Chasing Life

 Day 10 Iowa, Minnesota After leaving our hotel, we drove home. Our only stop along the way was an observation tower somewhere in Iowa.

 Day 9 Missouri, Iowa After leaving this morning, we saw a huge cross on the outskirts of Branson, with smaller crosses and plaques surrounding it. Then we noticed an artificial snow tubing hill, and stopped to check it out as well. Both were cool and out of the ordinary. Our next stop was a trout hatchery, where they released trout directly into a river, right in front of waiting fisherman (catch-and-release only). It was a beautiful spot, and one we want to come back to again with a fishing license. Then, after driving for a while, we arrived at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park. It is home to a natural covered bridge and Devil's Icebox cave, which is the only place on earth where you can find the pink planarian. Planarians are amazing creatures! Check out these links to learn more about them, their incredible regeneration abilities, and the cave.  The Pink Planarian ,  Planarian Regeneration , and  Devil's Icebox  The bridge also had a smaller cave embedded in the side of it. 

  Day 8 Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri After finally leaving Louisiana, we drove into the amazing Ozarks. Our first stop was Hot Springs, Arkansas, where we saw, you guessed it, a hot spring. It was almost too hot to touch, but it felt nice in the cold. Then we drove up and down a lot of mountain roads and briefly stopped at a small rendezvous we saw. Next, we went to an awesome waterfall (Cedar Falls, in Petit Jean State Park). We first viewed it from an overlook, then actually hiked to it. The entire area looked like it was meant to make people feel small, and we all enjoyed clambering on the rocks, lounging in the sun, and just taking in the beautiful view. After spending a few hours there, we started driving again. We attempted to go to Eden Falls . Unfortunately, Google Maps tried to take us to the closest point, not the trailhead. We ended up driving on a windy, steep, dirt road up a hill, that definitely is not meant for any vehicle without four-wheel drive and plenty of ground c