Ha Ha Tonka State park: The beauty of the Ozarks.

It was the best of situations brought to life out of the worst, and there is even a moral to this story, of which I thought at first was just going to be another day on the road taking photos. I had driven nearly two hours down a winding Ozarkian back road to reach a shoot for some land for sale. Upon confirming my coordinates were correct on my trusty (life-saving) satellite GPS. I informed the property owner to access the plot one would have to get through a gate to which we did not have the code, all was for not today. Damn the luck! But what do I find upon turning around but a sign that one of my favorite classic Missouri state parks is about 15 15-minute drive away? with my car loaded up with all my camera gear, I decided there was going to be a reason for this long trek up here after all, and that is to have a surprise photoshoot of some of my favorite forests in southwest Missouri! HA HA TONKA state park! I finally arrived after driving up the windy road and hiked in until I reached the old mansion at the top of the hill, and I was hit with another streak of seemingly pointless and what felt like disrespectfully bad luck. The Rain came down out of nowhere! Turning my would-be impromptu nature walkabout photo shoot into me booking it, fancy camera in tow, to duck for cover under the nearest tree from this early summer shower. Damn the Luck! again! Though if there is one thing I know about Missouri, it's that the weather is more indecisive than me, or anyone for that matter. so I held onto hope and bided my time with some harmonica playing.

Next thing I know, the rain cleared away about as fast as it had come, leaving me the only one at the whole park, standing on the edge of an observation deck built suspended over where two ozarkian mountains part ways to allow the lake to snake its way through the valley, and as if meant to be, a double rainbow appears right over it all, making what had to have been one of the most beautiful natural scenes I have ever been lucky enough to witness in my short 27 years of being a nature enthusiast.

I excitedly pulled out my camera and started snapping away, from the double rainbow to the lake flowing downstream from my lovely lofty perch. I was nervous as I was unfamiliar with which photography technique would best capture the rainbow. So I tried them all, below you will see the results, and you can decide which one is best. I still can't. Like I said, indecisive just like the southern Missouri weather.

To sum it all up, I do feel like the luckiest person there is. For one, because my work day involves my favorite hobby, being a photographer, and two, for days like this. it was an old grateful dead song lyric that I am going to try and paraphrase here it went a little something like "Once in awhile, you get shown the light in the strangest of places when you look at it right" and on this day, I discovered the meaning of that catchy lyric in a beautiful state park after a job fell through. Don't curse the luck of seeming misfortune. As before you know it, your rained-out shoot, could turn into the most beautiful thing you've ever seen, dropped off in the initial form of misfortune, just to make sure you are paying attention, and fully appreciate it!

Here are the photos, Hope they can bring a quarter of the enjoyment I found in taking them, and writing about it.