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.