We hitched up and left Eureka, MO today. We are heading out to Mountainview, AR to the rendezvous spot for the caravan.

We drove about 50 miles along the interstate, then we topped off fuel in Rolla, MO. We left the interstate and said goodbye to civilization…

This is Missouri…

We no longer saw vast field of corn; here was more general farming and lots of rolling hills…

This is Willow Springs, MO, about halfway to the border…

We moved on…

These roads are all marked 55 mph, but the entire way is all curves, uphill, and downhill. The entire way is signed as SLOW – 25 mph, 35 mph, 45 mph for the curves, so there is no way you can go 55 mph…

The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant portion of northern Arkansas and most of the southern half of Missouri, extending from Interstate 40 in central Arkansas to Interstate 70 in central Missouri.

There are two mountain ranges in the Ozarks: the Boston Mountains of Arkansas and the St. Francois Mountains of Missouri. Buffalo Lookout, the highest point in the Ozarks, is located in the Boston Mountains. Geologically, the area is a broad dome with the exposed core in the ancient St. Francois Mountains. The Ozarks cover nearly 47,000 square miles (120,000 km2), making it the most extensive highland region between the Appalachians and Rockies. Together with the Ouachita Mountains, the area is known as the U.S. Interior Highlands.

The Salem Plateau, named after Salem, Missouri, makes up the largest geologic area of the Ozarks. The second largest is the Springfield Plateau, named after Springfield, Missouri, nicknamed the “Queen City of the Ozarks”. On the northern Ozark border are the cities of St. Louis and Columbia, Missouri. Significant Ozark cities in Arkansas include Fayetteville, Bentonville, Springdale, Eureka Springs, and Fort Smith. Branson, just north of the Arkansas–Missouri border, is a tourist destination and popularizer of Ozark culture.

As we drove south we finally crossed over into Arkansas…

This is Arkansas – the countryside is not much different than southern Missouri…

Some fixer-upper real estate is sometimes available…

We arrived at the Ozarks RV Park in Mountainview… Three other Airstreamers were already here – these are our leaders, co-leaders, and a friend who came in early to help out…

We set up the Villa, and met our new friends; soon we all headed out together to go to dinner. At 4:30! We went to The Wing Shack and Cheeseburger Grill, one of the finer attractions in town…

And an enjoyable time was had by all…