April 11, 2015
Ozark Jeep Thing
Rush Springs Ranch
Lorena and I were privileged that Matt and Krystin Knox invited us to stay with them Friday allowing us to break up our 6 hour drive. We treat them to breakfast Saturday morning, then make our way to the designated assembly area, Hood’s Truck Stop at exit 61. There we reaffirm old acquaintances and soon we are on our way towards our destination Rush Springs Ranch.
Rush Springs Ranch is a multifunction outdoor activity area that offers hiking, fishing, equestrian, Atv and Jeep trails. The entrance is well marked and the road is well maintained leading to the attendant’s office. The maps are color coded for difficulty with green for easy, yellow for moderate, red for difficult and purple for rock crawling. They are a little confusing because they do not contain orientation markings. After we sign in we make our way towards the camping/cabins. There are several cabins and they are adequately described on their website. Make sure to bring your bedding! Lorena and I had the small cabin designated number 1 and it was cedar lined and clean, with the mattresses being serviceable allowing for a comfortable rest. Ours was equipped with electricity, heat/AC, mini fridge, and microwave. There were grills at the cabins, but the one at our cabin was in disrepair. The bathhouse is nearby and offered several showers and bathrooms. The bathroom decor was intriguing, but was lacking toiletries and the shower’s water supply had been turned off. The RV camp sites were rough and would be somewhat tight for motor coaches or large RVs. There was a large parking area for day use and several pit toilets scattered around the park. Overall it seemed a little neglected, but maybe it was early in the season and they were behind.
Aaron leads us into the trail system and down to the bottoms, where there is a picturesque valley with a limestone bluffs all around containing an atv playground and some short rock crawling trails to practice on. We play around briefly before Aaron leads us up the Water Fall a rocky ravine where you must make a hairpin turn across a washout and climb a steep bank. Here is where the carnage commenced, Clint Ackerman was wheeling his Grand sporting the OEM bumper and bump stops, which at complete flex allowed the tire to dislocate the front bumper and flare the fender well. The rear bumper turned into a dozer blade preventing retreat, so help was rendered to extract him before we could continue. Along the creek trail we pass several old cars to find a limestone notch that required tedious tire placement to continue unscathed. We come to Buzzard Crossing road, which wasn’t on our map, but which has an undercut tapered five foot climb, very similar to Cheap Trick at SMORR. Aaron and I soon find that the undercut was just big enough to eat 38’s. There is a bypass, so soon we a finishing the trail. We break for lunch and fellowship, before heading out to do more exploring. While Aaron scouts a red trail I am lured by a Rock Wash’s siren call and into trouble. Bill Rippey uses his bulk and Matt Knox does a roll cage press to rescue me. Hahaha fun for all! We follow Aaron to make a loop down a rocky ravine that was not very challenging, but enjoyable. We then follow the creek bed to purple trail named Log Jam. This trail was challenging and provided the highlight of our day as Shanna and Joy man handled the obstacle with some judicious spotting by the Clints. Overall this park has some amazing scenery and wheeling, but is under developed. With a little management it could be a top tier recreation destination. Our day nearly spent we make our way back to camp for supper and refreshments. Our Chef Clint Ackerman prepared an old fashioned shrimp boil with all the trimmings that soon sated the hungriest participants. Here is where I will leave my readers; for I am a G-rated writer, but let me tease you for the night included a Spanish Moon on an overcast night!
Good time and good peeps make good memories.
