My Happy Place (and my 100th post!)

I know this post has nothing to do with recipes, but it makes me so happy, I just have to share. :)

Last weekend the weather and our family schedule finally cooperated, and we went camping! My favorite place to family camp is Big Spring in Van Buren, Missouri. Part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, this campground is simply amazing. It sits on the banks of the Current River and is nestled in a valley of lodge pole pine trees that look more like they should be in the Rocky Mountains instead of south central Missouri. It is my happy place. As soon as we drive down the hill into the entrance of the park, I can feel all stresses melting away. We happened to camp the weekend before Memorial Day Weekend, so there was no one at the park! This is one of the things I love about this campground. If you come on a non-peak weekend, you will have very little company. There were only two other people at the campground last weekend. It was great! We felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. We have had a lot of rain in Missouri this spring, so much so that it has caused some serious flooding problems. In the picture above, the river looks very muddy, which is not ususally the case. It was just at flood stage on this day. The actually had the river closed to floaters because of how high and fast the water was running. Luckily, we traveled 30 minutes north to the Jack's Fork River for a float, and they had just reopened it. We definitely didn't have to worry about our canoe dragging the bottom of the river on this trip. :) Corey and I are planning to create a blog or website with reviews of campgrounds and trails, so be looking for more information on this amazing place to visit in Missouri!