wish you all well.
Katherine Rossman
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