Rural Missouri - March 2013 - (Page 3)

C O N T E N T S Features 10 Departments 4 5 The lure of tying flies 10 14 Outdoors The lure of tying flies Master fly-tier Mark Van Patten takes his passion to TV 18 Columns Hart to heart Musings in mud Bethel couple responds to clay in a beautiful way 14 Comments National and statewide news 16 Out of the Way Eats Boudreaux’s Louisiana Seafood & Steaks Living history Charles Staats makes history part of everyday life 22 26 Hearth and Home Go Irish! Queens of the court 34 Around Missouri Missouri happenings 22 The Red Heads were the first paid women’s traveling basketball team 24 photo courtesy of John Molina 40 Neighbors Guitar therapy Homegrown music New book preserves fiddle playing for the future 30 36 Marketplace Classified ads 42 Just4Kids Fun stuff from Buddy All about mulch Protect and improve your garden with a layer of organic nutrients 24 About our cover M arch is often the best time to visit Mina Sauk Falls, Missouri’s highest waterfall, which cascades 132 feet down a series of rocky ledges before ending up in a boulder-strewn creek. The Chandler family from Bonne Terre visited the falls on an unseasonably warm spring day last year, giving Clayton — shown on our cover — a chance to play at the bottom of the falls. The falls are one of the highlights of Taum Sauk Mountain State Park, located southwest of Ironton. A 3-mile hiking trail that begins at the highest point in Missouri — 1,772 feet above sea level on Taum Sauk Mountain — leads to the falls. While the short walk to the highest spot is paved and handicapped-accessible, the rest of the loop trail to the falls is rugged and strenuous. It frequently requires carefully negotiating jagged outcroppings of igneous rocks left behind during the time this region was covered by volcanoes. But the intrepid will be rewarded by inspiring views of the St. Francois Mountains and spectacular sunsets framed by their peaks. Lucky hikers might catch a glimpse of reptiles that call the area’s glades home. In the spring, dogwoods and redbuds drop a flowery carpet along the trail. You’ll also see wildflowers, prairie grass and even desert cacti. The trail also connects to the Taum Sauk section of the Ozark Trail for those more interested in a longer hike leading all the way to Johnson’s Shut-ins. Whether viewed the easy way from the top of the falls, shown at left, or from below, Mina Sauk Falls is a magnificent natural treasure. But the falls dry up quickly, so plan on making your visit in the spring or soon after a heavy summer rain. For more information about the park and falls, visit www.mostateparks.com/park/taum-sauk-mountain-state-park or call 573-546-2450. Cover and photo at left by Jim McCarty MARCH 2013 3 http://www.mostateparks.com/park/taum-sauk-mountain-state-park

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - March 2013

Rural Missouri - March 2013
Table of Contents
Comments
Columns
Musings in mud
The lure of tying flies
Outdoors
Out of the Way Eats
Living history
Queens of the court
Homegrown music
Hearth and Home
All about mulch
Around Missouri
Marketplace
Neighbors
Just4Kids

Rural Missouri - March 2013