Missouri Photo Trip 3 - South Bank of Missouri River from I70 South to Jefferson City

September 18, 2010 - trip length from I70 at Boonville approximately 3.5 hours. Note the first and the last two shots were taken earlier this summer.

In contrast to Trip 1 along the other bank of the Missouri, this one has many 'historic' features. The area has not experienced the 'suburban invasion' of Columbia, and its hills have kept large corporate farms away, except in the flood plain of the Missouri. There are many old homes, this one is outside Prairie Home on Highway 87 near its junction with highway 179 - the house can be found in this album on my web site.

Like the other bank, access to the Missouri is quite restricted. The next shot was taken at Lupus -  this is the link to the album on the River where it is stored.

Lupus has less than 50 occupants. It has a few interesting homes mainly because, like homes in the Florida Keys, the ground floors contain little or no rooms, and some houses are literally on stilts - presumably because the area flooded frequently (perhaps it still does). Go to this link for more information about Lupus.

The charm of the trip is not determined by the River but by the lush vegetation, and the many ruined and old homes and barns that present many opportunities for interesting photos. Some follow - all are found in this album.

If you leave the paved highways you will find yourself almost enveloped in places by trees - almost like country lanes in England but without the congestion!

On your trip you may find interesting relics like these cars on Range Road near Lupus - now stored in my Automobilia Album.

And the usual inhabitants, like this Eastern Swallowtail Butterfly (minus one tail) - now in my Birds, Butterflies and Other Insects Album -although people on a fine Saturday morning were few and far between.

You will find the usual closed but picturesque stores in Wooldridge and Lupus, the main but small settlements on this stretch of the River. I will publish a separate blog on Wooldridge as it contains an interesting remant of an unidentified building. Suffice here to mention this shot taken just outside of Wooldridge in the River Bottom. As in all the River's flood plain, agriculture dominates. The only extensive exceptions to this rule are the Kansas City area, and where the State has established conservation areas for enhancing waterfowl migration. This shot is part of my Missouri River album .

After Lupus you can drive to Jamestown passing a pretty chapel at Mt. Zion on the way - the photo is now part of my Churches Album. You may have better luck in Jamestown, on two occasions the interesting-looking antique stores there were closed, and I drove on to Marion.






Marion has a nice view of the Missouri from its Landing - now part of my Missouri River Album.

After Marion, you can continue to drive on Highway 179 to the State Capital, Jefferson City, in time for a late lunch as there is a very limited range of active services since leaving the I70 corridoor.

This photo is of the Capitol Building is found in my rural Scenes, Kansas and Missouri Album, as I could not find anywhere else to place it. The album also contains a couple of photos that I took in Wooldridge.

I would rate this trip as 3 out of 5 stars, as the landscape is quite lush and charming off the main roads. I would give it a similar rating for photographic opportunities as you can be sure to bring home a few pictures that you will be proud of from the trip. Combining it with a visit to Jefferson City could raise the score for you.

Missouri Photo Trip 2 - The Missouri River in downtown Kansas City

What is wrong with this image?

It is 11:16 AM on Sunday, August 22, 2010, the weather is great, but where are the people? The few that I met on the path along the bank of the Missouri River in downtown Kansas City appeared to come from the warehouse condos in the area. 

The next photo, taken 180 degrees from the first, explains part of the problem. The area is dominated by rail lines, railway companies are 'king.' The same enterprises that could turn the area into an exciting place to visit. Even on a Sunday trains are frequent, but nothing about where they are coming or going, what they are carrying, and few spots to view them safely up close. 

Some efforts are being made to open up the area - see the next photo. This underpass is around the Lift Bridge shown above - made by engineers to be as 'safe as houses.' Try it at 90 or 95 degrees without sunglasses - it's like a tanning bed.

Or how about the fishing facilities? The River is deep and fast moving, the engineering solution appears to be to cut people's access to it, but they do not succeed - the now limited access is itself a hazard.

Concrete and stones do not by themselves make for a nice environment. Let's get some people focussed reconstruction going. More information, dynamic if possible, about what is going on and what went on in the past, exercise equipment, a fishing pier, better areas to view the trains, pedestrian walkways across the bridges, organized parking, and a bus route or two. There is no place to get even a drink - there will be a need to subsidize and otherwise nurture any commercial activities until the place gets going. I did see one 'Johnny on the Spot!'


Bridging the Missouri River was the challenge and Kansas City grew because it provided it. The River, the Kansas River that joins it here, the bridges, and the location in the middle of the United States are the reasons the railways focus here, and Kansas City is what it is today. 


Why are there no museum facilities down here building on this? Why are the railway companies so silent? The City Market is close by. Are its merchants encouraged to extend their commercial interests down to the river bank? What about art and craft fairs, or the involvement of the nearby artist community? Why not create a Center with the involvement of all the organizations that I have mentioned and more? If one is in the planning stages why not broadcast it in the area? It would be something to be proud of.


To my mind the area ranks two out of five stars for the first, non-photographic visit, but nothing for return visits until it is improved. As for photographic opportunities, it does rank higher, say three or four stars out of five as the area offers some opportunities for interesting photos, particularly when the visit is extended into the The Bottoms, the original industrial/commercial heart of the city nearby. Visit my web site to see what I mean.

Seven-Son Butterflies

Monarch Butterfly

Our Seven-Son Flower Bush is now in flower. Every year at this time its nectar attracts hundreds of butterflies, bees and other insects. On Wednesday evening I took about 250 photos of butterflies in about 40 minutes. The wind was quite strong so many of them did not turn out but my Nikon macro lens on my D300 came through with some good ones all of which are now added to my Birds, Butterflies and Other Insects Album at my web site.

Here are some of the new images just to encourage you to visit the site.

Question Mark Butterfly

Red Admiral Butterfly

Missouri Photo Trip 1 - North Bank of Missouri River from I70 South to Jefferson City

Date: 30 August, 2010

Objective

New shots of the Missouri River and of features along its banks and flood plain in Central Missouri

Trip summary

Using available roads to get as close to the Missouri River as possible is quite a challenge. You have to be prepared to drive away from the river many times and look for other access roads to reach the river in new places. Active services are few and far between.

It takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to get to the starting point at the Rocheport Exit on Interstate 70 (great view of the Missouri from the bridge but has anyone the courage to stop and take a picture?)

Much of the river's flood plain lies in conservation areas which are quiet in late August but presumably will hum with waterfowl,and bird watchers/hunters in 6 to 8 weeks time. What herons and other waterfowl you see now are quite 'twitchy' and see you coming a mile away.

If you go be prepared to drive some gravel roads - generally they are in good condition - but some are quite narrow so pray that you do not meet too many trucks. I met one on East Hartzburg Bottom Road, and my Mini Cooper and a phone company truck barely squeezed by each other.

Results

In more or less chronological order,first a nice barn. I have eradicated the inevitable barbed wire (thank you Photoshop CS5), and desaturated the colors somewhat in this shot.

Second a vista of the Missouri River from Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area. I painted out some soft drink cans. I noticed some river cliffs on the other side, they must be around Lupus, Missouri - a target for another trip?

Third, two nice shots in Hartzburg of the Baptist Church, and a store front (almost inevitably in these parts stores with attractive fronts have little or no activity going on inside).

Fifth, a sepia toned black and white picture of an old

railway

bridge, now part of the KATY trail, from the East Hartzburg Bottom Road.

Finally, a shot of trumpet creeper flowers taken at Hartzburg Landing on the Missouri, it could have been taken almost anywhere in Missouri, but nevertheless a nice picture.

My Ratings

The trip

a two and half out of five as the scenery is pleasant, three for

photos themselves. All in all, not a bad trip as long as

you

can avoid

spending

too much time on State Highway 69 and in the suburbs of Columbia.

All these photos are on my web site, but they could hardly be more scattered between the albums. Click on the link in the discussion of a photo and you will be take directly to its album. There you will be able to view larger images, send E-cards of them (no charge), and purchase prints and note cards.