It is time to get back into action! Time to get back into action and knock a few more State Parks off the Passport challenge list!
The plan was simple. Finish the St Louis region! That meant trips to Washington State Park, Castlewood State Park, and Scott Joplin House State Historic Site. Since there were just 3 stops today, there was no need to rise with the sun or get on the road by 6 in the morning. There was one potential hitch in the plan. Being December, it is now very much the off season. Stopping off at Washington SP first, I found the first signs of the off season. No one around however the stamp was available despite no one manning the office. A quick visit to the petroglyphs and it was on to Castlewood SP!
It has been some time since I have been to Castlewood SP. Almost a year in fact! My last visit was just before the state was hit with record rainfall causing major flooding! It really is a beautiful park with many trails for hiking and mountain biking as well as access to the Meramec River! I did a quick hike to try out one of my new hiking sticks, grabbed my stamp (which was also available despite the office being closed for the season), and away I went to Scott House Joplin SHS!
It's been an even longer time since I have been to Scott Joplin House SHS. So long in fact I can't remember the year of my last visit! Unfortunately this park is closed until February and in this case, the stamp was not available either. I will have to either return (which I can certainly do on a trip to the Gateway Arch for the MO National Park Passport Challenge!) or seek a mailed copy of the stamp by providing the code. Either will work though I will just have to remember to obtain the stamp somehow before I forget!
Completing this trip today added 2 more parks to my list bringing the running total to 58 of 88!
Span of 1 days; Approximately 166 miles; Approximately 12.43 gallons of gas; Approximate average MPG 13.4 through some steeps hills and moderate head winds
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