Blogs from Missouri, United States, North America

After leaving Mammoth Cave, we made the journey to St. Louis, where we were to spend two nights. Our hearty band at this time consisted of myself, my brother Chuck, and his wife Lucie. Neither of our wives wished to be gone the entire 5 weeks, so each of them was around for only about half of the journey. the three things we wished to do in the St. Louis were to visit the Cahokia Mounds across the river in Illinois, visit Camp Dubois, and visit the two great cemeteries in St. Louis, wherein are buried many notables, including William Clark. We started with Cahokia Mounds. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site preserves the largest pre-Columbian settlement north of Mexico. At its peak it probably included nearly 20,000 inhabitants, making it larger than any subsequent city in ... read more

After a delicious breakfast, we got ready and headed out to the boathouse. Andrew wanted to take the kids out on the Jon boat again. It's free to rent, but there is only one, so he wanted to go as soon as they opened. We also thought it was a good idea to go early due to the heat, but the sun actually seemed the strongest at this hour of the morning! Andrew let Oliver drive, though we found out later that it's supposed to be for licensed driver's only. Oops. At least the lake was pretty much empty at that time! And Oliver did a great job. While they were off exploring the water, I decided to explore the shoreline. I hung out with the geese at the swim beach for awhile and then decided ... read more

We left Jellystone at 7:30am and set out for the Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis. We had plenty of time before our tram ride up the arch, so we decided to swing by Louisiana, Missouri, on our way to St. Louis. Andrew's paternal grandmother grew up in Louisiana, Missouri, right on the Mississippi River. In fact, their home overlooked the river! Today, there's an empty lot where the home stood, but it was still nice getting to see where she grew up. The town is cute and very small. It was the front of their house that overlooked the river, but they could also walk a couple blocks away from the river into town. It was probably a great place to grow up! After our stop in Louisiana, we continued our drive to St. ... read more

Well “Go west young man” is in full swing, minus the young part. Started the day in early growth wheat fields as far as the eye could see. Headed to the south and west. Spent time on route 46 and later 146 through Vienna and on to the Mississippi. Weather continues to hold out in the high 70’s low 89’s. Just about perfect biking weather. More on the weather in a moment. Today the human and machine were not quite in sync. First a warning light on the headlight being out. A problem as you need to be seen. Assumed a loose connection as it somehow fixed itself. Thesymbol on the display was more concerning. In the modern world the bike’s maintenance manual is just a few swipes away. Low and beyond low oil pressure. Oil ... read more

This will be short and not so sweet. Why can’t campgrounds provide reliable wifi for their campers? Wifi will be very limited. Tomorrow night I will be staying in a state park in Indiana so no wifi at all You may not hear from me again until I’m home. So no worries, things are going well. Got away at 8:30 and landed in the campground at 3:30 but with a few stops in between. When it’s a long day I like to stop every couple of hours, let Malika out and use the restroom of wherever I happen to be. Or get gas as the need arises. The Welcome Centre for Missouri beckoned me in to use the restroom and then the information lady was waving and saying Hi so I went and had some laughs ... read more