Author: doubledacres

You Can’t make This Stuff Up

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Being a campground host sure has its moments that leave you shaking your head. This one happened one afternoon, and it was definitely a “Shake your head moment.” I was doing my daily testing of the campground water, and I was approached by a couple that I would guess to be in their late fifties.

The gentleman asked me if I was the campground host and I told him I was. He was quiet for a moment, and he replied I really don’t know how to begin. He said I have really never experienced what happened today in a National Park before. My wife and I were standing on the bridge taking photos and we noticed a man, woman, and a child who was around 8 or 9 walking down the bank of the river. As they got closer, we noticed all they had on was their shoes. They weren’t even wearing socks. When they got to the bridge they started walking toward us. My wife and I looked at each other totally shocked. This was one of those visions that haunts you the rest of your life. It was not pretty at all.

This is the bridge they were standing on but the water was much lower.

He said they were probably in their 60s and he said neither were very attractive and they didn’t know what to do. Scream bloody murder or run were two options that came to mind. They approached us and made casual conversation and my wife, and I felt very awkward talking to them. We didn’t want to be rude, but it was rude of them approaching us completely naked as if it were something everyone did. My wife and I were frozen in place and listened in disbelief as they made conversation as if it was perfectly normal to approach someone completely naked and have a conversation. He said they introduced themselves as Papa Bear and Mama Bear but didn’t mention the child’s name. They asked if it was our first time to visit the park, what we thought of the park and if we had ever been to the kayak races, etc. When they told us their names I decided against running, because they were definitely crazy and I thought if we ran, we might make them angry and they might chase us and do harm to us, so we stood there and tried desperately not to look at them.

After what seemed like an eternity Mama Bear turned to Papa Bear and said Pappa Bear, we have taken up enough of their time and should let them go on their way. They said goodbye and we watched as they walked to their car and get in and drive off. My wife turned to me and sked, what just happened? Were they really naked or had she gone crazy. Then we both gave a big sigh of relief and set out to find you.

He asked me if this sort of thing happens often. I replied only on days that end with a “Y”. Then I assured him that was the first time I have ever heard of anything like that happening in the park. Just when you think you have heard and seen it all you realize you haven’t after all. I honestly don’t know what I would do if I ever encountered a situation like that and hope to never find out. What would you do?

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read my post. I deeply appreciate all of you who have subscribed to my blog and thank you to all of you who were concerned about my health.

Another view of the bridge. I bet the day I took this photo they would have been wearing clothes, but then again maybe not.

Life’s Road Can Be Bumpy

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I had plans to see America from horseback. Then in October 2020, I had to have a complete ankle replacement or be confined to a wheelchair. There were complications and my days of riding were over. After healing, the good news was that for the first time since 1979, I was pain free. Things were looking up and life was good.

In 2022 I started having balance issues. My legs started swelling and my feet and legs started giving me problems. I was also diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic. Then in January 2025 I was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy and a clogged lymphatic system. It is very painful and walking becomes difficult. Three months ago, it invaded my arms and hands. I can barely write and what I manage to write I can’t even read.

I made a decision to use a holistic approach to treat my ailments and it is working quite well. I have made good progress. The pain I am controlling with Vicks Vapo Rub and horse liniment and the diabetes I am controlling with apple cider vinegar. I just did a 3 mile hike without any problems.

The mountain is made up of 1.5-billion-year-old Precambrian rhyolite. When it cooled it fractured into polygonal columns that resembled honeycomb. The locals named the formation “Devil’s Honeycomb.”

Now with my balance issues, caused by the neuropathy, I probably couldn’t even sit a horse. I used to be able to ride a bucking horse for 8 seconds but now I couldn’t pass a field sobriety test stone cold sober. It is what it is. At least I am still on the right side of the dirt.

If I had a chance to do it all over again, I would have a plan A, B and C retirement plan. Thanks for taking the time to read my story. Always have a back up plan to get through the rough parts of the road of life.

Don’t Be a Wayne

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The following photos are anything but flattering. I am not posting them for pity. I am posting them to show how serious a clogged lymphatic system and neuropathy can be. Don’t ignore the symptoms like I did. Please seek help right away. Don’t put it off.

Swelling caused by clogged lymphatic system.

The right ankle is the ankle replacement I received in 2020. It seems to attract more fluid causing an edema or so say the doctors.

Special compression socks set up.

Compression boots I use an hour in morning and an hour at night. I also use redlight therapy for 40 minutes in morning and 40 minutes at night. Doctor said I would have to use the boots the rest of my life.

The neuropathy causes you to feel like you are walking on rocks and can be quite painful. The skin hurts when touched. Neuropathy is usually caused by diabetes, but the doctor has told me that people can have it without being diabetic. you have a tingling like your feet and legs are asleep and sometimes it feels like bugs are crawling up your legs. The swelling in the feet can be so bad it feels like your feet are going to bust open.

The neuropathy is working its way into my arms and hands, and I am losing the ability to write. What I do manage to write I can’t read it. I am also losing strength in them. It is also hard to type.

Please if you have tingling and burning in your legs and feet don’t ignore it. See your doctor and also eat a healthy diet.

Again, I am not looking for sympathy by any means, I am just trying to make people aware of how serious it can be. It also affects your balance, and I have taken several hard falls.

A Day From the Past Remembered

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This day happened when I was the ripe old age of 14. We used to spend a whole week every year at a place called Many Islands in Arkansas, trout fishing on the Spring River. Well, my dad had bought a trolling motor to help in getting around on Spring River. The owner of the campground had poured a concrete pad to aid in loading gear into boats and canoes.

He rented a boat and pulled it up to the pad where our gear was waiting to be loaded into the boat. My dad had one foot in the front of the boat and one foot on the pad. He had me hand him the gear and he loaded it into the boat. He assured me that his knot would hold and keep the boat in place.

Well, everything seemed to be going pretty well and then I noticed the boat was getting farther from the concrete pad, but my dad would pull the boat back to the pad with his leg. As long as the knot held, everything would be fine.

Then it happened. The knot failed and my dad was struggling to pull it back. I stared in horror as I realized he was approaching the point of no return. My gut told me this wasn’t going to end well and it sure wasn’t going to be pretty. Then it happened. The gap between the concrete pad where my dad’s foot was planted and the boat where his other foot was planted became too wide for him to recover and into the water he went. FYI the water temp is cold and colder. His head went under water and then after what seemed like an eternity, he emerged from the water resembling the Phoenix rising from the ashes. I learned a whole bunch of new adjectives that I would never be able to use in school. Needless to say, we didn’t go fishing that morning.

Bollinger Mill State Historic Site

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The Bollinger Mill State Historic Site is located in Cape Girardeau County in Missouri. The park was established in 1967 to preserve the mill and the Bufordville Covered Bridge that predates the American Civil War in Bufordville. The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The park offers tours of the mill and picnicking. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has the responsibility of managing the park.

Around 1800 a gentleman by the name of George Frederick Bollinger began building a wooden dam and the mill on the Whitewater River only to rebuild the mill and dam using limestone. upon his death, his daughter Sarah Daughtery along with her sons kept the mill operating until the Civil War. In an effort to prevent the supply of flour and meal to the Confederate Army, Union soldiers burned the mill.

After the war Solomon R Burford bought the mill site and 1867 completed the current four-story brick mill. It is built on the limestone foundation of the original mill. He kept the mill operating until 1953 at which time the Cape County Milling Company took over the operations and continued operating until 1953 when the Vandivort family bought the site. In 1961 it was donated to the Cape Girardeau County Historical Society and in 1967 it was donated to the State of Missouri. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

The Whitewater River was used to power the mill. When water levels are sufficient, milling demonstrations are performed using the original milling equipment.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read about the Bollinger Mill.

“The power of imagination makes us infinite.” -John Muir

A Day at Neely’s Landing

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I was visited by my good friend David. We have known each other since the second grade. He asked me if I would go to Neely’s Landing with him and take some photographs. Well, that was a no brainer. Exploring a town that is pretty much empty and shoot pictures, that’s what I am talking about. David had family that lived in Neely’s Landing and it had been several years since he had been there.

Neely’s Landing is located 17 miles north of Cape Girardeau. It was named after Jacob Neely; owner of the town store and he owned the ferry. Mississippi River steamboats used to stop at the landing. In 1876 there were 20 residents and 50 residents by 1898. In 1904 the Frisco railroad ran through the town. On October 27, 1869, tragedy struck. The steamboat Stonewall caught fire. On board were 300 passengers and 200 head of livestock. Two to three hundred passengers and crew perished in the fire. Local residents knew the exact location of the disaster and called it the Devil’s Tea Table.

Two of the three houses still left behind.

David’s uncle was a riverboat captain. He was fond of adult beverages and everyone called him Jug. He bought the Riverview Inn and turned it into a tavern and the locals called it Capn Jug’s tavern. David wanted to see if we could find where the tavern once stood. We scoured the area looking for it. We were able to find the old foundation and a couple of bricks used in the construction of the tavern. In the picture below David is standing in front of where his uncle’s tavern once stood.

We tried to find the town’s old cemetery but came away empty handed. It is said that 60 to 70 victims of the tragedy, who were never claimed, were buried in a mass grave on the Cotter Farm that was nearby.

It was a good day. Several times I noticed David had a far away look on his face. There was no doubt in my mind that David was back in Neely’s Landy remembering those days spent in Neely’s Landing as a child. He was having a good day going back to those days when life was simpler. I was sure of it when a big smile would replace the far away look in his eyes.

It Really Happened

/ doubledacres / 4 Comments

One rainy afternoon I pulled up in the campground and I noticed a group of women standing outside the bathrooms. Then a little girl comes flying round the corner so fast I thought something was chasing her. She was hollering something, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying. The moment she stopped in front of me I understood what she was saying. Snake!!! You have to get it out!!! Finally, after I got her calmed down, I was able to piece everything together. There was a big snake in the women’s bathroom.

I walked to the bathroom and the group was gathered about 300 feet from the women’s bathroom. They told me the same story the little girl had told me. I grabbed the grabber we use to pick up trash and headed for the door. I slowly opened the door. All I knew about the snake was that it was big and possibly brown, black, blue or tan. I looked in the first stall there was no snake, so I headed to the next stall and “jackpot”!!!!! There it was! A big ole black snake about 5 to 6 foot long. There was about 2 foot of his tail coming out of the toilet down to the floor. About 2 feet of its head was sticking out from under the seat and bowl. It was quite angry also. I don’t think it was treated to well by the group outside.

I took the grippers and got it behind the neck and took my hand and grabbed it behind the head and pulled it out. I am six feet, and it went all the way to my shoulder, and it wrapped around my arm and the tail went back down to my elbow and wrapped a couple more times. I hollered to the ladies that I was coming out. As I walked out the door I had to laugh when I saw the space they gave me. You would have thought I was bringing Godzilla out of the bathroom. One lady asked me not to kill it in front of the kids. I said ma’am, there is no way I’m killing this snake, he is very beneficial.

Well, the chatter got loud, and one lady asked what I was going to do with it. I told her I was going to walk up the hill and turn it lose in the rocks. Then there were a couple that displayed their unpleasure and screamed, it could come back. I am going to take it up far enough that it won’t come back.

As I walked away, I could hear them moaning and groaning and saying I should have killed it. It was at that very minute, that I realized that I probably wouldn’t be receiving Christmas Cards from them this year. I got about a quarter mile and came to a huge rock formation and turned him lose. I never seen a snake move that fast and held its tail in such a way that it was saying I was Number 1!!!!

I hope you enjoyed the story. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read it. You are very much appreciated.

The Mighty Heron

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The Ardeidae family known as herons, egrets and bitterns are long -necked and long- legged wading water birds that feed off aquatic animals. I just happened to stumble onto one of their nesting grounds in the Mark Twain National Forest.

During this time, they make the most horrible sound you ever heard. We had people insist that they heard bigfoot. I got several pictures of herons, but they are very difficult to stalk. They have keen eyesight, and their stalker is usually seen long before they get close to them.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures. At this time, I would like to ask everyone to respect Mother Earth. Please don’t litter. If you pack it in pack, it out.

The End of a Good Time

/ doubledacres / 15 Comments

For two years this was our home for 8 months out of the year. I really loved being a campground host. It did have its moments though when I wondered why I am doing this. The good moments outweighed the bad moments. Once I was done with the daily duties, I was able to do the things I enjoyed doing. I thank Chris Woods of the US Forest Service for giving me this opportunity.

The Forest Service provided us with a golf cart to get around the park. These two got used to the cart and got over their fear of it. I watched these two for about 25 minutes to get this capture.

The Herons were hard to stalk. Always on alert for any movement and ready to take flight. One morning I was lucky enough to get close enough and capture it as it was taking flight.

These are some of my favorite captures from the park.

Credit Jason Wilson Photography

I got to hike the trails, fish and pan for gold. Last year I put over 30 pounds of fish in the freezer.

Sadly, I won’t be returning in 2025. I was diagnosed with peripheral foot neuropathy, which is very painful. I am currently receiving treatments from PC Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, MO. I have only had 4 treatments, and I am very satisfied with the results I have received. It also affects one’s balance. Mine was so bad I couldn’t pass a sobriety test stone cold sober. They have even helped with me with that. I am also retaining water in my legs and feet, and I have an appointment with a vein specialist in March.

I also made a lot of friends. I introduce Jason who I met at the park. He too is a photographer, and damn good at it, we took a lot of pictures.

Another chapter in my book of life comes to an end. I am going to miss this place, but I will be visiting frequently, if my health allows me to, in the capacity of one of the campers visiting Silver Mines Campground.

I am currently working on publishing a coffee table book titled, Missouri Through the Lens. It will be made up of photos of rural Missouri. Places not on the beaten path. It will contain some photos taken Silver Mines.

Campground Host Story

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This was our home for 8 months in 2023, where my wife and I worked as campground hosts. We made a lot of new friends, learned a lot about nature and have some good stories to tell. This particular story started on a Friday night. Just another weekend, it wasn’t a holiday or anything special going on. All the campsites were reserved, and it was a full house.

We had just come back from a run in the park, and I noticed two men having a lively conversation. One of the men had his camper set up on site 8 and the other had his rig still hooked up, parked along the road next to it. I watched what was going on and it was becoming quite heated. I just started toward them when I saw the man still hooked to his rig, heading toward me.

Here he come, strutting like a Bantee rooster, walking toward me with purpose. He got to me and asked if I was the campground host. I answered, yes, I am. May I help you? He immediately tells me that I have to go make the other camper move, because he has that spot reserved. I knew by the way he screamed out his request, that this day wasn’t going to end the way I was hoping to. I told him to please calm down and let’s talk to him and see what’s going on. We headed for the campsite to try and figure out what happened.

The gentleman assured me that they had reservations. I asked the not so happy camper, if I could see his reservations. His wife handed them to him, and he thrust them into my chest and said now you will see and all the time he was giving the other camper an evil look. One of those looks that tells me, don’t ever go target practicing with him. I took the reservation and started looking it over hoping there was going to be an easy fix. Then I saw it! Love those easy fixes. I said sir you are somewhat right. You did have reservations, for two weeks ago. Oh my! He didn’t seem very happy. They had come quite a distance and the look he gave his wife told me this was going to be a long ride home for her.

The pics are of our home we lived in for 8 months in 2023.