When the Missouri State Parks opened up their reservations, Dan and I were able to snag 4 nights at Meramec State Park. The 4 nights were a Monday through Friday which works out just fine for those of us so darn lucky to be retired. The park is only about an hour and a half from our home, so we were able to enjoy a getaway without too much driving.

As you can see, the state park is along the Meramec River. Many enjoy this location for fishing, floating and frolicking in the water. We just enjoyed being there. We had full hook ups and nice neighbors.

Our first full day there, we went to Meramec Caverns. Meramec Caverns is not too far from the state park. Both Dan and I had been there before, but it had been a long time. We wanted to see the caverns again. The day we went was hot, so we enjoyed the cooler temps inside the cave. The inside of a cave can be beautifully stunning, albeit in a different way than usual. There is so much beauty and diversity on our earth, but when one adds in what is seen underground, one has to marvel at the extent of God’s creation.

The next 2 days of our getaway, the weather was simply perfect. Perfect temperature. Perfect humidity. This worked out great (how could it not) with Dan’s sister Debbie, and her husband Larry, spending the day with us on Wednesday. We sat outside, played games, and snacked. At home, I had made pretzel bites with my KitchenAid mixer to bring along. They were good. We ate dinner, and later we took a walk to see the deer in the early evening.

The rest of our time was spent with our usual activities of walking, playing Scrabble, reading and watching a movie in the evening on our DVD player. The reason we used our DVD player to watch the movie is because we had no wifi. We didn’t have our AT&T phone service either, so no phone calls or hot spot either. We tried our antenna, but there was no over the air TV service. We were really “away.”

To be honest, I didn’t like it. My sister wouldn’t have been able to get a hold of me if something happened with our mom. Now, the shower houses did have wifi, but it was very spotty. We found shower house #2, up on a hill, had the most consistent wifi, so we would walk there each morning and evening to do a quick check of things. But even at the shower house, we did not have phone service.

While it’s nice to take a break from our electronics for a bit, we do enjoy watching some TV in the evenings. We like to hear the news, rather I should say we want to be informed. We like to watch Jeopardy and some other shows through our Roku. We like to play Scrabble online, using our hotspot. Sometimes, in the morning, while Dan is still sleeping, I like to write a blog post or keep up with the blogs I read. It all worked out, and we enjoyed our time, but I doubt we would camp there again.

I did enjoy coloring in my Bob Ross adult coloring book, given to me by my daughter, Talia, last Christmas. I had taken 2 painting classes at our library, based on Bob Ross videos from his PBS shows. Thus the gift. I put the coloring book (which I hadn’t used yet) and my markers into my bag at the last minute. I really enjoyed sitting at the picnic table, taking in the scenery, and making some of my own with the help of my markers and Bob Ross, bless his soul.

We also really enjoyed our neighbors, Carol and Greg, who live not too far from us in O’Fallon, Missouri. They told us of an event called “WOW” which is offered at Roaring River State Park in October. This event offers all kinds of activities and classes based on outdoor activities. We may attend a WOW sometime. Missouri State Parks are such a treasure, in so many ways.

Soon enough, it was Friday morning, and time for us retirees to head home. It won’t be long though, God willing, before we’ll be back on the road.