The fourth trip of the year would take me back to Trail of Tears State Park in southeast Missouri! This park is dedicated to the Native Americans that lost their lives during the relocation march they were forced on by the United States government in 1838-1839. The trail and march have since been called the Trail of Tears for their losses.

My hunt for my 18th Missouri Camper Award brought me, again, to Mark Twain Lake State Park just in time for the annual Perseid Meteor shower! Easily one of the best places I can think of to see the meteors (as long as the skies are clear)! Like last year, this year did not disappoint!

It was an impromptu trip, much like many of my trips, to say the least! After what seemed like the longest winter on record, the first sign of nice weather and my gear was packed before the destination was picked!

With the weather.... better than it was and a fever to get back to camping, it was time to start the quest for the 18th camper award!

The hunt for a second MO Camper Award ends!!

The hunt for a second MO Camper Award continues!

The hunt for a second MO Camper Award continues with the Perseid Meteor shower!

The hunt for a second MO Camper Award continues... in record summer heat!

Beginning a new mission!

The time has come! Time to make the final push to knock out the west half of the state in the MO Centennial Passport Challenge!

Continuing to knock out parks here and there, it was time to REALLY finish off the east half of the state! This single stop trip was to the recently opened (January 6th, 2017)  Don Robinson State Park ! Unfortunately, due to the time of day, I did not have a lot of time to explore though this place is excellent for summer and watching the sun set! With a sizeable patio and pavilion with BBQ pits all setup to face the setting sun to the west, this will be a very popular place!

Getting back into the swing of things, it was time to finish off the east half of the state! This single stop trip was to Graham Cave State Park ! As the name suggests, this park does feature a cave where evidence has been found of people living in this shallow cave between 8,000 and 10,000 year ago! Not much to see now though as they have covered the insides of the cave with gravel and tarps to prevent weathering of the archaeological remains. Still the area offers decent hi

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...

It was finally the weekend once again so why not another campout as the unseasonably warm weather continues! The plan was simple, get...

What do you do when the weather throws you a curve ball? First off, what kind of curve ball are we talking? It's October 29th and the...

The time has once again come for the annual trout fishing trip to Montauk State Park! 3 days off to camp and participate in a grueling...

While I still had one day off, and having just come back from Rocky Mountain National Park, I decided on a trip to the brand new Echo...

Back-to-back weekends! Picking up momentum after breaking through the halfway point, this weekend was as perfect for another trip! This...

After a very long break, time to get back down to business! July 8th, after the Glacier National Park trip, I made a quick one stop trip...

Back on the road again, right where I belong!