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Stanberry, MO and a Bridge Detour

Published July 3, 2019

The sign on the bank said 100 degrees the day the mules and I arrived in Stanberry, MO. The welcome was warmer than that. The route I had in mind from here? Not so hot….

Stanberry and surrounding locales is home to a large Amish community. Here an Amish buggy tied up one block North the town’s main square.
Top hat, flag and the century mark on the thermometer: summer – and the 4th of July – have arrived.

Bridge Out: You Can’t Get there From Here

I came through Stanberry, Missouri with my mules because it was on the way to Rock Port. Rock Port. That’s where I was going to cross the Missouri River from Missouri in to Nebraska. Wednesday morning (today) I headed in to town looking for a cup of coffee. I found what I was looking for in Big 4 Hardware. The coffee that is

Big 4 Hardware (Stanberry, MO)

While sipping Steve Lockhart’s coffee (he’s the guy that signs the checks at Big 4 Hardware) I learned my plan for crossing the Missouri River in Rock Port wasn’t going to work out. Recent flooding had closed the bridge from Missouri in to Nebraska.

To double check, I called the Rock Port city hall. Sure enough, the lady on the phone verified the bummer news. The bridge from Rock Port, Missouri to Nebraska was out due to flooding. The next closest bridge was 60 miles upstream in Bellevue, Iowa.

Bellevue, Iowa. That’s just south of Omaha, a 60 mile detour from the way I’d originally planned to travel.

So…..from here in Stanberry, instead of heading due West for Rock Port, the mules and I will head North West to Iowa. There we’ll cross in to Nebraska.

Not that I’m in any great hurry. Tomorrow’s the 4th of July. Everyone in Stanberry has been telling me, “you are staying for the fireworks, right?”

Telling me, not asking me.

“Of course!” I tell them. The mules and I are having a great stay here. Folks have been incredibly hospitable. Beside, to split out on the Fourth of July would just seem… unfriendly and unpatriotic.

Thanks for the amazing welcome Stanberry. That river crossing can wait. Let’s shoot off some fireworks!

Stanberry Folks

Here are some photos of the folks in Stanberry that made our visit so enjoyable.

City Hall: great big thanks to Hailey Luke, Laverne Smith and Melissa Goucher for arranging for the mules and me to stay at the city’s park. Today was Hailey’s last day at work before she moves on another job nearby. Good luck in your new endeavor Hailey.
Tom: I met Tom at the hardware store this morning. I mentioned the mules like bananas but I preferred something stronger. This afternoon he putt putted in to my camp on his 4-wheeler bearing a 5 gallon bucket of water for the mules. And half a dozen bananas for the mules. And a chilled bottle of homemade elderberry and wild grape wine for me. Thanks Tom! If you were around, fair readier, I’d share a mug-full with you. Instead….
…I’ll be drinking that wine with the mules. See how Brick’s positioned herself in to the photo. Subtle, eh?

Some More Stanberry Pics

Here are some more photos of Stanberry. I’ll start with some photos of my trip to Stanberry from Trenton, MO, where I spent 2 days resting up the mules. It took 3 days to ride the 60-odd miles from Trenton to Stanberry.

Cell phone reception a little funky? It could be the turkey vultures. Here, a tower a few miles west of Trenton, MO.
Most of the roads we’re travling are small and two lane. I swear the sky is getting bigger the farther West we’re riding.
Or are the roads getting smaller? Here, a road 3 miles south of Stanberry. I heard a mail carrier describe these roads as “mud roads”. They were dusty when I traveled them, only one ingredient away from mud: rain.
You love them or they make your teeth hurt: wild gooseberry on the side of the road. They’re a week or two from getting ripe. This one on a shrub I tied the mules next to on one of their lunch breaks.
Stanberry’s park. The downtown is laid around the square park.
German note to buggy drivers. Loosely translated, “if your horse poops, you scoops”.
Sign in the window at Gambino’s Pizza:
Firearms Welcome: Please Keep All Weapons Holstered Unless Need Arises. In Such a Case,Judicious Marksmanship is Appreciated.
Our digs for the night: here, Brick grazes at the base of the guy wires that hold up a communication tower.

Stanberry Thanks

I’ve been in Stanberry 24 hours and I already have almost as many folks to thank for the amazing welcome. Here’s a partial list (with my apologies if I blanked on your name or mis-pelled it. Sucker punch me tomorrow at the 4th of July Parade and I’ll add you to the list). Thanks to:

  • Hannah Slaydon and Larry: for the mule water, prime rib sandwich, ice tea and bowl of ice cream. And I’d just entered the city limits…
  • Dave Hibbs: for permission to camp at the Jaycess tractor pull strip
  • Tom: the mule water, bananas, homemade bottle of elderberry and wild grape wine and chilled Keystone beers
  • Eddie: of Big 4 Hardware for the coffee, bug spray, neck cooling wrap and compass. And chilled beers.
  • For everyone mowing the grass before the fireworks: cold drinks
  • Mary and David: loading up all my gear so we could move it in advance of Thursday’s fireworks
  • The folks at the Public Library: for internet access, coffee and the map of Iowa.

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