Day 25-Bull Shoals to Eminence to St. Louis

Today was a travel day, we put 355 miles on the van as we traveled from Bull Shoals in Arkansas to Babler State Park outside St. Louis.

We left our campground in Bull Shoals around 9 AM.  Certainly of the six campgrounds that we visited din Arkansas, this was the best in terms of setting, bathrooms, and campsite layouts.  We both agreed this would be a great place to spend several days, especially if you were a fisherman.

This photo was taken at 8:22 AM.  If you look closely through the mist you can see several boats with fisherman already in the water.  Many of the campsites were located right on the White River.  If the Bull Shoals Dam ever collapsed this campground would be wiped out...not sure my sister, Wendy, would camp here!

Looking down the White River toward our campground which is on the left.

Our first  stop today was in Eminence, Missouri in order to check out Len & Stella's Circle B Campground where we spent two nights on a canoe trip in August, 1972.  This campground was a lot more rustic back then; just an open field along the Jack's Fork River.   We slept on the river bank in our Coleman flannel lined sleeping bags.  No tents, no air mattresses, or pads.  Just the stones along the bank.

In our rented canoes, we floated all day, past the point where the Jack's Fork joined up with the Current River, and eventually either Len or Stella picked us up in their truck 8 or 9 miles downstream for the Circle B.   We did roll our canoe over within the first 50 yards of our trip, and in our minds we were experiencing James Dickey's Deliverance.  It was great trip.

Lunch at Eminence #1 ranked restaurant, the Dairy Shack

Gassing up in Eminence

Downtown Eminence

The Jack's Fork, upstream from Eminence

We continued north following various windy two-lane roads across the Ozark.  We joined I-44, which follows the path of US Route 66, in Rolla, and stayed on the interstate all the way into St. Louis.  I think we've seen more dead armadillos along the side of the road than any other animal; more than raccoons, and more than skunks.

One of several water towers in Bourbon, Missouri, so named by the railroad engineers whose favorite drink was....

Advertising the alleged hide-out of Jesse James,  Merramec Caverns is certainly worth a visit.  

Pullling into St. Louis' Italian neighborhood, The Hill, just in time for our dinner reservation at Charlie Gitto's.

Toasted Ravioli:  “The Original”, handmade meat-filled ravioli, with their famous pomodoro sauce.

Arancini:  Risotto balls, filled with fresh Mozzarella cheese, served with their famous pomodoro and walnut pesto cream sauce.

Veal Nunzio:  Thinly sliced veal, topped with jumbo lump crabmeat, finished with CG cheeses and lemon butter sauce.

Cannelloni:  Meat-filled tubular noodles baked in a tomato and cream sauce.

And for  dessert, what else but frozen custard from Ted Drewes!