Sunday April 21, 2019
There was only one thing on the agenda for the day. About twenty-five miles north of Joplin sits Prairie State Park. The park covers four thousand acres. There are plenty of hiking trails and even one free roaming herd of buffalo. Not a bad way to spend a day.
The first trail covered a 1.75 mile loop. For some reason, this sign humored me. I would see all of one blaze and that was at a trail junction.
The trail itself seemed like I was following a mowed strip in the grass. It was clear enough, though I did have to stop a couple of times and really look. Sadly, no buffalo.
The second trail was a mile and a half loop called the Gayfeather Trail, named after a spiky purple flower that grows here. I did see some wildlife though.
The park’s visitor center wouldn’t be open until 1P, but I ditched the car there and did a three mile hike called the Drovers Trail.
At the far end, I encountered this warning sign...
Rubber sleeves were placed over the wires, so hikers could get through the fence. The bottom one was peeling off, exposing the bare wire.
If I was planning to hit the adjacent trail, I would have had to go through this. I was a bit concerned at the places where the insulation was coming off. I mentioned this to the park ranger later in the day. She told me the fence was electrified to protect the railroad tracks from the buffalo. The rail line has been closed for a while and the fence hasn’t been electrified since. I didn’t need to cross for my trail and continued onward.
By the time I got back to the parking area, the visitor center was open. The ranger gave me some advice. She suggested I avoid the trail I had intended to hike. It’s scheduled for a burn later this year and a bit overgrown. The ticks and chiggers are already bad. When I asked about the buffalo herd, she pointed me to the Sandstone Trail. It’s four and a half miles for the full loop, and the herd should be out that way. She was right. This is through the fence at the parking area.
It doesn’t take long for trail to loop around, straight for the herd. The wind was pretty stiff and blowing right at them. No doubt they could get my scent. Quite a few started looking my way. The park ranger confirmed what I already knew. A buffalo's eyesight is pretty bad, especially directly in front. But, she suggested I stand still for a while and let them get accustomed to my smell.
But, this isn’t exactly my first time in a field with a wild buffalo herd. I just stood there and let them get used to me.
I know their eyesight is notoriously bad, especially right in front. I knew he couldn’t clearly see me and I could have let him get even closer. But, I got my shot and it was time to slowly back away.
One block up from the Days Inn is a restaurant I was curious about. I've been to Chicago and had authentic Chicago style pizza. Their beer selection was decent and the pizza pretty good. It's just not the real thing.
Seen on the walk back...
With no plans for the evening, I took a stroll next door to the Holiday Inn, or to be accurate, their parking lot. Their building sits directly west of the Days Inn, blocking sunset.
Coming Up,
The World's Biggest...Fork
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