Taum Sauk Mountain
| Missouri |
Elevation: 1,772'
Vertical Gain: 30'
Vertical Gain: 30'
Date: May 31, 2013
Time: 9:18 AM
Time: 9:18 AM
Weather: Overcast
Party: Bob, Kevin
Party: Bob, Kevin
It wasn't the most luxurious way to wake up this morning ... at about 5:00, to the sound of
thunder, in a car, at an interstate rest area. One thunderclap hit loudly and coincident with the
flash of very close lighting which sent Kevin into a sprint from near the rest room to the car. At
least there was no rain.
Kevin and I continued on to the seventh highpoint of this trip and our number 44. It was a
short, easy and flat walk along a paved path to the highpoint marker where another couple
showed up and we exchanged taking pictures. It felt good to get it in but I know there are not
too many people who would drive an extra 11 hours or so to walk a few hundred yards to the
top of a hill on an overcast day. To help make it feel worthwhile, we also climbed a nearby fire
tower.
From here, we headed north, through St. Louis and past the Gateway Arch, to Moline, Illinois
where we spent the seventh and last night of this trip at a La Quinta hotel. A real bed and
showers felt great. Although we've previously flown through Chicago, we did not count
Illinois as "visited" until now which makes it the 47th state Kevin and I have been to. Only
Alaska, Hawaii, and Washington are left.
thunder, in a car, at an interstate rest area. One thunderclap hit loudly and coincident with the
flash of very close lighting which sent Kevin into a sprint from near the rest room to the car. At
least there was no rain.
Kevin and I continued on to the seventh highpoint of this trip and our number 44. It was a
short, easy and flat walk along a paved path to the highpoint marker where another couple
showed up and we exchanged taking pictures. It felt good to get it in but I know there are not
too many people who would drive an extra 11 hours or so to walk a few hundred yards to the
top of a hill on an overcast day. To help make it feel worthwhile, we also climbed a nearby fire
tower.
From here, we headed north, through St. Louis and past the Gateway Arch, to Moline, Illinois
where we spent the seventh and last night of this trip at a La Quinta hotel. A real bed and
showers felt great. Although we've previously flown through Chicago, we did not count
Illinois as "visited" until now which makes it the 47th state Kevin and I have been to. Only
Alaska, Hawaii, and Washington are left.
Oh yeah, so worth the 11 hour detour!
This tower is nearby.
