Ironton

I started the morning with a nice breakfast and conversation with my host, Rachel. I learned, among other things, that she and her husband acquired this property just before COVID. And, well, you know the rest of the story. It had been renovated to some extent, but they did a lot more work and are continuing to improve the property, both the buildings and the landscaping. The lovely interior detail I mentioned yesterday is all her work.

Rachel has a young son who is a kidney patient. She is also a nurse, so knows from whence she speaks. I have an adult friend who is a kidney patient, but apparently children present additional challenges for both transplants and care. One of the more egregious stories she told me is that health insurance, particularly government-backed health insurance does not fully cover the very expensive anti-rejection medication. Patients are left to ration medication or they just run out. And then the kidney is rejected and they end up back on dialysis which apparently is covered. And of course, this disproportionately affects people of low socio-economic status, many of whom are people of color. And apparently one company has a virtual monopoly on the meds, which keeps the price inflated. I was horrified, but not surprised to hear this story. It is just one more example of our broken health care system here in the U.S. of A.

On that note, I headed out to take a hike. My destination was the Taum Sauk State Park, in particular a 3 mile trail that dips down to a waterfall at its apex, then climbs back up. The trail was described, variously, as moderately difficult to difficult. The warnings included bluffs, drop-offs and loose rock. As usual, the descriptions were inflated. Yes, it was a rough trail, much of it was rocky and contained additional trip hazards such as roots. And there were some mild elevation changes. However, I never saw a drop-off, unless they were talking about the falls area itself. And even then, you would have to go looking for it. The falls, themselves, were dry. This was not unexpected at this time of year. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful hike. The last of the wildflowers were hanging on, amidst the beginning of the leaves changing color and a couple of stray monarchs. Remember we are much further south now, so at the bleeding edges of fall foliage. I had been feeling a bit jaded at this point in my trip and this hike was a nice pick-me-up.

I saw only one other couple on the trail. Jeff and Jean, down from Minnosota, came up the trail as I was photographing the falls area. They gave me some good tips for several of my upcoming states.

I had planned to visit a couple of additional areas in the afternoon, including Johnson’s Shut-ins State Park, but the rains predicted for evening started around 2 PM. My weather app continued to show cloudy conditions all afternoon, while I watched the rain come down. I finally gave up and returned to my very comfortable room. I’m sorry I did not have more time in this area. The Arcadia Valley is a hidden gem and has much to offer. I learned from another gentlemen (I failed to write down his name, but he is a geologist) whom I met in the parking lot of Millstream Gardens that, although iron is no longer mined in the area, there is an ongoing cobalt mining operation. I also learned that shut-ins refers to rock formations, not people.

Tomorrow I head west to Kansas City to finish out my time in Missouri. According to the forecast, I will be driving in the rain. Stay tuned.