A visit to the Mid-West has to include a road trip! I traversed the State from East to West in a day of leisurely and traffic/stress free driving from St Louis to Joplin on the Western border with Kansas and Oklahoma. En route I was seduced by the entertaining roadside billboards to call in at the Meramec Caverns – another typically Missourian blend of scenic wonder and history. The scenic wonder is revealed in the 1 hr 20 min tour of just part of the impressive cave system, which features imaginative lighting (1st photo). The history is delivered by the stories told of Jesse James and his outlaw gang using Meramec Caverns as a successful hideaway after their skullduggery (2nd photo).
Joplin grew up over the underground wealth of the “Tri-State” mining district, which generated most of America’s lead and zinc. The Joplin Museum Complex here offers a revealing glimpse into the mining history, complete with astonishing mineral specimens (3rd photo). My road trip was completed by driving some of the old Route 66 which meanders through this South West corner of the State (4th photo).
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