Laughing Waters
September 29, 2008
Or, if you are an Osage Indian, hahatonka or, if you are at the Lake of the Ozarks, Ha Ha Tonka State Park. Here is an excellent site that tells all about this unique State Park. It is the location of Missouri’s eleventh largest spring, one that pumps out an average of 48 million gallons a day at a frigid 55 degrees all year round, more than enough to make the water downstream ripple and laugh. Here is what the spring looked like during a recent visit with daughter and son-in-law Linda and Kim Schmidt.
The spring feeds the Niangua arm of the Lake of the Ozarks. Another attraction at the Park is a ‘castle,’ perched at the top of a steep bluff some 316 steps and 200 feet above the spring. I just have to mention that this septuagenarian negotiated those steps without puffing, first down and then back up. Here is the castle as viewed from about halfway down the steps.
The castle was built of limestone blocks. The link above gives some of the details. The several buildings were built in the 1930s and destroyed by fire in 1942. Today, many of the blocks are still scarred by the fire. The view of the Ozark forest from the castle looks like this.
There are many nature trails for the hikers and naturalists. There can’t be many better ways to spend a fall day.
Dave
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So you got back to that park, and took a camera along! It’s a truly unique place, and I hope to visit it again some day.