Autumn
time of year
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Elephant Rocks State Park, Belleview, MO. These giant granite rocks were formed by weathering through the ages. The pink and grey granite and interlocking shapes does make them elephantine. There are remnants of an old quarry around the outer path. The rocks are very fun to climb on and very popular.
8
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Taum Sauk Mountain State Park, MO. Taum Sauk Mountain in the Saint Francois Mountains is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of Missouri at 1,772’. This is a drive- up with an overlook. The actual high point is a short, flat paved walk to a rock with a plaque in the woods.
7
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Castor River Shut-Ins, Fredericktown, MO. A short walk takes you to these stunning pink granite formations. The Saint Francois Mountains formed when huge pockets of magma welled up in dome shapes and slowly cooled, forming igneous rock of granite and rhyolite. The iron minerals in the rocks give them the distinctive pink color.
Over time, the upper Castor River eroded softer materials exposing the large granite boulders. Chutes, or shut-ins, were formed. The water that flows through them is clear and inviting. We climbed down to a spot where we could sit and watch the fish. 1.5 billion years old, they are Missouri’s only known pink granite shut-ins.
https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/natural-areas/castor-river-shut-ins
8.8
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Ooey Goey cake from Schnucks. So goey in the middle and crispy around the edges. It’s great for a couple of bites but was a little too much pretty quickly. We’re happy we finally got to try it. The next Missouri delicacy on the list for us to try is black walnut ice cream.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/8088/gooey-butter-cake-iii/
5
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Pear Tree Inn, Cape Girardeau West, MO. They have fresh popcorn when you walk in and lemonade to wash it down with. There is quite a bit of ambient noise and no continuous fan setting to block it out.
Price: $94/night
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