Yep, it’s time to get out of the house for an adventure. I need it, the dogs need it…it’s been too long.

I wanted to go somewhere yesterday but it was gray and gloomy plus it was the weekend and no crowds for me, thanks.

I ended up sleeping a bit longer than I expected. I got up and decided I still wanted to take a drive but was not sure where to even though it was after 9:00 AM so it had to be close. One place I was thinking of was closed today so that narrowed it right down.

I finally decided on a place to go. The dogs could barely control themselves as usual, knowing they were getting in the truck. going for a drive.

I made a fuel stop at Costco and figured I’d head in and grab a couple of items. Surprisingly, I only came out with a couple of items. We took out northbound, and then went east on US 36 to our destination.

Of all of the covered bridges built in Missouri (somewhere between 30-40) only four remain. I have seen three of them; years ago I remember trying to find the last one and never found it. Until today!

Locust Creek Covered Bridge eluded me all those years ago, but there is now excellent signage showing the way.

There is a large parking area at the end of the road with a footbridge across the stream. The bridge is ¼ mile of walking through the forest on the old roadway. It’s an easy walk, but the forest is pretty ugly this time of year with everything looking dead.

As I approached the bridge, it was odd at first noticing there was no stream under it. It was kinda disappointing thinking that they had moved it over flat ground. I then read the signs on each side of the bridge:

I finally got the see the fourth covered bridge in Missouri. It was a nice day for a drive and an even nicer one for a walk with the dogs. They had a good time. But, it’s time to go.

John J. Pershing was a commander of American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. You know… “the war to end all wars”.

As we left and got to the highway to come back, I saw two more signs. One was for Pershing State Park and the other for his boyhood home. I didn’t really need to visit his boyhood home and opted for the State Park.

I like to explore parks and it really made me ready to camp! A very nice park, like most Missouri State Parks. Since we got a late start we didn’t have the time to hike there unfortunately. But the trails looked pretty nice. There were several people camping too.

Prepare to learn something new…Driving through Chillicothe, MO they had the typical “Welcome to…” sign but this one was different. I did not get a picture of it but it said “Welcome to Chillicothe – Home of Sliced Bread”. I looked it up and yes, Chillicothe is where sliced bread originated!

Also, along the way back and close to Hamilton, MO I saw a sign proclaiming it was the boyhood home of James Cash Penney. Yes, J. C. Penney of department store fame. Again, I decided I did not really need to see where he grew up.

We came back through St. Joseph, MO, another city with some history. Famous for that delicious candy of my youth (that I still love) known as a Cherry Mash, the Chase Candy Company is still making them today.

Quite possibly more famous than that is St. Joseph was the eastern terminus of the Pony Express. I’ve never been to the museum so I’ll have to visit that on a future trip.

There were other places I want to see and I will visit those at another time – perhaps on a road trip with the trailer. That would make it easier and I can do it on the way to camp as a home base.

Anyhoo, it was a good day with nice weather. It was a quick adventure with a few things we saw, but again…it’s not always about when you get there.