Shaw Nature Reserve

Today Chris, Jupiter, Tsunami, and I decided that we would find something to do outside since the weather was supposed to be in the upper 40s to lower 50s. I previously mentioned that we possess a membership to the Missouri Botanical Garden. The membership also gets us into the Butterfly House as well as the Shaw Nature Reserve at no charge. We had not yet been to the Shaw Nature Reserve, so Chris suggested that we check it out. We were all glad that she did.

The trail we followed was about a mile hike from where we parked our car, to the lake, and back called the Wolf Run Trail. This trail was generously recommended to us by the kind lady at the desk in the Visitor Center located at the entrance to the reserve. She asked me if Jupiter was an avid walker and how we planned to carry Tsunami on our walk before coming up with the perfect suggestion.

When we first got out there we were up on a hill and the 15-20 mph winds made us wonder if walking trails at the reserve was such a good idea. However, soon enough we went down a hill into a valley, where the wind was being blocked by both land and trees, and it started to feel much better. Also, about half way through our hike, the Sun came out from behind the clouds and provided us with a bit more warmth.

When we got to Wolf Run Lake, we sat on one of several docks, which I was told are often used for children on class field trips during times of year with more predictably warm climate, and ate some snacks that Chris had thoughtfully packed in her backpack before we left on our adventure. We looked over the water, soaked up some of the Sun's rays for a little while, and walked around the lake before heading back. We followed the rest of the trail back towards the car.

I think it is safe to say that everyone had a fun time. Even Tsunami was all smiles and giggles at the end. This place will likely get a few visits from us as the weather gets warmer and particularly during some of the events that they have scheduled for the summer. Obviously we could not wait until then to check it out though, as evidenced by our visit there today.

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