Ha Ha Tonka State Park Castle Ruins

I forgot that I never posted this one! This is from our trip to Camdenton, MO a few months ago. As much as I love the beauty of caves, there is nothing that makes me happier than the hills and bluffs of the Ozarks coupled with a river or lake. I cannot even put into words how in love I am with this one spot, and I cannot wait to get back there. We weren't able to stay long on top of the bluff because storms were rolling in and the wind was fierce.





Is that a stunning view or what? If it wasn't three hours away, this was my #1 choice for wedding location. I'm still thinking I want a professional photo shoot here, at least, because LOOK AT THIS CASTLE.



Yes, on top of this bluff is the ruins of a rich guy's house, looking like a gothic novel plunked down in the middle of the Ozarks.



Here's the panoramic view from the circle drive:











Ha Ha Tonka castle was started by Robert McClure Snyder Sr in 1905, but he was killed in 1906 in an automobile accident. The house was completed by his sons in the 1920s, used as a hotel for awhile, and then burned down in 1942. In the 1970s, the state of Missouri purchased the land and turned it into a state park.

Parts of the stables/carriage house remain, and the water tower off in the distance has been partially restored after it was damaged by fire in 1976.

All in all, Ha Ha Tonka State Park is one of the crown jewels of Missouri State Parks. If you want to show people why Missouri is a beautiful state, this is what you show them, preferably in person. I can't wait to get out there and hike some day. Check out the Missouri State Parks website for all the details you need to plan your trip!

Blackwater, MO and the Bucksnort Saloon

Sometimes I feel like I know everything there is to do in Missouri, and it's just a matter of getting there. My excitement was off the charts when I saw a billboard for the Bucksnort Saloon on the way to Sedalia a few weeks ago. Like, action movie driving excitement. I was even MORE excited when I realized that this was a town that was down to 300-ish people and had taken their fate into their own hands.

What can we do to get people to leave the highway and visit our town? SHOOTOUTS IN THE STREET, THAT'S WHAT! Sadly, we were not there for a shootout weekend, but having been to quite a few historic towns and events in my day, I wanted to high five everyone in town for not going the cliched "Civil War" route. Blackwater goes the Old West route, and the South Fork Regulators make an appearance the second Saturday of every month, April through October. Our fall calendar is booked to the max, but I am really looking forward to this next year.

So let's take a tour of Blackwater! Above is the first thing we came across, a museum dedicated to the pioneers of the rural telephone system. It's kind of a self guided museum. We didn't actually encounter any other people when we were in here.

Around the corner from the museum is the town jail, a cute little setup off a wood plank sidewalk that hides the very thoughtful public restrooms.

So I know you are asking yourself, what in the world is the Bucksnort Saloon? That's what we wanted to know.

The Bucksnort Saloon is a detailed recreation of a western saloon that has everything but the whiskey (or any alcohol). There were guys in period costume hanging out, welcoming visitors and answering questions. It's marvelously well done.

All of the gaming tables are authentic recreations (that middle one is a faro table!) hand made by one of the gentlemen we met at the saloon.

They even have a chuckwagon out back!

Down the street, right before the railroad tracks, is the original Iron Horse Hotel. It is now a bed & breakfast, with a restaurant that is open on weekends. Francis's parents have stayed there, and say that you should be aware that it is right next to railroad tracks, and that trains come through regularly.

They have a gorgeous courtyard in the back, and I saw on Facebook that they just had their first wedding there a couple weeks ago.

And the icing on the cake, they restored their railroad station for use as their community center, which was being set up for a party when we were there. What an awesome idea.

High five, Blackwater! I love what you've done with the place, and I will be back in the spring! If you are interested in visiting Blackwater, MO, it's just a couple miles off 1-70, about 160 miles west of St Louis, and about 90 miles east of Kansas City. In addition to the shootouts, saloon, museums, and B&B, they also have a couple antique stores and the Bucksnort Trading Company, where you can get your Old West costumes, herbal products, baskets, blankets, and jewelry.

Wedding at the Top of the Gateway Arch!

Francis and I got to know each other when he came with us to Bonne Terre Mine while on leave and then wrote his Special Edition! from Iraq, and has been on just about every trip since he came home, two years ago today! I never would have kept up with this all these years without the help of him, and all our awesome friends, so of course we had to have a blog-worthy wedding.

Special thanks to Roy Lay, our roommate and officiant, Debra Crankshaw for being our photographer, her excellent assistant Brendan, our families who showed up on relatively short notice, and all your girls from Kentucky who made me feel super glamorous on my wedding day! ♥

To answer the most frequently asked question: Yes, it's  TOTALLY OK to get married at the top of the Arch! No reservation required, you just have to pay for the tickets to the top. All the employees were awesome and accommodating.

Mapping All the Action!

We do a lot of things that never make it onto the website, whether it's because it wasn't that great after all or because pictures didn't turn out. (Silver Ballroom, we are eventually bringing the big guns for a photo shoot!) I don't always have time to write, but we're always scouting. This weekend, Francis and I went to Schaumburg, IL for our annual "suburban retreat", where we stay in a Hyatt, go to Medieval Times, eat at Red Robin, and watch television on a king size bed. It was pretty great, though not blog-worthy. The upside is that we have the drive to make note of future locations to visit, and brainstorm new ideas. This is the result of the weekend's brainstorming!


View Craves, Caves & Graves in a larger map

I'm really excited about this! Now you have one link you can send to your friends to show them what the blog is about and a new way to browse the archives. Each place marker has a link to the corresponding blog. It's a work in progress, so it will take a couple weeks for me to input all the posts, but feel free to start testing it out. Please let me know if you run into any broken links or have feedback on functionality! This will also be added to the sidebar so you can always find it easily.