Here are some photos of places I used to ride. Below are photos of what we locals call "Chat Dumps". This area was the Lead Belt. When the lead ore was mined, and then ground up, this "chat" is what was left. It's a little more coarse than sand, but a little less than gravel. These mounds are a little over 300 ft. high. They used to be owned by the St.Joe lead company. Now one is owned by a glass company, the other by an asphalt company. The EPA is trying to remove the top 200 ft. now, and plant grass seeds on them. They are afraid of lead content seeping into the rivers. As any former kids from the area from the 1920's to the 1980's can tell you, it won't hurt you. We had it in our hair, our eyes, and if you weren't careful, in your mouth. This area was home to some of the greatest dirt bike riding ever known. A large enduro the "Missouri's Governor's Cup is still held here in the St. Joe State Park. Although this years and last years race wasn't held due to lack of a sponsor. Hang gliders also used to sail off of the chat dumps. The next to last photo is an old water tower for steam locomotives, that provided some of the rare shade in the area. The last photo is a structure we called "Frankenstein's Castle". I think it used to be part of the conveyor belt system. It was a great place to explore and climb around.
Click on the images for larger versions of the photos.
The Photos below, are from a road, which is now closed due to airport expansion, near the Farmington airport. It was a great 1/3 mile stretch of road, because there were no driveways, and a quick blip of the throttle could get you up to highway speeds. In the early summer, it had the benefit of having Honeysuckle plants growing along it's length, and with no cattle nearby, it smelled great! During construction of the expansion, you could drive right out on the runway, although I never did. They should open the runway one day a year for speed runs. Also shown is the new road with it's 30mph speed limit.
Click on the images for larger versions of
the photos.
�E-MAN WEB DESIGN CO. 2000