Morel Hunting at Lake of the Ozarks

 Camping & Hiking, Lake of the Ozarks, Nature & Outdoors  No Responses »
Apr 052012
 

As I publish this we’re probably getting close to the end of Morel season here around the lake. The giant morel does normally appear toward the end of the season so this weekend may produce some of them. But with the unseasonably warm weather we’ve had, I wouldn’t be surprised to find none. I found some a few days ago in Sunrise Beach, on the west side of the Lake of the Ozarks.

I walked in a switchback pattern up and down some steep slopes. The trees on this slope were mostly oak with a few maple thrown into the mix.  I found a carpet of leaves and a standing dead maple, within a few seconds found a few morchella esculenta. They’re in the picture. Morchella esculenta, like all morels, are one of the most prized of all edible mushrooms and they resist cultivation. Raw mushrooms have a gastrointestinal irritant, but parboiling or blanching before consumption will remove it. Old fruit bodies that show signs of decay may be poisonous.

I really like crab-meat stuffed morel caps and eggs with morels but I didn’t find many, so I let them be. If you foind some morels near the lake, feel free to post them or upload them to Flickr with the tag “lake of the ozarks nature” and they’ll show up in our image gallery. Read more about morels on wiki and I highly recommend Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora.

 

 

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Camdenton, MO. Disc Golf Course

 Camping & Hiking, Lake of the Ozarks  No Responses »
Jan 202012
 

I went and played the new disc golf course in Camdenton today. Snapshot, Dragon Ridge, 28* & overcast, very rugged terrain, elevation changes and light wind. If you’re going to play and want to see the current weather conditions, they’re here.

It’s easy to get to the course. Get on old highway 5 at the traffic light in downtown Camdenton and head north. A little ways down take a left on ball park rd. Head down ball park road and when you see the baseball field pull into the parking lot. Hole one is over by the log ‘arch’ marking the hiking trail-head. There’s a map below that depicts the general location. I’ll try to get exact coordinates next time out.

camdenton mo disc golfIn the picture(by @maryzenx), I’m approaching the basket at hole 1, which is over the hill with a little hyzer. I bounced my mulligan drive off the fence and came up short. If one were to snap a drive right along the hill, very low, this hole can be a birdie(I parred).

The course is a 10 hole course that will test your endurance(especially after throwing 20;). It will eventually have a more manicured appearance and you could actually help that happen. Follow the course on Facebook and see when you can meet the course designer and help him out. Clearing brush, hauling logs, you know the drill. If you’ve ever hiked through the woods in the Ozarks you know the type of terrain we’re talking about here… jagged, rough, and Missouri-tough.

If you’re new to the sport and can only bring 1 disc to play a new putter would work. If you have a few discs and know what you’re doing, I suggest some type of under-stable driver like an old XL by Discraft or a Leopard by Innova Discs. A disc like this will be better for throwing in straight lines, which is a necessity on a course like this.

Along with the driver, it wouldn’t hurt to have a straight line approach disc like a Roc or Classic Roc by Innova Champion again. I normally use the putter as an approach disc but on a very natural course like this a tree could definitely knock my drive down quick so a longer than normal approach shot may be be necessary.

I don’t think being right or left handed will give a golfer any serious advantage at Dragon Ridge. I’ll expand this topic over the next couple weeks as I go learn the course.

If you’ve played the course or maybe if you want to throw a round or two feel free to leave a comment below.

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Ha Ha Tonka State Park

 Camping & Hiking, Lake of the Ozarks  No Responses »
Dec 182011
 

ha ha tonkaHa Ha Tonka State Park is a state park in Mid-Missouri, United States, located near Camdenton on the Niangua arm of the Lake of the Ozarks. The area has several caves, sinkholes, and bluffs overlooking the lake.

The most notable feature of the park is the stone ruins of a mansion, called “the castle”, which burned down in 1942. The state purchased the property for the park which opened in 1978.

There is an observation point across from the Post Office where one can view the “castle” and the water tower which was repaired in 2004, with a new roof installed.

The state park is on a road used by locals to commute to work and the speed can be high; for the safety of visitors there are hiking trails to get to the caves and the castle, and walking on the road is not recommended. -wiki

Hiking on 15+ miles of trails will bring you from the peak to the lake.  One may also go Caving by permit at Island Cave or have a supervised tour of River Cave(dec/feb).

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