When You Wander weather is a factor that you cannot control. You can however, make the best of it. After leaving the Mark Twain National Forest our planned destination was Roaring River State Park in Southern Missouri. If you’re a nomad or just traveling through the Midwest and don’t want to break the bank on lodging, Missouri state parks start at $13 for tent sites—a steal compared to many RV and private campgrounds. Roaring River is located about 15 minutes from the Arkansas border and close to Liana’s uncle and aunt’s home, which would be our next stop.

Sometimes plans don’t always work out. The storms began at about 11 pm the night before. Lightning flashing, thunder booming, and rain tapping on Stan’s roof was our free entertainment and source of anxiety for the rest of the night. A storm in the Ozarks is a reminder of how small we are in the hands of Mother Nature.

A Stormy Delay

The next morning as we drove county Hwy 8 to the interstate, black clouds, lightning, and high waters were warning us of things to come. There was no end to the storm that seemed to be daring us to keep going. The clouds were moving quickly and in every direction. We nervously joked about feeling like we were in the movie Twister, but were unsure of what to do if a cow did actually fly by the window.

After consulting weather reports and calls from Liana’s family it was confirmed that we were driving into what was expected to be the worst flash flooding in Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas in recent history. We’ve been known to throw caution to the wind and go camping regardless of the weather forecast (sorry to all of those who ventured out with us and got soaked). However, this was not a weather system we were willing to mess with, and sometimes you have to pick your battles. So we settled into the Route 66 KOA (Kampgrounds of America, no I never figured out why they spelled campground with a K) just west of Springfield, MO.

The forecast stated that the flood warning was in effect for the next 48 hours. So there we were, not a week into our travels and we’re stuck. Okay, maybe we had showers, laundry, camp store, game room, WiFi, and pizza delivery right to our campsite, but we were stuck none the less. As we started to get restless, the next day the clouds cleared and the sun began to shine. We wanted to make the best of our delay by exploring the area, and decided to visit Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield.

Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield

I am not the Civil War buff, my dad is, so don’t expect a Ken Burns documentary to follow. However, during the southern leg of our wanderings these reminders of the war that took over 600,000 American lives will be unavoidable.

As we entered the battlefield the sun was reflecting off the dew on the grass. Wilson’s Creek looked more like Wilson’s Raging River with the water level covering many trees on the banks. The thing that struck us the most about this place was that it was absolutely beautiful. It was hard to believe over 2,000 casualties occurred here under the thunder of cannons and muskets on August 10, 1861.

While medical advancements were barbaric at best, the killing machines used in the battle were more than effective. Cannons shooting Howitzer exploding rounds were the most frightening, while dirty bone saws and contaminated equipment was spreading equally deadly infection in the medical tents.

The only little known fact I will share from the battlefield museum is about Union officer LT George Sokalski. He was the first Polish-American graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point. After the battle he was highly commended for bravery and went on to fight in 55 more Civil War engagements.

Stuck in a Rut (Literally)

While it began to rain again that night, clear weather was on the way. We decided to get an early start the next morning so we tucked into Stan and called it a night. Being that Stan weighs about 4,500 pounds and the lawn that we were parked on was saturated, Stan sunk about 4 inches while we slept. The Route 66 KOA boasts it’s the “Friendliest Holler in the Ozarks” and they sure lived up to this claim as they kindly pulled us out of the mud so we could continue on our journey.

Has there been a time when your travel plans were delayed? How do you deal with bad weather When You Wander? Any favorite rainy day travel activities? Tell us about it in the comments. Thanks!

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