DAY 8: HA HA TONKA STATE PARK

Our son-in-law was off work for the day, so the 6 of us set out in 2 vehicles to go to Ha Ha Tonka State Park. This is located southeast of Camdenton, just off US-54. Like most state parks in Missouri, it's free. Can't beat the bargain!

There are several points of interest within the park, and worth a little exploration. The first was Snyder's Castle. The man decided, back in the early 1900's, to build a huge home of stone/rock on the bluffs above the Osage River. He began the house in 1906, but died a year later with the inside of the home unfinished. It wasn't until 1922 that his sons finished the home. Unfortunately, in 1947, the house, and much of the close surrounding area, was consumed by fire. The remains are now part of Ha Ha Tonka State Park.

Donna Summer 2016 Missouri 002 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

What is left of the Carriage House:
Donna Summer 2016 Missouri 003 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

What's left of the house itself:
Donna Summer 2016 Missouri 009 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

What the inside looks like now:
Donna Summer 2016 Missouri 018 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

How it was built:
Donna Summer 2016 Missouri 031 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The water tower - built to bring water up from a natural spring close by:
IMG_5950 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Another place of interest within Ha Ha Tonka SP is the natural bridge. This is very different from the natural bridges of Lake Powell, Arches NP, and similar, but formed of different type rock found in Missouri.

This is my husband standing underneath the natural bridge:
IMG_5954 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

My husband's photo taken from underneath the natural bridge, looking back at me and my daughter. (The two grandkids and my son-in-law were not able to get to the natural bridge, as it was not accessible to anything with wheels.)
Warren 2016 Summer Wk 1 067 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

As for the rest of the day -- daughter and I left the kids with Daddy and Grampa, and headed for the Osage Beach Premium Outlet Center. It's an outdoor center, not an enclosed mall. She wanted to get to a store with a really good sale going on this week, and I wanted to visit the outlet of a store that I love but can't always get to. The nearest store to me is in Yuma, AZ.


Donna