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  Visiting the home of J. Rieger & Company for another private event offered the opportunity to wander about their relatively new digs and taste a few of their wares.  Recent renovation of the old Case building turned out very nicely, hosting a bit of their history from around town, and some tasty decorations.  Several expansion efforts are currently underway as well, which many are looking forward to.

Bidding farewell to the little schoolhouse in the Copper Mines, another beautiful day on the road unfolded under clear blue skies, promising warmer temperatures than the previous day. After another good simple and fantastic breakfast at A&MA minor parting distraction found a full Chobohollay spilling through Silver Mines as it has for a millennium. A morning hike leading along the south bluff of the St. Francis River there offered up relatively clean views of the stream below, and promised access to old mining ruins. Their location remained elusive. Another visit with more time allotted would enable better reconnaissance of the situation. Prior to completely vacating the state, a pause to visit family discovered a spelling mistake on the signage and an odd alignment. The final homes of two in particular were not properly aligned to the remainder of the grid, seemingly segregated into their own subdivision. Encounters with civilization in this part of the world are few and far betwe...

A beautiful, cool, sunny day unfurled beneath mostly clear blue skies on this singular day of adventuring about the area surrounding Fredericktown in Missouri. While enjoying an excellent breakfast at local A&M in nearby Junction City, some debate led to choosing the farthest point out as the point of beginning for the day. A bit more time on the road in the morning gave time to warm up a bit. A cold front and subsequent storms passing through the previous night had left a chill in the air. It faded along the route, though lingered comfortably brisk for the remainder of the day. The intrusion exposure at Johnson Shut-Ins is as stunning on a red flag day like this one as it appeared in the last visit, under a green flag. None were adventurous enough to clamber out on the rocks and rapids today though. The paved path into the sight, along with the subsequent boardwalk and viewing platform placed this location as one of the easiest tasks, though most were a close second. Standing guar...