Cedar Hill, Missouri
Our excitement began to build when Wednesday rolled around. We had passed the entrance of Don Robinson State Park many times as we headed toward St. Louis. We had also heard horror stories of hikers losing their bearings in the park; stories of emergency assistance being called to help locate the unfortunate, but we felt particularly brave, so today we chose that specific park for a play date. The park was located on the Sandcut and Byrnesville Road in Cedar Hill, Missouri.
Best Hamburgers in Town
On our way through Festus/Crystal City, we stopped for a quick lunch at our favorite hamburger joint, a cute little diner called Gordon’s Stoplight Drive-In for burgers and fries. My mouth began to water just thinking about the upcoming deliciousness that was about to happen.
Gordon’s Stoplight, a gem in the twin cities and located on Bailey Road, had been in operation since 1948. The diner was a fun little place with bar stools to belly up to the counter and watch the cooks and waitresses make our meals. They did not disappoint in flavor!
Their grilled double cheeseburgers melted in our mouths. The two hot beef patties lay between warm toasted buns and the cheese melted down the sides making a delicious sandwich. The skinny fries were perfectly browned just waiting to be dipped into a tiny bit of catsup.
I had been told their shakes tasted like they are straight from the hands of Jesus. A meal at Gordon’s is quite a unique experience.
Missouri State Park near St. Louis
Don Robinson State Park, located in Cedar Hill, was one of Missouri’s newer parks. More than 800 acres was donated by Don Robinson, a St Louis businessman, established in 2012, but opened to the public in 2017.
Mr. Robinson earned his ability to purchase land from his invention of a stain remover called Off. He also produced, marketed and delivered his product to supermarkets. One of his other inventions was Jyro Cola which he produced and distributed with the help of area kids. With his profits he bought rugged and wooded land in Jefferson County. He was on spot when he called this land “wild and wooly” because it consisted of many canyons and gullies, as well as, unique plants and vegetation.
Mr. Robinson lived in seclusion in an old stone house for almost half a century. He was quoted to have described his house as “just a cut above camping.” Upon his death, the land and a trust fund were donated to the Missouri State Parks which helped manage and develop the new park.
We arrived at the park and drove to his strange looking old home which was in great disrepair. As we looked at the building, we understood his description of the house. We learned the home had been originally built in the 1920’s but had been added onto over the years using salvaged material. It was surrounded by orange fencing and was closed off to the public. We circled the building trying to see inside, but went away disappointed.
Down the hillside from the house was a large patio decked out with picnic tables and rocking chairs along with a great view of the area. We hoped to go back sometime in the future to see any improvements to the structure.
Hiking For Trails
As we walked through the park we found two hiking trails, a 2.4-mile loop trail called LaBarque Hills Trail and Sandstone Canyon Trail, a four-mile loop.
We chose the Sandstone Canyon Trail which was paved for the first .6 mile. Our visit was in January, so the advertised beauty of rare and unusual plants was safely hidden and warm in the ground waiting to burst out come springtime. We hiked approximately one mile in and then turned back toward the truck. This trail was one of the first hikes I had been on since knee surgery and was very encouraging for future visits.
At this point, Don Robinson State Park only has trails, rocking chairs and picnic tables, but it has great potential and in the future, after time for improvements, will be a beautiful park to explore some Wandering Wednesday.