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Overcast ~ River stage: 18.78 ft. Rising Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012 |
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Ship 1, Bridge 0Posted Monday, January 30, at 9:20 PM Remember the day in 2004 when the old Cape Girardeau Traffic Bridge was demolished? The implosion didn't quite go as planned, sending three spans -- instead of one -- into the Mississippi River. Western Kentucky is now home to a similar spectacle, except the loss of their bridge was completely unexpected. The Eggner's Ferry Bridge collapsed after it was struck by an errant cargo ship...
Southeast Missouri is filled with numerous mysteries involving place names. Where did Seventy-Six in Perry County come from? How did a town without any marble get to be known as Marble Hill? Is Fredericktown named for George Frederick Bollinger, Frederick Bates, Frederick the Great, or some other guy named Fred? Why has everybody always pronounced New Madrid, Cairo, Vienna, and other names completely different than their Old World counterparts?...
Here's a riddle: What landmark in Illinois has water on four sides, but is not an island? The answer is Hogg Bluff, an isolated mass of sandstone that is bordered by a beaver lake on three sides and by a creek on the fourth side. A narrow, horseshoe-shaped canyon separates Hogg Bluff from the hills to the north, west, and south. This was probably the ancient route of East Branch Cedar Creek, which now flows on the east side of the bluff...
Last year's flooding has taken its toll at Devil's Island, an island in the Mississippi River just across from McClure, Illinois. When the river was low enough, it was possible to walk to the island across a crumbling concrete causeway. Unfortunately, the crossing has since crumbled even more, collapsing in two places. The south end -- which was already a challenge to reach -- has slumped. Reaching the causeway now requires sliding down a steep and very unstable embankment...
The Shawnee National Forest is full of surprises. This rock shelter, featuring two natural arches, is located only 13 miles from Cape Girardeau -- as the crow flies. One arch is formed by a buttress of rock that appears to support the roof of the rock shelter...
This stretch of Old Highway 3 in Alexander County, Illinois, has seen better days, yet the concrete pavement from the 1930s is still drivable. It's a question I hear all the time: "How do you find these places?" Of course I don't want to give all my secrets away, but in a nutshell, I carefully study a variety of maps, looking for certain tell-tale clues that look interesting. Then I go investigate...
Last week's church tour brought over 700 visitors to Altenburg, which the blog for the Lutheran Heritage Museum called a "stunner." It's easy to see why the event is so popular, as it provides a rare opportunity to enjoy so many churches at one time. ...
This year's tour of historic churches continues Friday, Dec. 16, from 3-9 PM, covering 24 churches in northern Cape Girardeau County, southern Perry County, and northeastern Bollinger County. See this website for details and a printable map. Below is a sampling from the five churches closest to Cape Girardeau:...
What's the most photographed scene in Southern Illinois? A short list would have to include Pomona Natural Bridge, Bald Knob Cross, LaRue-Pine Hills, and the Superman statue in Metropolis. There's no question, however, that Camel Rock at Garden of the Gods Recreation Area tops the list...
Ninety years ago, in 1921, the statewide speed limit in Missouri was only 25 mph. Motorists at the time didn't have many opportunities to speed, however, thanks to the terrible roads that were often a muddy quagmire. That started to change with the introduction of concrete highways. ...
The Snake Road near Wolf Lake, Illinois, is famous among herpetologists for the opportunity to watch snakes as they migrate in the spring and fall. It's also famous among those with ophidiophobia -- the fear of snakes -- as a place to avoid at all costs...
October is that precious time of year between the brutal heat and humidity of summer and the even more brutal cold and ice of winter. This is when I usually spend the most time hiking, visiting places to write about for this blog. But I have a confession to make. ...
"I think we've really stumbled onto something here."-- Ron Payne, mayor of Owensboro, Kentucky Imagine if Cape Girardeau officials spontaneously decided to hold an event and 12,000 people showed up. That was the situation recently in Owensboro, Kentucky, when state and city leaders decided on a whim to allow people to walk across the large "Blue Bridge" across the Ohio River in the city's downtown. ...
Why drive to New England to see colorful trees when we've got plenty of trees here? As I explained in last year's driving tour, the river hills of Missouri feature fantastic fall foliage without requiring a long drive. This year's route crosses the river to explore the river hills of Illinois, also impressive but still within a short drive...
It's not a trick question. Scott County is home to Sand Prairie Conservation Area, a tract of land filled with sand, sand, and more sand. This part of the state might be nicknamed Swampeast Missouri, but Sand Prairie is anything but swampy. The parking lot immediately opens into an alien landscape of sand dunes and depressions. ...
[See earlier blog for details and directions]...
Nothing is certain but death and Taxodium distichum. That's the Latin name for bald cypress, the swamp-dwelling tree that can live for centuries -- or longer. While these trees aren't as old or tall as the giant redwoods of California, that doesn't make them any less impressive...
This highway is completely flat with gentle curves, very little traffic, and no stop signs or stoplights for miles. It's also an "interstate" highway that touches two states. Sounds like a nice superhighway, right? There's just one catch. It's mostly a gravel road...
I staggered past a trail marker that said "DO IT." That's an odd thing for a sign to announce, I thought, until I realized it was actually the number of the trail, "001T". The zero-zero-one is a reference to the River-to-River Trail, the primary trail through of the Shawnee National Forest. The "T" is a newly constructed loop segment in Pope County providing access to a canyon known as Cove Hollow...
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The webmaster of seMissourian.com and its sister newspapers, James Baughn has lost track of the number of websites he manages. On the side, he maintains even more sites, including Bridgehunter.com, LandmarkHunter.com, TheCapeRock.com, and Humorix.
Pavement Ends on Facebook Hot topics Ship 1, Bridge 0(  0 ~ 9:20 PM, Jan 30)
A not-so-brief history of Fruitland
Another oddity in the Shawnee National Forest
Drive on the oldest concrete highway in Missouri
Look what I found at 37.41757, -89.34629
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