At Johnson Shut-Ins last year
So, what exactly is a "shut-in"?
Well, luckily I have a photo of this handy little sign from the trail to Johnson Shut-Ins and it pretty well sums it up!
I'll get back to more photos of Johnson's in a bit, but first, let's start outside of Winona, MO with a historic mill that sits next to a beautiful shut-in.
Klepzig Mill
My family actually has some ties to this mill. My great-great-great uncle, Charles Klepzig once owned the mill and property. Although it was eventually sold, it still bears his name. Pretty neat, huh? :)
@jasonrussell, photographing the rushing water coming through the crevices in the rocks. You can also see a shadow of me taking the photo from my phone in the corner ;)
In between Klepzig and the next shut-in, we stopped at a place called "Button Rock" and did a little rock climbing that day.
Me and my friend @kayla.denise
Kayla looking up from the bottom!
Moving on...next stop:
Rocky Falls
These first 3 photos were taken by @jasonrussell
Rocky Falls is a super popular destination for both locals and tourists. And for obvious reasons! In the summertime, hundreds of people flock to Rocky to ride down the natural water slides and to cool off in the refreshing pool at the bottom.
It's also a local hot-spot for photographers because of the gorgeous scenery! Jason and I have done numerous family, maternity, engagement and modeling portraits here.
These photos were taken last spring so it wasn't nearly as crowded as it is in the summer months.
Rocky Falls is a great place to go for a quick daytime hike or to cool off during the hot summer days! Next up is one of our favorite hiking locations:
Prairie Hollow Gorge
Prairie Hollow Gorge is probably the least "touristy" spot on my list, and is a little more off the beaten path. It's a pretty intense hike, but the views of this gorgeous shut-in are so worth it once you get there! This collection of photos is from several different visits, so there are a few changes in seasons. I guess that just goes to show how much we love visiting the gorge!
It can be reached by hiking from the top or bottom, but here is a view from the top where we begin our climb down the bluff to into the gorge
My brother Mike cooling off in the waterfall during a summertime hike
My sister Jess and her husband Garret, posing for a photo
As I'm making this post, I'm starting to realize how much my friends and I like to wear flannel shirts. Haaa haaa. Anyway...
From our most recent hike, last fall. We didn't get much rain, so the water wasn't flowing quite as much as usual but it was still beautiful!
And last on the list, I'll get back to where I started with.....
Johnson Shut-Ins
Located outside of Ironton, Missouri is another popular tourist destination on a tributary of the Black River. We've taken our kids a couple times and they absolutely loved playing in one of nature's finest playgrounds!
The rock formations at this place are absolutely incredible!
Our oldest daughter
And our youngest
And last but not least, here's one from a different visit during the summer of 2014
So there you have it! Four of my favorite scenic shut-ins around our beautiful home in the Missouri Ozarks. We absolutely love our little area of the world and we love to share our adventures on Steemit!
Thanks for checking it out :)
Nice pics 👍 I also didn't know what a "shut in" is 😄
Thanks! And hooray, you learned something new today! 😉
Absolutely gorgeous! And I’m happy to learn that term; thanks!! I’ll have to bookmark this and keep these places on my list. Beautiful!! I love that feeling of being hemmed in so I think I’d like this type of place. Cool your fam has ties to that mill!!
Thanks so much! All of these places are definitely worth checking out. I feel so fortunate to live so close to all of this natural beauty! You could easily visit Rocky Falls and Klepzig mill in one day. They’re just a few miles apart outside of Winona. I also think it’s very cool that there’s some family history connected to the mill. Charles’ brother also owned Alley Mill in Eminence for a short time in the 1800s :)
The longer exposure of the waterfall is beautiful! Great photos!
Thank you!!! My husband is a great photographer and he took a few of those long exposure shots :)
Beautiful pics!! I grew up not far from Johnson Shut Ins. When I was young, we would always either go to the shut-ins or to Elephant Rocks. The rock formations in that area are just amazing!
Such a great area to grow up in! It’s such a beautiful part of the state. We took our girls to Elephant Rocks with some friends last summer and it’s simply beautiful. It’s a bit of a drive for us so we don’t go often, but it’s absolutely worth visiting again!
Beautiful hike and rock formations. How do you find living in Missouri?
Thank you! We adore Missouri. We live in a very small town in the southern area of the state, so of course, there are a few cons about living here. But the pros of being surrounded by natural wonders completely outweigh them! There is always a new adventure right around the corner!!! :)
Nice. Great to be somewhere you love.
All of your photos are so beautiful! What a remarkable area you live in!
Thanks so much! It really is an absolutely beautiful place to live and we try to enjoy the outdooors as often as possible!