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The two RV Gypsies
ready for their 14th Segway tour - this time at Dogwood Canyon - a
super-cool way to experience the Nature Park! This was a round-trip
tour (4 miles total) on beautiful trails to the Glory Hole, a blue-green
pool where big trout reside. But first the two RV Gypsies listened to
a safety speech, which is always a good thing, no matter how many times
they have ridden on a Segway. |
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Karen Duquette does not bring
her big camera on Segways, so Lee Duquette carries a small camera and
snaps a lot of photos while gliding on his Segway. For some reason,
the quality of these pictures was not quite as good as they normally
are. There were a lot of backlighting situations. This entire place
is so much more beautiful than these photos reflect. |
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Below: Long Pine Crossing
Covered Bridge across Little Indian Creek in Dogwood Canyon Nature Park,
Stone County, Missouri. The covered bridge was built by the Amish Community
in 1992. Length 80 feet. |
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Below: The Hope Wilderness
Chapel, completed in 2002, is a replica of traditional places of worship
from the 1800’s. Handcrafted by Dogwood Canyon staff members,
the chapel features local materials including native short-leaf pine
logs, rough-sawn oak flooring and an eastern red cedar ceiling. The
chapel’s back wall, made entirely of windows, frames a picturesque
view of one of many waterfalls at Dogwood Canyon. This creates the ideal
backdrop for your special day. The Wilderness Chapel seats 120 guests
and is available for weddings, vow renewals, meetings, and special services.
Jim, the person giving the two RV Gypsies a Segway tour on this date.
also officiates the weddings held here. The winding staircase going
down to the basement was closed off. The picture is blurry, but still
interesting to note that the staircase exists. |
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Below: View of a waterfall
behind the Chapel, as seen from the back balcony of the Chapel. Some
weddings are even held on the patio below instead of inside of the church.
NOTE: (Karen Duquette's shirt lists all the places the two RV Gypsies
have taken Segway tours. After the tour, she will add Dogwood Canyon
onto the shirt - ride #14). She has made shirts in several different
colors. And of course, there will be many more Segway tours as time
continues on. |
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As the two RV Gypsies continued
their Segway tour, many of the crossings were at the base of small waterfalls
created by dams or “weirs” to provide oxygen flow for the
trout. Lee Duquette snapped a few of them as he rode by on his Segway. |
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The two RV Gypsies at Thunder
Falls - (again backlighting) |
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Among the more fascinating
archaeological sites in the canyon are several caves. Some were low
on the ground such as the one shown below, and some were located high
in the face of a steep bluff. Researchers located ancient Native American
cave burials here during the creation of the park. The caves themselves
are not open to the public, but can be seen from the tour road loading
through the park. |
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The Segways stopped for
a view of Great Spirit Rock Shelter. |
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Then the two RV Gypsies walked
up to the spot shown in the photo below on the right, just under the
waterfall. |
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Of course, Karen Duquette
had to feel the cool water as it dripped down the face of a stone wall. |
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The weather and sunlight position
did not provide the perfect setting to capture the water glistening
in the sunlight as it poured down the cliff from above, but nonetheless,
the photos are still interesting. |
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Karen
Duquette reached out towards the water flowing down in front of her.
Of course she knew her arms weren't long enough to actually touch the
water, but thought maybe a drop or two of water would jump her way. |
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From the cliff side, the two
RV Gypsies thought the bridge across the way was amazing as its opening
reflected into the creek and formed the illusion of a complete circle.
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Jim said the bridge is called
Bear Bridge because one of the rocks in the center of the bridge looks
like a bears face. However, it is hard to see in the photo below. |
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The two RV Gypsies forgot
what Jim said the plant show below was called. If Jim goes on this website,
hopefully he will e-mail the two RV Gypsies the name of this plant and
the other one below. Anyway, he said it was good for someone who maybe
got into poison ivy. Guess the two RV Gypsies need better memories. |
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The two RV Gypsies also don't
remember the name of this plant. But when it has berries, the berries
are said to be edible, but the plant leaves would be poisonous. No thank
you. The two RV Gypsies are not recommending anyone to eat anything
mentioned on this page. |
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One of the highlights of the
tour (besides riding a Segway) is the beautiful blue-green pool called
The Glory Hole - a beautiful pool of clear water fed by a waterfall.
Jim gave the two RV Gypsies time to get off their Segways and they explored
the scenic spot and climbed a few stairs to the overlook. |
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The unique, natural coloring is created
by the water depth and the reflection of light.? |
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No fishing is allowed in this
special place, so the giant rainbow trout grow to unbelievable lengths.
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Across from the Glory Hole,
is an area where Karen Duquette fed the fish. It was really funny because
as soon as the fish food hit the water, dozens of fish were in a frenzy
to eat, and water actually splashed up on Karen. |
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Below: Turtle Rock Bridge.
This was a bumpy ride on the Segway and the two RV Gypsies had to ride
very slowly across it because Jim said sometimes the bounciness could
cause the Segway to shut off. Of course, that did not happen to the
two RV Gypsies. |
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At the end of the tour, there
was a big boulder shaped like a buffalo. Karen wanted a picture with
their tour guide, Jim. Then Jim took a photo of the two RV Gypsies "riding
the buffalo". |
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The ride back was non-stop,
and the two RV Gypsies glided on their Segways at a faster speed. This
was a trip with really amazing scenery. Jim was a wonderful tour guide,
and the two RV Gypsies really enjoyed every second of the tour. They
did not know that the park also offers an "Advanced tour"
which is longer, or they would have signed up for that. They did not
see any mention of that in brochures or on the internet, and Jim only
mentioned it at the end of this trip. Oh well, the two RV Gypsies will
remember this if they get back in this area again. Thanks Jim! |