Joplin

1. Hackett Hot Wings
2. Magic Noodle
3. Pizza by Stout
4. Bella Peppers
5. Red Onion

Really, the only one that surprised me was Magic Noodle. Not because it isn’t great (it is!) but because I can’t recall it ever being even slightly crowded. The other four are obvious favorites of just about everyone I know. It seems like half the people I know would list “Red Onion” as their favorite Joplin eatery. In fact Steph and I are going there tonight!

Another of my favorites that didn’t make the top 5, but was fairly high on the list was Andy + Bridgette’s favorite – UnderCliff. Ichiban Sushi was just shy of the top 5 as well. I was surprised that Big R’s BBQ wasn’t anywhere on the list. That place is great and it’s always packed!

What I found interesting, though not hugely surprising was that one of my long time favorites, Club 609 was way down the list, 2 slots below the Dairy Queen / Orange Julius booth at the mall. The biggest common complaint was that the prices have gone up so much in recent years that they far exceeded the food, service and overall experience. Which I would probably have to agree with.

Overall the list was just a reminder that we have a lot of really great dining options in Joplin.

I rode from my house up Old 66 and got on the trail where it crosses the road just before Steph’s parent’s house. I wasn’t sure which direction to go, so I chose east into Carthage. The gravel on the 2 mile section from Carthage is extremely coarse, more like driveway gravel than something suitable for a bike trail. It was rideable…but barely. I heard that there was a mis-communication when the gravel was ordered. The trail going west toward Oronogo is the correct small gravel normally found on bike trails.

It turned out to be a bit shorter than I expected, my entire trip was only 11.5 miles. Most of the trail crosses through farm land, so I wouldn’t describe it as terribly scenic, but nearing Carthage there is a nice canopy of trees shading the trail. Also this section appears to receive heavier use, so it was a bit more worn and the rough driveway gravel was less annoying.

When complete, the Ruby Jack trail will ultimately run from Carthage to the KS state line. Initially it was planned as a bi-state trail all the way to Columbus, KS. However, Cherokee County passed an ordinance in response to those plans that effectively prohibits the rail-trail from entering Kansas. So until the good people of Cherokee County overcome their fear of bikers and joggers, the trail will stop at the state line.

Rough gravel aside, I am really excited about this trail. I think it’s a great asset to the area and another excellent component of the ever expanding trail system in the Joplin area.

Although I am more than ready for warmer temps and seeing the deciduous trees come back to life, I always enjoy a good snow storm. Taking this was actually a bit tricky, thanks to the horizontally blowing snow. I felt like I was trekking up to the north pole or something just walking around in the front yard.

What’s really on my mind though is the bike ride this saturday. I recall when they postponed it to March thinking “it can be really cold in March… heck it could even SNOW!” So we’ll see how the next few days shape up for bike riding…

Lakeside Park near Carterville, approximately 100 years ago.

This place has always fascinated me and I like to walk around and imagine what it was like back in the day. Sometime I should take copies of the old postcards and try to take photos from the exact same angles… another day I suppose.

Here is an old post card. This is cool because at least part of all 3 structures are still around today. The arched bridge, the supports for the bath house, and parts of the dam.

This bridge is long gone but the support posts are still around – however I didn’t get a pic.

This used to be the low dam that held back the small “lake”. People would walk across here and get their feet wet. I have concluded that the roller coaster was located to the southeast of the dam – so it would be in this photo if still standing.

Another random old wall further downstream. I think it’s cool to imagine the people constructing this wall around the turn of the previous century. For decades this place was full of people and good times. Now there is only the sound of the river and the birds.

Lindsay, me, and Kim

I had a great time just mingling among friends, family, and random people who were out enjoying the evening and checking out some art in the process. Definitely a fun thing, and I hope to be able to do it again in the future!! The only problem was that in all the excitement I forgot to take any photos once the event got rolling. Luckily this one was snapped when Lindsay and Kim stopped by right before things started.

Downtown Joplin in all it's splendor.

I will be sharing a space with Jason Shelfer at 515 S. Main and I think his wife may do some light catering of the event. So I have been very busy the last few days getting my stuff ready for my first official ’show’ here in Joplin. I think i’ll have about 15 of my favs nicely framed and on display. It’s totally last minute so our gallery may not be as fancy as some of the others, but I am sure our works will not disappoint!

Anyways, I hope everyone comes out and stops by!

Getting ready for the TA110 bike ride

Items of note include the fact that I was apparently in much better condition this year. I made it up every single hill, including the wall of death in Seneca and the never ending stairway to hell on OK-10 north of Grove (last year I had to push up at least 5 or 6 of the hills). Also I shaved an hour and 20 minutes off my previous ride time!

I figure the real reason I was so much faster this year was just that I was wearing spandex shorts. At first I was a bit nervous and awkward about sporting the banana hammock but once I was going I just enjoyed the fact that I didn’t have shorts bunching up everywhere. I kept feeling that people were staring at my junk but in retrospect they were probably just staring at the fact that I was doing the hardest bike ride around on a hybrid trek 7100 retrofitted with race tires.

All in all it was a great ride and I had a lot of fun. These bike events are a blast and I’m very much addicted to them…now I’m looking forward to the Gorilla Century in a couple months. I’m still not quite ready for a full century route, but I can feel it getting closer within reach!

Sometimes though, history is as funny as it is interesting and this photo is a prime example of how the perception of something can change if given enough time. What once said “we have the best”, if published today would be an embarrassment.