Missouri Fall Ride 2011
Riders: Mark Sampson (BigDog) and Scott Williams (High Five)

I've been making my annual pilgrimage to Potosi, Missouri to the Falling Leaf BMW rally for I don't know
how many years-------20 or more ???? I rode BMW's for probably 15 years but that was way before BigDogAdventures.

On the way from my home in Southern Illinois I was on the T road West out of Perryville, Missouri.
A road I've ridden before that has almost no traffic and has not subcumbed to road straightening or
flattening out of the road---it follows the hilly terrain and is awesome.

I can't believe I'd ridden down this road so many times and didn't see this covered bridge by the road.
It was a pre-face of stopping and smelling the roses that would last the weekend.

I would meet meet many old friends at the rally and then me and Scott would head out on our
own and head farther West.
I would also be on a quest to find some more springs I have marked in my gps in Missouri.

This creek and waterfalls were right before the covered bridge.

This is the same creek that runs under the covered bridge---but across the road.

The weather was better than ever at the rally and Me and Scott camped there for one night
and headed out the next morning as the GS ride headed out with about 40 riders running nose to tail
eating each others dust----we really didn't want any part of that.
Me and Scott wanted to ride----and we both came to terms with stopping to smell the roses the next 2 days.

Me and Scott headed West ----Scott was on his 1 year old BMW800GS which he bought at the rally last year.

I had my gps navigating to an old railroad culvert that I had seen picture of and heard about on AdvRider----we meandered all
over the place following every dirt and gravel road we could find that led kind of toward the culvert----kind of !!!!
I don't really let a gps tell me where to go---but take suggestions.--sometimes.

This old railroad tressel is just West of the Culvert at a low water crossing.

A Spring waypoint popped up on my gps screen and we would be riding right by it.
We had to beat it thru the bush to find this one. A pump house building was built right on top of the spring.
No one lived here anymore---the spring seemed to be dried up--maybe that is why they left.

There was an old abandoned mobile home and old diesel tractor.
At one time a pretty neat little hideout.

This is the Dilliard grist mill----we ran on a little one lane dirt road behind the mill that I knew of.
All the tourists park in the parking lot to the North of the Mill--it was beautiful back there
and gave you a neat view of the old mill and river. This mill is still run today for entertainment purpose only.
I've seen it run--the lady turns a big wheel handle and water starts flowing thru the water motor and gets all the belts
and shaft rotating in the mill----it's a sight to see.

"Bo's Hollow"
"A step back in time"
Bo's hollow is a 1930's village built so you may take a step back in time. They are restoring the past and preserving the future.
It's miles down a one lane dirt road that few go down---a road your mom and dad would probably avoid
in the family sedan.

All vehicles on the property run---all of them. The nice ones are put up every night.

This is a working windmill pump. The wind turns the blade--which in turn, turns a cranshaft that pushed a rod up and down.
This rod is attached to an ordinary hand pump at ground level and out comes the water.
It is then pumped into the wooden water tank.

All the stuff you see below is for your viewing pleasure.
Bo will even fix you a paper sack lunch of Barbecue and give you a ride in one of the old cars and take you down to Ashley creek
for a picnic----now how cool is that.

Me and Scott stayed at Bo's hollow for at least an hour---poking around at all the stuff.
This place just makes you relax. I really didn't know Scott all that well but soon learned that he loved slowing down and stopping
to smell the roses as they say.
Some of the old things we saw I remember well when I was a kid.
The air station below I can remember---you crank up how much pressure you want to put in your tire--then stick the air hose
to your tire and it will put that exact amount of pressure

This is the sweetest lady I ever met-----Lynn I believe. I jsut wanted to hug her.
She told us the whole story of how here and her husband Bo and kids built and worked this place.
They can't be getting rich here----I sensed they just love the good old times and relished sharing it with others.

Scott kept prodding me to ask if they would give us a ride in one of these---I hated to bother and asked to sit in one.
I would love to drive one----the sound of the motor is so relaxing---like and old tractor motor.

Now here is Blondie---she's a sweety too.
I came out from where Bo's son made Scott a Barbecue sandwich and Blondie was sitting there with those sad eyes. "Nobody ever scratches me"

Me and Blondie made friends as I had a rootbeer.

We stopped and laughed at this sign---and a guy came out to see what we were doing and had a side arm on his hip.
Seem people have tried to steal his sign---really nice guy and we had a long talk about things.
He had a very big Arabian horse ranch--this was just a few miles South of Bo'l Hollow.

The Sun was going down and we were headed to a big ranch where a new aquaintance had invited us to stay and camp.

Me and Scott arrived at the ranch about 2 hours before sunset and took the opportunity for Stuart (owner of the ranch) to
take me and Scotts picture together.

Scott by the way owns a Yamaha WR250R like mine--except his is the most modified one on the planet.
He is very smart-----unlike me--dumber than a dirt clod.

This is the old Pebble Dam Lodge and would be me and Stuarts home for the night.

Stuart grilled up the best Braughts me and Scott ever tasted them and we enjoyed them with a rip roaring fire later in the evening.

This is a beautiful ranch--with a couple guest house on the grounds.

Scott wasn't about to sleep inside and set up his hammock out in the trees. He said it was the most comfortable thing
he had ever slept in.

The whole place was way off a seldom traveled dirt road and was perfectly silent.
Scott told me of a story when he was sleeping in his hammock and a black bear was sniffing at the bottom of it.
He stayed very still---and it walked away.

The fall colors were almost in full bloom---man I loved this place.

Me and Stuart.
What a nice guy to invite us to camp at his place.
He had a BMW F650 X-Country.

We slept so well--as we had a great long ride the day before and Stuart fixed us breakfast.

Man I'd like to live here.

I'm an early riser and was actually all packed up by the time the sun came up but hung around long enough to have breakfast.
But I would head back East to home and Scott would head back West to home in Oklahoma.
This is the river right below the cabin and there is a dam there. It used to have a hyrdro electric plant here that powered the lodge,
way before the nearby town had electricity. Stuart said they have plans to build another hyro electric plant and put it back as
it was back in the 30's.

You can see it's still early as the early morning fog starts to lift and the KTM V-twin rumbles down the curvy blacktop.
I was estatic with the morning.

This is the Harlow Ford---I tried to cross this years ago on my BMW 1150GS and seriously could have drowned.
It was very slippery---I went down and the bike and hard panniers (which I refuse to use anymore) had me pinned
with only my head barely out of the water. My buddies riding behind me eventually pulled up and got the bike off
me and got it back to shore---we couldn't get across it.

I was alone today----and the rocks under the water today still looked slick---it would have been foolish for me to try it and I didn't.

Just a bit down stream it was way too deep.

I was wandering home---just going here and there sort of heading East-------sort of !!!
I've never heard of this before in m life---and I spent about 3 hours poking around here--and hit one dead end road after the other.
But the ridng was very good---and I had gas !!!!

One of the dead ends I hit at the current river. A perfect camp spot was here. I marked it with my gps and rode on.

I thought I was getting near the Current river again and the Akers ferry crossing.

This ferry had been shut down a lot this year from high water and I didn't know if it was running or not.

I pushed the button on the pole to call the ferry operator and it takes quite a bit of time for him to drive down here and come over to get you.

I thought of the movie Josey Wales here and for fun asked him if he ever saw the movie and he replied in Clint Eastwood style.
"This is what we call the Missourah Boat Ride"
I laughed so hard I about peed my pants.

We maybe this is the neatest thing I saw all weekend.

You climb down and down and down the stairs to the bottom of Devils Well.
It was awesome.

You end up here at a locked gate---if you went past the gate if it was open---you'd fall down into the water to your death I'm sure.
My wife would have never come down here---it was spooky.
The stairs are getting in bad shape--and with the lack of money to keep stuff like this repaired I look to see it
closed off and shut down.

Looking up the really steep stairs from the bottom.
These stairs are so steep---if you tripped you would just fall and tumble to the bottom.

Up top was a nice little pond---I thought this was the Devils Well when I first got here---nice picnic spot here.
Man it's nice out here---little did I know that Scott was poking around going home to and was finding neat stuff.

I found this little spring down a one lane rutted and rocky dead end dirt road---thanks to Mr. GPS.

This is Scott after I left the Lodge--him and Stuart poked around the ranch and found some neat stuff.
Rock formations and a few springs.

The weather was so nice--the fall colors so pretty and I sensed the end of a good October riding season.
You just have so many---better slow down and smell the roses.

I came to the Mississippi river in St. Genevieve, Missouri and waited for the ferry--but had a few barges to wait on.

Back in Illinois------I love the color of the yellow beans in the field.

It was very sad to see this day end.