Today, I took reader Gina’s advice and drove all the way to historic St Charles, Mo, to visit the historic downtown section as well as the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center.
‘All the way’ is about 3 miles from where Miranda is parked, at the Harrah’s Casino. 😀
It was cold in the rig today and it promised to be grey and miserable all day, so I decided that since I was up I might as well get an early start and have breakfast in St Charles before going to the museum, which opened at 10. It was only 9:30 when I was done, so I went over to Walmart, also in St Charles, to get a few things and discovered a gigantic Dollar Tree store next door. I have never seen one so big, and it was full of brand name products! The cashier teased me when I told her that ‘all those bags’ couldn’t all be mine, saying that she was watching me toss stuff in my basket like I was touring Ali Baba’s cave! Everything was on the list, however, and I barely had to get anything at Walmart.
I then drove to the historic downtown portion of St Charles, a formerly French-Canadian city that was the last bastion of civilization for the Lewis and Clark expedition. There is tons of free parking down near the boat house, just a block from the southern portion of Main Street.
I read the Lewis and Clark journals about 15 years ago, but I think they would make a bigger impression on me today, so I have downloaded the free Kindle version (readable on my iPad and iPod Touch using the Kindle app) and am looking forward to rereading about their journey now that I have pretty much covered their whole route to the Pacific Ocean.
The museum is small with entry costing $4. This includes a really good National Geographic movie about the expedition that had me glued to the edge of my seat!
After the museum, I walked up to Main Street and walked it from the southern to the northern end and back again, visiting a few shops and checking out the restaurant menus. The Little Hills Winery menu was particularly appealing and quite inexpensive, so I went in, but lunch was rather disappointing. The ciabatta bun was stale and the McCain-type seasoned wedge fries were tepid. The sandwich filling, however, was incredibly delicious and is one I would like to recreate at home! There was a moist and flavourful charbroiled chicken breast topped with thin slices of creamy Brie, two strips of crispy bacon, and a delicious apple and onion chutney, definitely worth the price of lunch.
I got an ice cream for the walk back to the car, made briskly as the sky was starting to spit. It’s now very windy and threatening to storm.
Check out the gallery for more information about my day.
this was a crazy intersection; I had no idea where to go and was so glad I could follow this car!
the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center
close up of the sign
Mention of St Charles by Clark
Portraits of Lewis and Clark (did you know that William Clark was a flaming red head?)
about Lewis
about Clark
mention of how well managed was the expedition and that only one man died
representation of a stone house at the time
the museum
this razor may have belonged to Lewis
list of articles, including the Lewis’ razor
a page from the Lewis geneology
description of Floyd, the man who died (probably of a ruptured appendix)
“I have been wet and cold in every part as I ever was in my life”–Clark
a little bit about their Shoshone guide, Sacagawea, the wife of a French-Canadian interpreter
about Sacawagaea’s son, the final member of the expedition
About the expedition’s triumphant return to St Charles. The men had been gone for 28 months and were presumed dead.
An hilarious story about a French Canadian interpreter with such poor eyesight that he mistook Lewis for an elk and shot him in the rear!
representation of this man, Pierre Cruzatte
I loved this statue of Lewis and Clark; it seems to capture their spirit
Reproduction of the type of clothes the French Canadian men would have worn (Lewis and Clark’s soldiers all wore military attire. When that was worn through, they made neat leather suits. The image of a roughly dressed expedition party is fictional.)
about the French Canadian outfits
Main and RIverside, looking south
this conservatory is a lovely place to have a wedding
the conservatory brings the outdoors in with its brick floor
Hobbit’s Hole Antiques; I would have bought quite a few things for a stick home 🙂
Hobbit’s Hole Antiques
my Barbies had a stove just like this one; it’s worth $100?!
there are several nice bathrooms along the street, something other towns should emulate in their tourist districts
looking north on Main Street
Daniel Boone (Anyone else have a crush on Fess Parker as Daniel Boone growing up? Loved that show, but I bet it wouldn’t stand the test of time)
plaque confirming this is a statue of Daniel Boone
marker noting the site of the Lewis and Clark expedition rendezvous
Laura’s La Petite had some really nice things
Laura’s La Petite
looking north on Main Street
looking north on Main Street
looking north on Main Street
looking north on Main Street
Whew, the north end of the historic part of Main Street! I’m looking south now.
looking south on Main Street
looking south on Main Street
looking south on Main Street
main buildings at this ancient-looking cellar doors right on the sidewalk
the sidewalk was more of an obstacle course; this was probably the worst section
the Enchanted Attic was a treasure trove of incense, pendulums, crystals, and candles
nice little park with a gazebo
looking south on Main Street
this is the Little Hills Winery restaurant where I had lunch
lunch (as I said, the main part of it, the sandwich filling, was AWESOME)
this mill is now a brewery and pub
this mill is now a brewery and pub
back at the corner of RIverside and Main. I turned left on Riverside to go back to my car.