It's been over four years since Deb and I undertook any travel not related to family visits. We were way overdue, especially for a road trip. Last autumn I planned a short jaunt along the Ohio River, which has yet to be undertaken. I also planned a few different entries into New Mexico, still awaiting their day. And then, finally, came the present trip, doable in 8 or 9 days, exploring places mostly new, but with a few old favourites in there, too. And so the Ozark trip was born, and it turned into a classic and very fun expedition. In all, we drove 2272 miles in 8 days of travel (7 nights).
We planned to get as far as Little Rock, AR, where I had an unmet Facebook friend, also interested in the Ballantine Fantasy series. We would also take in St. Louis, enjoy a return visit to Springfield, MO, and then head down into Arkansas. On one morning we would also dip into Oklahoma. Here, then, were the main goals of the journey: summit two state high points, to add to our small but growing list of accomplishments in that area; visit two fabulous art museums; visit two prehistoric earthwork sites; visit with Luke and Jenna in Little Rock; sample (and purchase) craft beer and craft coffee; try some new vegan restaurants.
Day 1
We drove from our house (essentially Detroit, MI) to Terre Haute, IN. But not by the usual route. We took a slightly longer way south, turning southwest from I 75 just before Dayton, OH to reach the Indiana State High Point. There is no hill to speak of, but the highest point sits in a lovely micro forest. Though on private land, high-pointers are welcome. There is a picnic table, very small parking area, and a mailbox with guest book to sign. We spent about fifteen minutes here before making tracks towards I 70.
This is one of the lowest of the state high points. No nose bleeds here. We are already 2 degrees latitude south of home, however. There were some wildflowers blooming.
Deb returns the guest book after signing it. It is still very early spring, even this far south of Detroit. And it was pretty chilly, too. But soon this little woodland would be a magical place to stop and contemplate Mt. Everest and its kin.
Our VW Golf at the Indiana State Highpoint. When I first stepped out of the car, I found 8 shiny new quarters on the ground, making this a financially beneficial stop. The quarters came in handy when we had to park in downtown St. Louis next day. A small gift from the gods of travel. Many of our lunches were eaten in small town Subway shops. Virtually every town in North America has a Subway, and their veggie sub (no cheese) with whole grain bread makes a very decent lunch. Did I mention that it is also cheap? Coffee on some driving days meant truck stop brew, but a few of those chain places (Pilot, for one) have pretty decent coffee. Today we found cold brew to fortify us as we headed through Indianapolis towards Terre Haute.
Terre Haute is often the first overnight stop on a drive west, and this trip was no exception. It has breweries, cafes, a great Indian restaurant, and a fantastic sushi place. There is also a riverside park. Our hotel, a Quality Inn, was on the very outskirts of downtown. We planned it so that we could leave the car at the hotel and walk everywhere that evening. It was a 15 minute walk to Moggers Pub, a craft beer haven. I ordered a flight of six brews (one for Deb), and we split a very tasty bean burger. The final section of this trip blog will deal with craft breweries, and I will include Moggers.
As pretty a sight to a thirsty traveller as can be. A flight at Mogger's Pub, Terre Haute, IN. Note the new backpack, purchased especially for this journey.
After dinner we walked back to the river, about 20 minutes away, and within site of our motel. It was sunny but chilly, with a sharp wind. The Wabash River was at flood stage, nothing unusual for this time of year, but a good chunk of the park was in the river. Not the trails, however. After staying until nearly sunset, we retired to our room for the evening. First day of travel had gone well, and we were looking forward to a day in St. Louis tomorrow.
DAY TWO: ST. LOUIS
Before leaving Terre Haute we made one more stopover. They have a massive courthouse which I had never entered, always being in a rush to head west towards NM. This trip there was time for our first inside visit.
We had to go through an airport-style security check, but once in we could wander at will. There were four large murals in the lobby showing some of the early history of the town, and a view straight up towards the dome, high above. There were ornamental staircases and lamps, wooden doors twelve feet high leading into offices and courtrooms (all in use on a Wednesday morning) , and a sense that this building would still be standing well after the nuclear holocaust.
One of four large murals relating the history of Terre Haute.
Ornamental railings inside the courthouse.
We
were soon on the road, heading southwest across Illinois. We had
gained an hour this morning, and were hoping to arrive at the St Louis
Art Museum around noon. Our main stop in Illinois was at Driftstone Pueblo Indian Crafts store, a little bit of the southwest in the mid west. They have really beautiful things here, such as kachinas, wall art, jewellery, and clothing. We bought a tiny skull carved from some kind of stone with lots of purple in it, and a fresh cedar and sage smudge stick. It's a fun place to stop and browse. Deb is always on the lookup for a certain type of kachina, but we haven't found one yet. Even so, there were several exceptional ones here worth buying.
On the approach to St. Louis on I 70, the highway passes close enough to Cahokia Mounds that the main mound can be easily seen while whizzing past at 70 mph. Shortly thereafter comes the arch and the downtown buildings. There are any amount of bridges crossing the Mississippi River here, and we flew over one of them. Usually on a trip west, the St. Louis river crossing marks the lowest point of the journey. However, this time we would be even lower than the 400' of altitude found here.
The main entrance to the St. Louis Museum of Art.
We spent four hours strolling the galleries, which were fairly busy for a weekday in late March. There was a main restaurant with some vegan options, and a smaller cafe with same. We chose the cafe, having our lunch here and then later a coffee break. There is a lot of art worth mentioning, including the huge collection of works by Max Beckman. Their Monet paintings were in the special exhibit, so we missed those. And there was no sign of their Van Gogh painting, which had been in the Detroit exhibit. Here is a visual tour of some of the highlights. It really is a great museum, and deserves to be visited by us more often.
After a lengthy and very rewarding museum visit, we headed downtown for our first close up view of the arch. We used my found quarters in a parking meter near the river and walked into the vast park system adjacent to the Mississippi. The arch is such a brilliant thing that it is difficult to express how amazing it is. Having seen it from afar while passing by many times, I can honestly say that I was astounded at its audacity, not to mention its huge scale. It's difficult to grasp just how large and high this thing is until you are almost underneath it. It's a bit of a mind blower! It is 630' high!!
Even from fairly close it is difficult to grasp the scale of this thing. It's big enough to ride up inside and look out from tiny windows! At least they look tiny from down here.
This view reminds me of the trajectory of a rocket after launching. The viewing windows can be seen, and the moon is now a day larger.
Access to the river from the downtown park in St. Louis.
We sat a long time in the park, resting our weary museum feet, and did some riverside walking before setting out for dinner. Seedz Cafe was chosen because it was close to the museum. Also because it is completely vegan. But we were now downtown, so it meant a trip back a ways. Like Detroit (almost a sister city, though St. Louis is only slightly more than half as big) the expressways will get you where you want to go quickly and directly. We found parking very close by, and were soon enjoying a late evening meal and stroll afterwards. The neighbourhood was totally charming, and included a playground full of children playing before bedtime, and watching parents standing around talking. After dinner we headed back over the river, as we were staying in East St. Louis, back in Illinois.
So far two days down, and a good time was being had by all. However, that night as were preparing for bed I realized I had lost a ring. A beautiful silver ring with a turquoise stone I had purchased from the craftsman in Abiquiu, NM. It was a terrible loss, and I realized it must have fallen off my finger somewhere within the art museum. It wouldn't open until 11 am tomorrow, so we would be leaving town without checking. A phone call later on would be in order.
Part Two Coming Soon!
Mapman Mike
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