Missouri

America's Home Town

Julie and I, like many many others, read and enjoyed "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and the main reason to stay in Hannibal, Missouri was to see if any of the places that are alluded to in Mark Twain's books actually exist. 

I'm sure they do and although the town itself is charming, calling almost everything "Mark Twain" this or that is a little bit over the top. Never mind I'm sure we will revisit the books!

We've pretty much relied on hotels.com for booking our accommodation and by and large they've been pretty good hotels. Our Hannibal accommodation was "how do you put it" ?" Hmmmmm...... interesting"!!! It was a hotel that had been very good and quite trendy in the 70's, but the 70's were around the last time that proper maintenance had been done. However the pool was nice and there weren't many people around so we had the whole area to ourselves.


Fun times!!!!!
















Breakfast was  similar. "Hmmmmmmm......... interesting" but we survived! 

After another look around Hannibal we headed further south through increasingly productive farmland where, it seemed, every farmer was on his tractor. It is after all spring here and the soil that was being turned over looked wonderful.

St Louis was our destination for the next 2 nights and like many places we will be travelling to  we are not really able to spend enough time to fully explore any place. But we are certainly "giving it a go"!! 

Arriving early enough for an early book in was certainly an advantage and after unpacking we headed into what was a quiet and easy place to get around. 

First stop was at the structure that dominates St Louis, the Gateway Arch where we booked a tour of the Arch for the next day at 10.30am. Even though we are travelling away from school holiday/vacation time this is a very popular place to visit  in St Louis. The Arch is only one part of the precinct and the gardens that surround it and the interpretive centre at it's base make the Arch complete.

Watched a film on the Lewis & Clark Expedition that set out from St Louis in 1806, Wikipedia says.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the "Corps of Discovery Expedition" (1804–1806), was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific coast undertaken by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson, it was led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Their objectives were both scientific and commercial – to study the area's plants, animal life, and geography, and to learn how the region could be exploited economically.^[1] 

This expedition played a huge part in the history of the United States. I am astounded at the bravery and commitment that they and the men the one woman Sacagawea (look her up if you want to read about a remarkable woman). 

Leaving the history and botany behind we headed further into the old town in search of liquid refreshment because as all good travellers know you must keep your fluids up.

But you can't survive on just a few drinks so we left the historic area Laclede's Landing in search of some food and entertainment. About a 3 minute drive back past the Arch and we were at Oysters on Broadway for interesting food, cool drinks, good music in a great place.

A well deserved sleep followed and we were amazed by the sight in the dining room. It had been overwhelmed by hordes of high school students who were studying!!! The students were part of one of the many teams that were in St Louis  for the FIRST Robotics Championships. More on that later...

Breakfast was made interesting and delicious by having the chef explain just what "Breakfast Pepper Gravy and Biscuits" and "Grits" are. What they are is a good way to start a day.

Now it was off to CLIMB the ARCH but before we climbed it we watched a film on how it was built. Having satisfied ourselves that the structure was sound we climbed into the pod elevator and headed on up. 

WOW!!!!  

   

The WOW factor with the view from the top is amazing. As we descended I took a moment to thank one of the guides who, noting that I was walking with a cane, had suggested that we use car #1 which would save quite a few steps. She was a person with some understanding of living with some disability (she has Cerebral Palsy) and I was glad of her advice.

Next stop was a factory. Now some may ask why after going to the heights of St Louis we would want to tour a factory.  

However this wasn't a  tour of ANY factory it was of the Anheuser- Busch factory where they make Bud, Bud Light, Michelob and many, many varieties of BEER!!! After surviving the excellent tour of the factory we even survived the excellent "tasting room"!!! And in the Far South Coast SLS tradition it took a long time to leave the room when the beer is cold and free.................


And yes this is the home of the Budweiser Clydesdales and he was our favourite

We spoke earlier of the studious group at breakfast. We had decided to cheer them on so off we went to the FIRST Robotics Competition. This amazing experience was held at the Edmund Jones Dome which is the home ground of the St Louis Rams in the NFL and has been the venue for concerts for minor Pop Groups including U2 and The Rolling Stones. Great venue, great fun!!!

Next stop was the renovated Union Station where a disused piece of property (a railway station) has been turned into an stylish entertainment/ shopping/ eating precint. 

The last picture is of the "Whispering Arch". Built for looks but works amazingly!!!


Another varied day was drawing to a close but we still had to look after our physical well-being and ensure that our calorific and liquid intake was sufficient. So it was back to...........