I know, I know, it’s out of sequence (I do know my alphabet!) But this week is the week to post our L pictures in the Rope on the Run group on Fetlife, and there were so many fun ones, and we had such an adventure taking them, that I wanted to write this post so I could link to it rather than post them all on my profile. So…shrug…we’re a little bit out of sequence. I promise to catch up on the Alphabet Challenge G – K photos soon.
After W and I got back from Fusion, Ad and I needed some time on our own to reconnect, so we took a Saturday day and went to one of our favorite hiking spots, the Little Grand Canyon in Southern Illinois. I had discovered it a few years ago when we made a trip to the Shawnee Wine Trail for a travel story that I later published in our local paper.
This time was quite a different trip. 😉
We started out at the crack of dawn – literally – because it was supposed to get up to 105 that day, and we wanted to be off the ~4 mile trail before noon (it’s a two hour drive down.) That’s one nice thing about having one boyfriend that is an early riser and one that is a night owl: I can get both sides of me (I do both and either) satisfied. We had actually tried to talk W into coming, as I really want to show him this beautiful, sandstone canyon, and I had a feeling we’d have some great opportunities for some real outdoor bondage, but he was adamant that he had no desire to wake at 5am. And in the end, it was actually a good thing for Ad and I to have some time to ourselves, as W was perceptive enough to point out (another great thing about my Guys: they both look out for each other.) Still, even though we got some fun, playful shots, I think W missed out on a great day, both bondage-wise and just adventure-wise. Oh well, maybe he will acquiesce to going some other time.
There was absolutely no one else on the trail, which afforded us lots of opportunities to fool around.
After we got off the trail, we decided to find someplace for lunch and to cool down. We didn’t have to be anywhere at any certain time, so we did one of our favorite things: followed our curiosity.
Our first deviance from the main path took us down a side road in search of a taxidermy shop. Why, you ask? Because it was called “Look Alive” taxidermy. That amused us both so much that we wanted to get an Alphabet Challenge photo with it, but we never could find a suitable sign for doing so.
While we were looking for it, though, I saw a sign that said, “To Ferry.”
“Hey, did you know there is a ferry down here?” I asked Ad. He hadn’t. We both looked at each other and said at the same moment, “Wanna go on it?”
So I looked at the map on my phone. “Looks like we can take this road to the cut-off for it,” I said. “Or…hmm. Check this out.” I pointed to another road that led to the ferry. “We can take this one – Levee Road.” That appeared shorter, so off we went…
And wound up on a gravel road on – you guessed it – the top of a levee. Photo opp!
We conveniently overlooked the “No Trespassing” and “Danger” signs.
(We took these after we got off the levee. I really hadn’t seen them before!)
Once we got to the ferry though, we realized that we didn’t have enough cash on us for the fare. When the ferryman pulled the ferry in, I went over and asked him if they took credit. He shook his head. “Cash or check,” he said, as the only other vehicle loaded on.
“Oh darn,” I said, turning away. “That’s what I thought, but I thought I’d check anyway. We didn’t realize it was $12. We only have $10 cash.”
He laughed and waved at me. “C’mon,” he said. “Give me what you got. It’ll be our secret.”
So we did, and we ferried across the Missouri River from Illinois to the Missouri side.
Once we got there, we found a little restaurant in Ste. Genevieve and had a delightful lunch, before heading back up the interstate to home.
All in all it was a perfect day. And guess what? That deserted trail may have given me the opportunity for a little bit of Scavenger hunting, as well. Stay tuned!
I enjoyed the trip…thanks. 🙂