We stopped at the
Visitor Center to show our Volunteer Pass (one of the perks of
volunteering!). The visitor center had
many wonderful displays. We have found
that Missouri puts a lot of money into their displays.
Visitor Center
There is a 1 mile
nature trail right off the VC parking lot.
It wasn’t raining so we decided to walk it.
One of the most impressive sights on this trail was the thorns on this Honey Locust Tree. Can you imagine trying to climb this one?
The primary purpose of this 21,592 acre refuge is to provide food and shelter for migratory waterfowl and to protect the bottomland hardwood forest. It lies in a basin formed in an ancient abandoned channel of the Mississippi River.
The primary purpose of this 21,592 acre refuge is to provide food and shelter for migratory waterfowl and to protect the bottomland hardwood forest. It lies in a basin formed in an ancient abandoned channel of the Mississippi River.
The Barred Owl played a game of hide-and-seek with us, but we did manage to get a picture.
Barred Owl
The weather was
holding as we started driving the 17 mile Ozark Highlands Auto Tour Route. We were the only ones on the road on this
windy day and were able to stop and get out of the truck whenever we heard or
saw any birds.
A few migratory birds like this Eastern Kingbird are beginning to arrive, but most are still south of us.
The Mingo NWR was
established in 1944 under the authority of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Lots of water and swampy areas.
Red-headed Woodpeckers like areas of flooded timber, and we saw several.
There were plenty of
photo opportunities.
Fry Bluff Overlook.
We decided that Mindo NWR might be the Turtle Capital of Missouri. When the sun came out we saw hundreds of turtles sunning themselves on logs.
It took us a little over 4 hours to drive the 17 mile auto tour. We were getting hungry and had an hour drive to lunch. We have heard of Lambert’s Cafe for years. It’s the home of the “throwed rolls”.
It took us a little over 4 hours to drive the 17 mile auto tour. We were getting hungry and had an hour drive to lunch. We have heard of Lambert’s Cafe for years. It’s the home of the “throwed rolls”.
I can’t believe it but
I didn’t get a picture of the rolls!
They are giant and unbelievably good.
I did however get a shot of the enormous glass of tea.
The food is very
good. We came out with enough leftovers
for another meal.
We didn’t have any
rolls thrown at us. Someone just stopped by
the table and handed them over. But we
did see a few rolls thrown around some of the larger tables.
If you’re in the area
it’s a fun place to stop.
Birds seen at Mingo
National Wildlife Refuge: Black Vulture,
Turkey Vulture, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Goldfinch,
White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Caroline Wren, Eastern Phoebe,
American Crow, Fish Crow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Northern Parula, Brown-headed
Cowbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, American Coot,
Pied-billed Grebe, Canada Goose, Barred Owl, Pileated Woodpecker, Hermit Thrush,
Broad-winged Hawk, Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-shouldered Hawk, Chipping Sparrow, Great Blue Heron, Greater
Yellowlegs, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Wood Duck, Belted Kingfisher, Downey
Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Red-tailed Hawk, Louisiana Waterthrush,
Double-crested Cormorant, Blue-winged Teal, Osprey, Eastern Bluebird, Eastern
Kingbird, Vesper Sparrow, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow.
Red-eared Slider
(turtle), White-tailed Deer, Coyote.
We really enjoyed our visit to Mingo and Lamberts. Three food is great and lots of fun.
ReplyDeleteWe tried to learn if Mingo uses RV volunteers but the person in the office was a student intern who had no idea what we were talking about!
DeleteLunch looked yummy! I've been somewhere else (I think) that threw rolls but can't remember where...I'm sure it wasn't Lamberts given their locations. Getting ready to go to Seattle where they throw fish!
ReplyDeleteWe went to Pikes Place when we were waiting for our Alaska cruise to leave. They didn’t throw them very far!
DeleteI love rolls. Can you throw one my way please? I'll go outside and catch it.
ReplyDeleteTried, but it blew back and I ate it!!
Delete