Earlier this week, I traded my 1996 Lincoln Mark VIII for a 47k original mile 1998 Jaguar XK8-L. My wife and I decided to break the car in by doing some sightseeing around the Lake of the Ozarks.

"The Lake" had been a regular destination for our Sunday drives ever since we moved to Missouri in 2003.

We pulled into the parking lot of J. B. Hooks Restaurant in the appropriately named city of Lake Ozark, Missouri.

J. B. Hooks advertises that they have, "the Lake's best view" and for good reason.

I wanted to snap a few pics of the new car, and J. B. Hooks' parking lot provided the perfect backdrop.

This would be the first of several adventures involving Jaguar ownership.

I took a few pics before heading off to our next destination.

From J. B. Hooks, we headed south to the city of Camdenton, Missouri, home of Ha Ha Tonka State Park and the ruins of Snyder Castle. We last visited in 2004 and decided to check the place out today.

The castle is a short, but uphill walk from the parking lot. To distract you from the fact that you are walking up a rather steep grade, a series of overlooks have been created that offer some amazing views of the lake.

The castle ruins were visible as well, which wasn't the case before. Visiting today in January meant the trees weren't full of leaves like they were during our previous two visits during the summer.

Zooming in on the castle ruins.

We continued upward and were greeted by the side of the castle and side yard.

Based on where the castle is situated on the property, I would be pretty confident saying that the actual “front” of the castle would be the side that overlooks the water. That would make the area seen in the photo above the side yard.

Welcome to Snyder Castle.

The first thing visitors notice when they arrive at the castle is just how large it is.

The photo of the castle’s main entrance is one of my favorites from that day. It’s as if I’m looking at a house with all the lights on in every room.

If you didn’t know this was a ruin, you wouldn’t be able to tell just by looking at the stone, which still looks beautiful after 100 years.

We did the clockwise tour again, starting with the side of the building that faces the yard and gate. Only this time, we were visiting in January. All of the wild growth seen during our previous visits was dormant for the winter.

I'm guessing this was a side entrance at one point.

I snapped a few more pics of the interior.

Looking in through the side of the castle.

I came around the corner to the large porch area at the front of the castle.

I got a good shot of the dead fountain as I rounded the corner to the front of the castle.

I also spotted another visitor to the castle. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

The view from the front porch area was equally as spectacular. The photo above looks down on what is one of the many small coves of the Lake of the Ozarks.

The Water Tower was visible from the front porch area, as was one of the overlooks from the walking trail.

Zooming in on the water tower.

The photos above and below are of what I would think would be the front of the castle.

I call this side the "front" of the castle because this is the side that overlooks the water.

The front of Snyder Castle.

Looking at the interior of the castle from the front porch.

Another view of the fountain.

Todd is a happy camper today.

An observation platform has been built next to the castle that overlooks the lake. The photo above looks back at the side of the castle from the path to the observation deck.

The platform is built at the edge of a cliff and offers spectacular views of the region. The view to the left seen in the photos above and below looks into a small cove of the Lake of the Ozarks below the castle site.

Looking into the cove below the castle site.

Looking into the cove below the castle site.

The observation platform is built on top of the cliff above the cove.

The view to the right looks toward the Lake of the Ozarks.

The photo above is of one of the many picnic shelters located within the state park.

Looking further to the right brings residential homes into view.

The Lake of the Ozarks is not a US Army Corps of Engineers lake. This means that private development along the shore is allowed.

From what I read, most of the shoreline is privately owned.

It’s a pretty safe bet that I can afford nothing that is seen in these photos.

We headed from the observation platform toward the main entrance of the castle. The photo above looks back at the castle from the platform trail.

Snyder Castle was built from stone quarried from the property and transported to the site on carts pulled by mules.

Looking at what I believe is the castle's main entrance.

The photo above looks like some kind of fireplace. But I'm not sure what it is.