Mark Twain National Forest Autumn 2019

Each year on a Friday in October when school is out, we take a girls trip to check out some autumn color and scenes. This year the color was really spotty in the Ozarks so we decided to go northeast to Mark Twain National Forest area. I love mills during the autumn season, so I picked out a couple I wanted to see and we planned our trip!

As you can imagine trying to get 2 teenagers up on a day they are out of school, we got on the road 30 minutes later then I planned. We (my mom, daughter, her best friend, and myself) hit the road around 6:30 am. I wanted to get out early and try to capture a sunrise shot somewhere along the way.

From Springfield Missouri, we took Hwy 44 east. I finally found a descent country side scene off of the highway to go with the sunrise just after passing Marshfield, Missouri. This is one of the photos I took of this farm then turned it into a beautiful mixed media art piece.

After getting a few shots there, we were back on the road heading towards Dillard Mill, however after passing Fort Leonard Wood, we drove over a bridge that had a view demanding a stop. Unable to pull over on the long bridge, we parked along the road just past it and I walked in the cool brisk air at what felt like 1/4 of a mile to get these beautiful shots of the Big Piney River.

It was a little scary standing on the bridge as big semi tractor trailers drove by shaking the bridge but it was so worth it!! I just love foggy scenes and then add water, autumn colors, and sunrise with it!! Perfect!

Just outside of Mark Twain National Forest area, we came across this cute little mill that was built at the entrance ofMill Springs Estates in Steelville Missouri, United States. The girls had fun stretching their legs and checking out the cute mill after a 3 hour drive.

The next stop was Dillard Mill. The1908 historic and beautiful Dillard Mill in Davisville, Missouri is one of the best preserved grist mills I've seen. It's owned and maintained by the state of Missouri. It sits alongHuzzah Creek and is a must see in the Ozarks. It's well worth the trip. We were lucky and there was a conservation agent there so we got to go inside the building.Most of the machinery inside are still intact and is the original equipment!! Just below the mill were 3 waterfalls.

It was getting close to lunch so everyone was hungry. We went north on hwy 49 through the small town of Viburnum. We were shocked to learn the only restaurant in town was at a hotel!! Being from the Springfield Missouri area which is known as the restaurant capital of the world, we couldn't believe they didn't have at least a fast food chain there. After getting directions from a couple locals, we still couldn't find the place so we found a gas station instead that had sandwiches made to order that worked out great for everyone.

Our next stop sent us down a small gravel road. We were glad we didn't meet another car coming head on!! Reeds Spring Mill in Centerville Missouri, United States is tucked away in a quiet rural area and is located on private property.This little log cabin mill was built in 1973. It was pretty cool the learn the original mill was relocated to Washington DC for the Smithsonian Institute.

It has a pretty little pond next to the mill with a couple waterfalls. While there, we had 3 large dogs come running out of no where down the road. Having my hands full with one camera and another on a tripod, I quickly grabbed my tripod praying they don't knock it and me over. Thankfully they just looked at me and went by, however they went straight for the girls and my mom who was by the pond. The girls jumped up on some concrete columns to get away from them and my poor mom had them all over her. They didn't hurt anyone, but sure did scare the girls. My daughter isn't a big fan of large dogs for some reason.

After seeing the two mills that was on my list, it was time to head back towards home however, we were keeping an eye out for any photographic places along the way. We went down to Ellington, Missouri and started heading back east on hwy 106. As we came up on Current River, we saw a Blue Spring sign. Recalling online info and photos I've seen from this spring, I had to make the stop. We once again found ourselves on a dirt road just wide enough for one car. From the parking lot, it was a short walk along the beautiful river before we came up on the stunningly beautiful blue spring the Native Americans or Indians called "Spring of the Summer Sky".

The color is just WOW!! It has the deepest blue color of any of the natural springs in Missouri. It's also 310 feet deep! I learned if you could put the Statue of Liberty inside it, her torch would still be five feet below the surface of the water!I of course didn't learn that until after leaning over the wooden walkway looking for the endless bottom that you can not see because it's so deep. It's worth the stop.

That was our last stop and it was a great day. Could have been more colorful trees, but the color was much better there then it was back home. 2019 just wasn't the year for a lot of color here in southern Missouri.

So if you're looking for a quick little day trip during the autumn season or for any season, hopefully this will give you a few options. Feel free to share places you recommend visiting during the fall season.