In Search of Color - Part 3

One of the things we forgot to mention about Hardy is that it is in what they call the Ozark Boothills. We are not sure why they call them 'boothills' maybe because they are bit bigger than hills but not big enough to be mountains. Either way - they are still lots of fun to drive though and on our way back home we came across this pawsome water wheel. It doesn't work anymore but it was so neat to see.













We also saw a series of bridges and breakwaters to slow the river down which was pretty neat too. The little bridges were sadly in bad shape and Mom wouldn't let us go near them. There was actually 3 of them - each one about 200 feet apart. What puzzles us - is who built them as they are just 'there'. There is no houses, businesses or stores nearby and it doesn't look like there ever was. Mom with her ever pondering mind wondered why they were built but is glad they were because it is such a pretty spot.













And YES - finally - we got to see some real color. As usual Mom has a pet peeve about this too. Driving through the boothills was so pretty but there was not a single place to stop and enjoy the views. Some of the colors we saw were so amazing but we couldn't get photos of them. There is just one spot right on the edge of the boothill where they have built a liquor store (in the middle of nowhere we might add) that we could stop and take a picture. Mom just doesn't understand why American roads (at least around here) don't have 'way stops' as the Aussies call them. Now 'way stops' are not the same as rest stops - way stops are just normally little areas you can pull off away from the traffic. Back home in Australia the truckers use them a lot to just take a quick nap or rest up for a while and they are popular with travelers as they are usually placed in a scenic spot. Where Mom lived in Australia there were 'way stops' about 20 miles.













When we finally come out of the boothills we came to a tiny town called Ravendale - population 248 and one giant bird! We had to stop and get a picture of it - The Ravendale Raven. Denny was too scared of it to even get out of the car which is why you don't see him in the pictures - what a Dweeb! I guess he was pretty sinister looking. Oddly enough we did see a lot of ravens in the area - although Mom is pretty sure they are big old crows and not ravens - but the English who first settled the are probably thought they were ravens - hence the name.