Missouri ~ final day

Monday ~ final full day of this adventure and still so many possible things to do.

I decided to return to the Laumeier Sculpture Park, a 2nd visit with a little more time. I still didn’t see all the sculptures because I didn’t have enough time. It’s a really pretty park - great for a walk. If I lived in the area I think I would be a regular visitor/ On of my favorite pieces is titled Treetent. It’s constructed up in a tree and there is a ladder allowing you to climb up and spend time inside. It was fun getting a different view of the park.

After the sculpture park I headed north to Hannibal, Missouri - seemed like an important place to visit in the state. Home and inspiration for Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens many years ago. It struck me as a sad town… reminded me of Tarpon Springs, FL when I visited there a fre years ago ~  places that depend on tourism and time has passed them by. Hannibal seemed to be under construction - road work all over downtown, buildings in need of repair. Everything seemed rundown and in need of TLC, maybe things are better in peak tourist season. Clearly the town exists for tourists and on this day there didn’t seem to be too many tourists in town.

I opted to ride the Mark Twain Riverboat - the boat was also a little sad and in need of TLC. It goes out once a day at 1:30. Around 12:45 the boat started playing calliope music that could be heard all over downtown. It was like the ice cream truck calling out for customers. The boat ride was pleasant and relaxing. The narration provided just the right amount of local history and trivia alternating with music or quiet. I now know more about Mark Twain, river barges, Mississippi floods, and Lover’s Leap.

After cruising on the river I still had a three hour drive before getting to my next motel back in Pontiac where I had spent the first night. I wanted to be close to Chicago for my flight out on Tuesday. I dawdled around the next morning and was late leaving for O’Hare. For a while I was sure that I would miss my flight. Fortunately there wasn’t much traffic, car rental return was easy, and there were few people at security. After a week away it was nice to be headed home.

CLICK HERE for final day photos on Flickr.

A friend on Facebook  asked me how I plan/pick my itineraries for these adventures ~ here are a few thoughts:

I usually develop a rough idea of what I want to do/where I want to go, but I am totally flexible along the way in case I discover something new, some place takes more (or less time), weather, anything else that might lead to change.

For this Illinois/Missouri trip I knew I would be in Kirkwood, Missouri outside of St. Louis to see Sean in My Fair Lady so that was the starting point for my plans.

some of my pre-planning includes ~

* looking at my driving route on google maps and seeing if anything shows up that looks potentially interesting, for this trip that's how I discovered Goose Lake Prairie

* googling Audubon in the state and see if I will be near any sanctuaries, state parks too.

* checking Trip Advisor for Destinations, seeing what looks interesting and reading reviews. I leave reviews of places on Trip Advisor too.

* googling "things to do in 'name of town'" and seeing what pops up, then checking out the site's web page

* for some places I sign up for tours (that was perfect when I was in Hawaii)

* when I am on my adventures I always watch for signs along the road (usually brown) for points of interest - that's how I once found a manatee viewing area near Tampa and the swinging bridge in Pontiac, IL on this trip. there are so many signs for attractions that we often don't notice... I am still hoping to get to Cheesequake State Park in NJ just because I've driven past the sign for it and i love the name

* at some point in the MUSAP adventures I'll try a Road Scholar trip if I find one for a state I want to visit and the itinerary looks interesting

Missouri ~ Let me tell you ‘bout the birds and the bees…

Sunday was a picture perfect day ~ sunny, not too hot. A great day to be outside with my camera.

My first stop was World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park. I had visited here the last time i was in Missouri and enjoyed it. The sanctuary has dozens of birds in their care. Their mission is "to preserve the earth's biological diversity and to secure the future of threatened bird species in their natural environments." It’s located on 300 acres of land so it has a woodsy, isolated feel. It’s a popular place - there were lots of families along the paths. There is  great signage with information about the birds on display.

CLICK HERE to see more bird photos on flickr.

After spending time at World Bird I headed north to Faust Park in Chesterfield. This stop had 3 parts - the parks and gardens, The Butterfly House which is affiliated with the Missouri Botanical Gardens, and the Faust Heritage Festival which happened to be that day. When I got there I realized I had visited The Butterfly House on my last visit too, and had totally forgotten it! Sean thought I had been there… he was right.

I started with a walk across the park and the gardens outside The Butterfly House. The gardens were full of flowers and the flowers were full of bees and butterflies. I was loving every minute there with my camera.

With all the butterflies outside and free it was tempting to skip The Butterfly House, but I knew there would be lots of photo ops so I headed inside. I had forgotten how hot these places are - great for winter, a little much on a summer like day, but the flowers were beautiful and there were so many butterflies all around.

There is an outdoor area accessible through The Butterfly House. I headed out there to cool off and to get away from all the people who were enjoying the butterflies indoors. What a sense of serenity walking around the gardens and pond. I was having a wonderful time photographing blue dragonflies that were darting around the pond, when I noticed movement in the water. There was a snake swimming in the pond. I was entranced! I was also trying to identify it and wondering if it could be venomous. I had also seen a frog hide down in the mud so I kept an eye on that spot. There was an underwater flurry - no frog for the snake that time.

As I was walking back through the park I decided to go in to the Faust Heritage Festival to see what it was all about. There were lots of crafters all around the Historic Village part of the park. It’s set up like the mid 1800’s. There were things for children to try, such as trying crafts or making corn syrup.

It’s a thing about vacations ~ just as you have learned your way around the area it’s  time to leave. I was recognizing street names and figuring out the easy ways to get back to the motel. I decided to do laundry and thought I  lost a sock in the process, finally found it when I packed to head out.

Decided my day wasn’t over quite yet ~ I went looking for sunset. When Sean and I had dinner on Friday the sky suddenly turned  beautiful with pinks, purples, and reds. I went in search of those colors. Didn’t find exactly what I was looking for, but loved the small town feel of Kirkwood at dusk ~ families out for a walk, children getting last minutes of play on the playground, lines at the ice cream shop. While driving around Kirkwood I frequently had to wait for freight trains on tracks across the roads. I imagine if you live there you learn to plan your travel around the train schedule.

Today I felt so happy being a photographer - it was almost magical. I get a daily email message from The Universe ~ the next day it read "Happiness arrives not in the absence of problems, but in the absence of rules about when you can feel it. Just let it be." ~ The Universe. I am discovering that my MUSAP adventures brings me happiness - I am fortunate and grateful.

CLICK HERE to see Missouri butterflies, bees, and more photos on Flickr

CLICK HERE for photos of the Festival and the night sky.

Missouri

Hooray for Saturday and sunshine! It was a day for exploring the Kirkwood area - outside of St. Louis.

On of my Missouri possibilities was Laumeier Sculpture Park, but I wasn’t sure when I was going to fit it in. I had a 10 o’clock tour scheduled at Grant’s Farm and set off with plenty of time to spare. As I was driving along I saw another brown sign that points to places of interest and it was directing me to the Sculpture Park. Since I had a little extra time I decided to at least do a drive buy. It turned into a quick stop to see some of the sculptures along the paths. There was even a tai chi class there in the early morning sunshine.

Then it was on to Grant’s Farm. The cars were pouring into the parking lot, it’s only open on weekends in the fall so there was quite a crowd. There are a variety of things to do on the property - animal attractions, a farmstead, Clydesdale Stables with Budweiser horses, and more. I went on a Behind the Scenes Clydesdale Experience Tour that I booked ahead of time. It was great!

Our tour guide Julie clearly loves her job and loves horses. She gave us so many facts & figures. We met horses that were featured in TV commercial horses. There are 3 Budweiser hitch teams - one based at their brewery in St Louis, one in Colorado Springs, and one in Merrimack, NH. The teams are on the road about 300 days per years, so it’s rare that they are at their home stable.

We got to brush Lee, a retired hitch horse and then we got to take photos with him. Budweiser hitch horses are all geldings and have to be 18 hands tall. Warm Springs is their  breeding farm in Missouri. The foals are brought to Grant’s Farm for beginning training. The geldings that pass the initial training then move to Merrimack for hitch training.

At the end of the tour there are free bottles of beer. I should have counted how many times Julie said Budweiser, Anheuser Busch, Budweiser, and Purina!

CLICK HERE to see all the photos of Grant’s Farm on Flickr

After the tour I considered seeing some of the other attractions on site, but didn’t really want to deal with the crowd. So I went down the road to  Grant’s White Haven, a national historic site. I walked around the buildings & grounds and took a few pix enjoying the beautiful weather.

I met Sean at the stage door before his matinee. He had 2 shows on Saturday - a 4 o’clock matinee and an 8 o’clock evening show. Because it’s a three hour show that only gives them an hour between shows, that’s crazy. We had a friend of his take a few pix of us together. I am wondering how many pix I can get of Sean with MUSAP the butterfly in different states in my travels.

I got to see My Fair Lady for a second time. Again I loved every minute of it. I am still trying to figure out how they do all the set changes. Have to admit that I giggled when Sean had trouble with the juggling this time - not his favorite part of the show. Loved the smile and wave I got as he exited at the end of the show.

CLICK HERE to see more Missouri photos on Flickr

Illinois to Missouri, MUSAP state #7

I’m home from amy Illinois/Missouri adventure - made the decision not to stress trying to write daily blog posts while traveling! It takes time to compose my thoughts and memories, import the pix for the blog and upload the pix to Flickr. So I jotted down notes every evening and will catch up when I am home and rested.

Day 3 ~ Illinois to Missouri

The good news - I bought a new GPS because I brought the wrong cable for my old one (oops!) and felt confident finding my way around. The bad news it rained overnight and was overcast when I got on the road, tough lighting for photography. Plus it was wet and muddy everywhere I went.

My first stop of the day was the Upper Alton Cemetery. My sister, Deborah, sent me on a hunt for the plot of a Pinkham family member. I stopped at the office and got directions to the right place which was near the main entrance in the older part of the cemetery. Interesting that the name on the record in the office (Bessie) is different than the name on the headstone (Betty.) The cemetery is know for the grave of Robert Wadlow, tallest man in history, so I checked his headstone too.

From there it was time to cross the Mississippi River and enter Missouri ~ MUSAP state #7. Yes I was driving when I took this picture.

My first stop was going to be Audubon Center at Riverlands, it was still overcast so I drove a little further down the road to see if there was anything else of interest. I saw one of the now familiar brown signs that point to places of interest - this one directed me to  Confluence Point State Park, 4.3 miles. I made the turn to check it out.

It was 4.3 miles of dirt, gravel, and mud! Nothing but fields of crops on either side. I questioned my decision to drive down this long, lonely road several times, but I kept going and going and going. The mud and gravel was spraying up on the back of the car and coating the tires. At times it was like driving in snow because I wasn’t getting any traction.

Naturally the parking area was a muddy mess too. My sandals sank into the mud as soon as I stepped out of the car, then I slipped in the mud as I got to the walkway - scraped my knee, bruised my pride, saved the camera as I landed.  Luckily I had my suitcase so I was able to clean up and change before exploring the place.

There were lots of informational signs about Lewis & Clark and their explorations. It’s a great place to view the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Because of the mud and the poor lighting for photography I didn’t stay too long. Plus the isolation was making me a little uneasy - happy to be there by myself, but wondering if someone else might show up. Traveling by myself I am always aware of my surroundings and thinking about keeping myself safe.

CLICK HERE to see more photos of Confluence Point on Flickr

Mississippi River on the left, Missouri River on the right.

When I got back to the main road I felt as though I was back on dry land! I went back down the road to the parking area for Riverlands - Heron Pond Wetlands Trail.

Again I was in an isolated area so I was a little edgy. In reality I think I was the only person around because of the lousy weather! I set off down the trail not sure if there was going to be much to see, the pond looked deserted and quiet. All the grasses along the trail edge were wet so I had to be extra careful of how I was carrying my cameras.

I heard the honking of geese and was happy to see a flock of Canada Geese fly into the pond. A little further down the trail I started hearing quiet quacking, then I spooked a large flock of ducks.

There were several viewing blinds along the trail for bird observation. One of them was a contemporary metal structure.

I had just stepped into the blind when I heard another noise - rain pinging down on the roof. Somehow a darker cloud had blown in and it had started to rain. I was happy to be in a shelter, not happy because I knew I was going to be there for a while because it was a long walk back to the car and now the trail was going to be even wetter and slipperier!  I made the most of the situation by doing a photoshoot of the interior of the structure.

The rain eased up and I headed back to the car to continue south to Kirkwood, Missouri.

CLICK HERE to see more photos of Heron Pond Wetlands Trail on Flickr

I was happy to arrive at my motel and clean up after a wet and muddy day with my cameras. I met my friend Sean for dinner before he had to go to the theater. Sean is currently performing in My Fair Lady at Stages St. Louis and seeing him in the show was the motivation for this trip.

My Fair Lady was fantastic! Read a review.  The set, the costumes/hats, the singing, the acting, Sean’s shenanigans ~ I loved every minute of the 3 hour performance even though it had been a long day on the road.

Illinois, con't.

I had a revelation on day 2 in Illinois - my travel plans had focused on the specifics, places to stay, places to photograph, but they had skipped thinking about the state as a whole. As I drove I was surprised by the miles and miles and miles of cornfields and as I thought about it I realized I hadn’t given much, if any, thought to what to expect along the drive. I also hadn’t thought about the history of the state and whether or not that should be a part of my adventure. Some things to think about as I plan future adventures.

The weather was hot and hazy on Day 2 in Illinois. I took my time getting on the road and when I looked at the thermometer in the car at 11 am it was already 90º ~ that should have tipped me off that it was only going to get hotter and it did. I wasn’t expecting summer time temps in mid-September, but it didn’t change my plans.

I visited Weldon Springs, a state park. This place was much bigger than I expected with lots of roads leading to different parts of the park, albeit with minimal signage telling what those parts were. There wasn’t any sort of information center, there also wasn’t any admission fee. I found a parking lot with an information kiosk so I was able to take a look (and a photo) of a park map and plan my walk.

I parked next to the lake and set off on the Lakeside Trail. From the parking lot the lake didn’t look too big, as I walked I discovered the lake kept going and going with lots of little inlets. Happily most of the trail was tree lined and shady with an occasional welcome breeze.

I liked the way the park and trail are planned out. You can rent little rowboats near the parking lot and cross the lake that way - there were many little docks along the shore where people could tie up their boat then walk up to a nearby picnic area. There were also restroom spaced along the trail which was a pleasant surprise.

I saw wildflowers, a lovely feather, butterflies, scenic vistas, birds, a turtle, a squirrel, and more as I walked. The trail was well maintained with stairways on inclines (I suspect to preserve the land) which made getting around the lake an easy walk. I didn’t see many other people on the trail ~ probably because it was such a hot day.

Oh, the heat! I have finally learned to carry water and I was glad I had a bottle in my backpack on this walk!

It’s hard to get wildlife photos unless you are very patient and wait for the right shot. I heard many turtles plop into the lake before I could get a photo. I spooked a squirrel, then he froze in place, so I was able to get a couple of photos.

After about 3 hours on the trail it was good to get back to the car and air conditioning. As I drove away from Weldon Springs the thermometer read 98º and then showed  102º. Yup, it was a hot day. Some good travel advice - never trust your GPS 100%. I had to giggle when it pointed me to ‘Abandoned and Closed Road’ ~ really?

I headed south planning to go straight to Alton, IL for the night. But my plans are always fluid and I am always checking the brown signs along the highways that announce historic or other sites of interest. When I got near Springfield I saw signs about the Lincoln Home Historic Site - so I took the exit to explore. The GPS hates it when I do that!

I didn’t stay long or take the house tour, but it was nice to see the house and pause to think about the history of the area. President Lincoln made changes that still affect our country and you have to wonder what else he could have done if his life hadn’t been cut short in 1865.

The streets around his family home are all part of the historic site so you can explore the neighborhood and imagine what it was like in the 1800’s.

So it was a long, hot day traveling from Pontiac, IL to Alton, IL. Saw interesting things along the way and enjoyed capturing the day in photos. On to Missouri ~

Click here to see Day 2's Illinois photos posted on Flickr.