From one river to the next, we head south down the Lewis and Clark Trail to Missouri. After spending plenty of time at one of the country's great river, we head a little east to, arguably, its greatest river.
The Mississippi River runs north and south down the center of the United States, serving as a border and/or major water arterial for a total of ten different states. The Mississippi has always had plenty of history, first serving as the western border for the original Colonial America prior to British limitations for governance, and later reinstated once the states gained their independence. Today, call signs for radio and television stations are separated by this mighty river, with most to the east beginning with W, and most to the west beginning with K.
When you hear Missouri and the Mississippi River, most think of St. Louis and the Gateway Arch, or Hannibal, the original home of Samuel Langhorn Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. However, take a ride further south down the river to the city of Cape Girardeau. This city served as an important point during the American Civil War for the Union army, as they sought to hold control of the Mississippi, culminating in a battle in 1863. Some artifacts and ruins still exist, and can be toured. If war history isn't your cup of tea, head to the wall separating the city center from the river. On the city side, enjoy a wonderful mural of Missouri history in general, along with a tribute to several of the state's most famous residents. On the river side, take a lovely walk along the shore, seeing one of the old riverboats once very important to the area.
After experiencing Cape Girardeau, cross the river to Illinois and head south along the famous Great River Road. After passing the city of Cairo, head to Fort Defiance State Park. This is the point where the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers meet, along with the borders of three states. Wonderful views exist from a small tower, or head to the rocky point. After visiting, you find a junction of several US highways. Cross the Ohio River bridge and head into Kentucky, towards the towns of Wickliffe and Paducah. While on the bridge, a lovely view of barges and riverboats can be seen. Or perhaps cross the older Mississippi River bridge into Missouri. Either head towards the towns of Wyatt and Sikeston, or do some fishing at Bird's Blue Hole.
So next time you head to the Mississippi River, follow your internal compass. Perhaps it will take you to southern Missouri and the views of the great river.
For trip number six, on the way to the south, another stop was had. Landing Point RV Park is an approximately 80 site ground on the outskirts of the city of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Our stay at this full-year park was for one full week.
Grounds: This park is located a couple miles off Interstate 55 and its corresponding Business Loop through the city. It can be accessed by a rural minor state highway from the north, but access from the south requires you to take a busy thoroughfare. The signage for this place, although very unique in an old trailer, is placed parallel to the access road, resulting in the park being missed more than once. The park is located near a residential area of Cape Girardeau, along with a storage unit, restaurant, and golf course. The city, with big box and national chain convenience, is merely a short drive away.
Sites: Landing Point has approximately eighty living sites and several storage pads, all for RVs and travel trailers, mostly back-in but a few pull-through. Each site has a level concrete pad and concrete patio on which your decorations are minimally expected to be. Appropriate shade from shared trees exist. All sites have full hook-ups, including basic cable TV. Be sure you have a water pressure regulator, as the water comes from an open-close pump instead of a variable faucet. In addition, we noticed a constant smell like a non-airtight black tank not observed in any other stay. A small fire pit exists off the patio. Each site is very well marked, with a map although not up to date, easy to understand. Plenty of room is available for a tow vehicle to enjoy what Cape Girardeau has to offer.
Staff: The park's staff leaves plenty of room for improvement. Although we ensured a worker (assumed to be the owner) was at the office for an appointed check-in time, this was the extent of our good fortunes. Office staff at other times visited was either discourteous or non-existent, choosing not to man the office during some of the listed hours. Grounds staff almost immediately saw the need to bark at us about regulations, an overbearing list the park chooses to deflect on a corporation to suit their controlling desires, while ignoring an unattended dog tied outside a site that never seemed to move. Meanwhile, the aforementioned staff was seen doing "busy work", mowing lawns twice in a day instead of addressing noticed amenity deficiencies. On one occasion, the owners decided to have the entire park's water shut off because of a purported heater tank issue at their regulation-breaking not-so-portable site, and refused to notify anyone at the park. The next day, they chose to shut it off again, although notifying guests by voice mail, during when campers are trying to sanitize their grey/black tanks and fill potable before check-out, instead of scheduling for the time between check-out and first check-ins when most continuous guests are out for the day.
Amenities: The grounds offer limited amenities, although most visitors will more than likely want to experience the nearby city. The sites are on an approximately half-mile paved walking loop. A small dog park exists, although moved from where the map shows. This dog park was adorned with waste that some owners refuse to clean, and untouched by maintenance staff for what seemed like weeks in some cases. Children may enjoy a small playground. Bath houses had a very odd layout, one of which contained two shower stalls and one toilet, another of which was a powder room with no shower stall, along with the "Managment" [sic] placing an over-abundance of signage about their regulations and wanting to evict people. A community fire pit also exists, although doesn't seem to ever be in use, as what seemed like weeks of tree trimmings were piled high on the area, and never a fire seen on any day of our stay. A laundromat exists, although a bit on the pricey side, was able to suit our needs.
Atmosphere: This park seems more like a place where long-term guests just stay while doing other things. Hardly any interaction was seen during nightly walks around the grounds. Not much excitement was seen about the park, so if anyone was there, we didn't see them. Once in a while, a friendly neighbor would offer greetings. Hot and sticky weather may have contributed to these feelings, along with an abundance of rain when we arrived, but even in fair weather, activities and fun times would be noticed. Even when talking with locals around the city, no excitement is drummed about this park.
Landing Point RV Park receives a 4 rating out of a possible 10. Although the price point was on a more moderate level, it doesn't make up for the lackluster experience had. Even over-hearing a comment from another camper about getting what we pay for, we've found better experiences at lower prices. Needless to say, unless a change in management is had, we will not be returning to this park. If we ever visit the area again, there is one other RV park within the city area to try.
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