On a dark February day, we scanned a map showing April’s eclipse path. We wanted to see it in totality, but where would be the best viewing site? Wildflowers made the decision easy.
The eclipse could have lured us to Pennsylvania, upper New England, or Indiana but vegetation there would still be in late winter mode. Driving southward offered not only amazing astronomical viewing but also the spring’s awakening.
We love spring’s burst of greenery and wildflowers as warmth permeates woodlands. In Iowa that usually begins in late April. While deciding which way to head we remembered naturalist Edwin Way Teale’s book, North with The Spring. In it he describes how seasons progress about 15 miles a day.
We decided to see the eclipse from Heber Springs, Arkansas, about 400 miles due south of Cedar Rapids. During a two-day drive to eclipse totality, we’d see spring advance about three weeks and likely camp in a warm place.
Although we’ve been to all 50 states and spent much time in the north, we’d only passed through the Ozark Plateau twice, midsummer and fall. We’d never had time to linger there. This time we could take in the amazing geology, natural history, and culture of this ancient land form. Our route would take us to Graham Cave, Onondaga Cavern, Johnson’s Shut-Ins and Great Golf State Parks with side jaunts to see Big Spring. They all looked close on the Missouri Map.
We left Cedar Rapids midday on April 5. Direct high-speed roads brought us to Graham Cave State Park near Danville, Missouri, by late afternoon, giving us time to pitch our tent, walk to the cave, and see what was flowering. It’s actually a rock shelter used by Native Americans long ago, much like Meadowcroft Rockshelter in Avella, Pennsylvania. Along a rambling trail we spotted our quarry. Dutchman’s Breeches, a delightful spring woodland wildflower, were in bloom a week or two before they’d appear at home. Nearby we photographed a misty seep oozing water over a rock wall studded with moisture-loving plants. From our tent that evening owls and distant coyotes serenaded us.
On our second day we entered the Ozark Plateau and realized our trip plans would have to change.
Missouri Route 19 bisects the vast woods and rugged terrain of this ancient mountain range. The road rises and falls as it twists and turns. Strong on scenery, it lacks the opportunity to speed along. Although several of the parks we planned to visit didn’t look far away on the map, getting there would take more time than we had. As we gradually motored south, we realized that driving in the Ozarks is not as fast as on Iowa’s mostly straight roads. Although driving was slow, it provided rustic views along every curve and rise.
The Ozark Mountains lack lofty grandeur. Its highest point is a mere 2,561 feet above sea level. Perhaps the region is best called an upland or vast plateau. Although not high as mountains go, the Ozark Plateau is the highest area between Eastern and Western Mountain ranges. It is largely in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas with a bit in Eastern Oklahoma. In total the plateau covers about 47,000 square miles, or almost as big as all of Iowa.
The Ozarks are the eroded remains of ancient towering mountains that have a diverse and fascinating geological history. They include steep hills, dense forests, caves, clear running rivers emerging from massive springs, and varied vegetation and wildlife. “I’ve climbed to some high areas and discovered fossils of ancient sea creatures, proving that the land was once under water,” said non-relative, but friend, Gregg Patterson.
The Ozarks are wild and large enough to be the home of wild elk, bears, and abundant deer and wild turkeys. Spring brings warblers that rest there before journeying further north.
The plateau may not be wilderness but has an overall wild feeling. Scattered patches of cultivated ground and pastures are islands in a vast forest. Only a few towns punctuate the woods. No towns are big. Hermann, Missouri, where we stopped for breakfast, is one of the most interesting. The German town has a great vibe and features quaint hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, cafes and shops. Vineyards and wineries surround town.
Further south we stopped in tiny Eminence, Missouri, to watch kayakers drift by on Jacks Fork River. Its water runs clear with a turquoise tint like the nearby Current and Eleven Point rivers. Near Eminence is 1,265-foot Coot Mountain. Campgrounds and lodges cater to river runners.
The thick oak forest and rugged terrain spill over the Missouri state line. As we continued south on twisty Arkansas roads toward the town of Heber Springs we were greeted by abundant blooms of both wild and cultivated plants. Budding leaves glowed with spring’s soft green tint. Flowering dogwoods and redbuds shone like beacons in the understory, and from the earth rose a delicious spring aroma under the warming sun. Although we’d been on the road only two days, we were three weeks further into spring than Cedar Rapids. Twisty roads stretched the drive to about 550 miles.
The streets, cafes and shops of Mountain View, Arkansas, were bustling with visitors, many there to witness the upcoming eclipse. Although nestled in the Ozarks the town feels Appalachian. We toured a dulcimer shop, enjoyed barbecue pork sandwiches and tarried to hear a local band playing music that seemed like a blend of rhythms developed in the backwoods by families living in modest isolation.
Two hours later we pitched our tent along Greers Ferry Lake near Heber Springs. “The town sits in an ecotone of the extreme southern end of the Ozark Plateau ecoregion. Southern spring comes in early March with bright yellow daffodils, a woodland carpet of bluebells, the songs of migrating birds, and the valley filling (with the) gobbling of tom turkeys,” said Heber Springs resident Gregg Patterson.
Eclipse viewing was spectacular on a perfectly clear day, but the experience was richer by sharing the gathering darkness with fellow campers. Seated in lawn chairs with others we had just met, we felt bonded by mutual fascination with this amazing event and the expected beauty of a gathering spring.
After the eclipse we needed to hustle back to Cedar Rapids, but the faster drive north on more direct U.S. Hwy. 63 was a mirror image of our southern descent a few days earlier. As we gained latitude flowers faded, the air cooled, and trees remained relatively dormant. Arriving home we found our Iowa neighborhood was still in late winter mode.
Public land
The Ozark Plateau is filled with public land. The Ozark and Mark Twain National forests are huge woodlands open to hiking, hunting and camping. State parks are abundant and scattered about, and national scenic rivers welcome rafters.
The Army Corps of Engineers has crafted massive dams roughly along the Missouri/Arkansas state line. Today deep water fills former wild hollows. These sprawling lakes include Bull Shoals, Norfork and Greers Ferry. All are open to public recreation and offer anglers a southern anomaly. Walleyes, crappies and bass are popular quarries in warm still water above the dams but below them are amazing trout fisheries. They thrive in the cool deep water discharged from reservoirs. Huge trout are often caught in these tailwaters, including a 40-pound 4-ounce monster. All the big reservoirs are ringed by campsites and lodges. Guiding services help anglers find fish.
Using Edwin Way Teal’s advice to prolong seasons
By driving south in early April, we enjoyed spring’s beauty first in Arkansas and a couple of weeks later in Iowa. Unless skewed by mountains or large bodies of water, spring tends to move north about 15 miles a day and autumn south by the same distance.
By driving south, we fast forwarded spring. If we had chosen to drive north from Cedar Rapids in late April, we could experience spring as it drifts toward Canada.
It works in the fall. Rich autumn leaf color is a couple of weeks earlier in northern Wisconsin than in Iowa and later in the Ozarks. Driving north or south during seasonal changes gives an opportunity to prolong gorgeous seasonal change.
Rich and Marion Patterson have backgrounds in environmental science and forestry. They co-own Winding Pathways, a consulting business that encourages people to “Create Wondrous Yards.”
