Route 66

I awoke to a grey and blustery fall Sunday.  I slept in late - trying to recover some sleep from this past week of staying up too late every night watching the Cardinals win the World Series!!  I decided it would be a good day for some whimsical tourism.  I found a mention of Route 66 State Park online - and decided that would do.  So Jane and I set out among the falling leaves to pursue a bit of Americana in Missouri.

Route 66 was designed as a federal highway in 1926.  It spans some of the most remote country in the US from LA to Chicago.  It has also been called The Main Street of America and the "Mother Road"(by John Steinbeck).  It became one of the greatest migration routes in our country's history - passing through large cities and small rural towns.  Gas stations were plentiful and speed limits very low.  It was most recently featured in the movie, Cars.  Eventually an interstate was built along Route 66 - providing faster access.  And also killing off the small towns, inns, diners and tourist attractions along Route 66.

Route 66 Sate Park is located in the former town of Times Beach along Route 66 just outside of Eureka, Missouri.  Time Springs was reduced by flooding, and then bought out when it was discovered that waste oil sprayed on the streets to reduce dust was contaminated with high levels of dioxin.  The land was cleaned up and turned over to the state park.  Route 66 State Park strives to keep some of the memories alive through memorabilia, displays, souvenirs, etc.  The visitors center is located in what was once a roadhouse, built in 1935.  It was opened as the Bridgehead Inn, then later known as Steiny's Inn, Bridgehead Inn and Galley West.

I really enjoyed touring the visitors center and decided to purchase a DVD celebrating the 75th anniversary of Route 66 - it's history and the television shows that were filmed about it.  The memorabilia displayed included signs and bricks from some of the roadhouses along the way, Old souvenirs, an old gas tank dispenser, a Route 66 motorcycle, Route 66 road sign markers, bumper stickers, diner signs and much more.   Jane enjoyed the State Park - where she chased leaves and carried sticks and played in the grass.

After the walk in the state park, I decided we needed some more time on the road.  Reading about Route 66 made me want to drive it.  So checking the map, I had to get back on the interstate and go down several exits on I-44 to #261.  There I was able to turn to SR 44 (which is the historical Route 66).  At least in Missouri, Route 66 now only exists as a historical route.  I found that very sad.  It parallels the Interstate and at times criss-crosses it.  Slowing down to the 40-50 mph speed limit, I settled in to cruise a bit.  Already it felt different than being in the Interstate.  No worries about passing people, or getting in the way of speeding vehicles.  No keeping a constant eye out for cops while you're speeding. (Whoops, did I say that? ;) )  Instead, I passed aging buildings, small towns, houses, trailer parks, and kooky tourist attractions (yes, they still exist).  The road was gently winding with a few tiny hills.  It's graded just perfectly to cruise along without much maneuvering.  No tight curves or steep descents.  I can see why people enjoyed cruising along on it.

I mean, where else can you see such cool things as Creative Chainsaw Carvings, Gigantic Indian Teepees selling jewelry and tortillas, rundown trailer parks called Paradise, flea markets, farms with rusting fences and mules in the field.... you just don't have time to notice those things when you're flying down the interstate - unless it's on a gigantic billboard.  There is something to be said for slowing down to appreciate things - the life around you.  I definitely want to go back sometime and drive the entire route!

I was enticed off the route by a billboard touting the Meramec Caverns and Jesse James Wax museum.  I had wanted to see the caverns while I was here - so this was as good a time as any.  The caverns are privately owned.  They are the site of a famous escape by Jesse James and his gang - who hid in the caves and escaped through a river.  Dolomite rock (stronger than concrete) forms the ceiling and walls of the cave which includes 26 miles of underground passages.  The tour cost $20 and lasts about 1 1/2 hours.  It probably could have been done in half that time.  And they've added cheesy effects for the tourists that I thought were unnecessary.  But the stalactites and stalagmites were amazing.  I'm glad I saw it anyway.

Once I was out of the caverns, I realized it was late in the day.  So Jane and I headed back to St Louis on the Interstate.  But I have to say, I felt guilty.

Grant's Farm

I'm so glad I decided to go to Grant's Farm today.  Because this is the last week they are open for the season.  Grant's Farm is at the historic site of Ulysses S. Grant's farm/home.  Right next door to the family home of the Dents - and his wife, Julia Dent.  It was such a beautiful day - sunny, 80 degrees, that I just didn't want to be inside today.  The fall foliage here in Missouri isn't very colorful.  Several people were remarking on that around me.  I would guess it is because they had such a hot dry summer.  The leaves are turning pale color, drying and falling quickly.

My first stop - big surprise - was the Clydesdale barn.  This farm is owned by the Anheuser/Busch family.  And they originally used part of Grant's Farm to breed Clydesdales.  However, due to the size of the operation, they have moved the breeding operation to a larger farm outside of St Louis.  I wasn't able to get a picture of it, but the wrought iron gates that the wagon comes out of in some of the commercials is here at Grant's Farm.  The horses they do have here still are some retired carriage geldings, three weanlings and a couple of young colts.  It was fun to pet them - although they mostly ignored everyone.  And I paid to have my photo taken with one of them.  His name is Dave.  He was a pretty good natured 10 year old gelding, retired early from service due to health reasons.

After the Clydesdales, I caught the tram ride through Grant's Farm to the center Farm.  While on the tram, we went through Deer Park - lots of deer, ducks, geese, and also Bison, Texas Long Horn cattle, a brahman cow, an ostrich, zebra, one antler antelope, etc.  The center farm had a petting area where kids and adults could feed pygmy goats with bottled milk.  It's nice to pet the goats, but I actually hate these type of things.  The goats were mostly full and not interested in the bottles.  A good third of them were exhausted by all the attention, confusion, screaming and chaos of the kids - and they were trying to find places to lay down and sleep.  Most of them had a blase attitude - the indifference of self preservation.  I hated seeing it.  They had some other exhibited animals - none that could be petted (thank god), but they too stayed at the back of their pens to avoid the confusion.  They had 2 elephants, a few wallabies, 2 bald eagles (they were on logs on the ground due to permanent injuries), chickens, horses, donkeys, calves, llamas and camels. Still, it was a nice day to meander around and I'm glad that I went.

Part of farm, near the famed wrought iron gates, is fenced with curious wrought iron --- which turned out to be made from the barrels of rifles from the Civil War.

Shrine of the Black Madonna

I'm not catholic.  I'm not especially religious.  But the historical aspects of religion do fascinate me.  So when I saw a brochure inviting me to visit Black Madonna of Czestochowa Shrine & Grottos.... well, I just had to go and find out what it's all about.  So, Saturday after Jane's puppy class, I put the tired out puppy in her crate to sleep and headed out to Eureka, Missouri to visit the shrine.

The shrine and grottos were built by hand over a 23 year span by Brother Bronislaus Luscze, O.S.F. (Order of St. Francis).  Brother Bronislaus was part of group of Franciscan brothers invited by the Archbishop of St. Louis, Cardinal Jon J. Glennon, to emigrate from Poland to establish a nursing home.  The following is taken from the tour guide: "Bronislaus was a man driven by an overwhelming faith and love for Our Blessed Mother Mary.  In his native Poland, Mary is revered as the Queen of Peace and Mercy.  Her most famous shrine is at the Jasna Gora monastery in the town of Czestochowa (chen-sta-ho-va).  As a young man, Bronislaus would sit by the road and watch pilgrims as they passed through his village...overcoming tremendous hardship...to reach their goal.  The memories...remained with him throughout his life."

My main question, and I'm sure, most people's question, is...Why Black Madonna?  I've never seen any black saints or religious images in Catholicism.  Well, apparently it refers to the skin tones.  Since Mary, Jesus and Joseph lived in what is now the Middle East, their skin tone would have been dark brown or olive.  Additionally, the oil paints used when the original painting was made(by St. Luke) tended to darken with age.  AND...the painting was in a major fire in Constantinople, along with the tens of thousands of pots of incense and candles burned before it in offering.  All of these contributed to the further darkening of the image of Mary.  And it now referred to as the Black Madonna - seen here in the outdoor chapel.

The original painting has a rich and varied history.  I won't dredge it all up here, but if you are interested in history, it's a fascinating read.  While at the Shrine, I met Brother Tom, one of the laymen monks, who lives at the Shrine - and has since 1962.  He is the resident caretaker - taking his meals at the monastery up the road, and working 3 days a week elsewhere to support his keep.  Brother Tom is quite the talker - but I must say it was wonderful to listen to him talk about the history of the Shrine here.  And he has quite the history himself - having been a Monk, and also in the navy.  When he came here, he worked in the nursing home here.  His favorite floor was the psych ward.  He had lots of favorite stories and memories of working there.  He liked to sit with the residents.  Just sit, and accept them.  It's nice to be around and listen to someone with such a good heart.  It felt peaceful to be in his presence.  He apologized for talking so much - and for holding me up - as I had to wait while he told his stories to two ladies in front of me in the gift shop.  I assured him that I was enjoying listening and was not in a hurry.

The grottos are made from Missouri Cliff Rock, from Old Mines, Missouri about 30 miles away.  Mixed in with the rock are shells, rocks, costume jewelry, colored glass, etc - all donated by visitors or sent from foreign missions.  Keep in mind, this was built by hand - without power tools or assistance!!!  There are lots of statues of Jesus (crucifiction, nativity, gethsemane), of Mary (Mother's sanctuary, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Sorrows, the Assumption) and of St. Francis of Assissi.

I walked around in the autumnal sunshine, absorbing the peaceful surroundings.  The quiet was broken only by the buzzing of bees and the occasional cry of a hawk.  I was amazed to see that the statues of the crucifix were covered in lady bugs!  

By the end of  my visit, I was the only tourist there.  So I sat for a while in the company of the statues.  Brother Tom wished me a safe journey, adjured me to be safe driving alone on the roads, and blessed me.  And somehow, the world seems right.

Gateway Arch or Westward Ho!

It's a beautiful fall day in Missouri.  And for once, there isn't a parade or even a Cardinals game downtown! LOL!  So I decided to do some sightseeing at the Arch.  After parking at LaCledes Landing (yay only $5!), I walked over through the beautiful park grounds of the Arch.  (You can see the temperature on the sign at Busch Stadium where the Cardinals usually play.)

The Gateway Arch in St Louis Missouri is part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (along with the Old Courthouse that I toured earlier).  It is a monument to Thomas Jefferson and St. Louis' role in the westward expansion of the United States.  It is the tallest monument in the United States - made of Stainless Steel plates with concrete poured between them.  It can withstand winds up to 150 mph, and would only sway about 9 inches each way at those speeds.  It was designed by Eero Saarinen, whose design won a contest.  It cost 13 million to build and was finished Oct. 28, 1965.

To get to the top, you actually go into the underground museum and ride a tram to the top.  The tram is basically a huge round metal barrel with 5 seats inside each car - about 6 cars on each side.  The picture I have is of the fake tram in the entry area - as they shunt you in and out so fast that they ask you not to stop and take pictures of the actual trams so you don't hold up traffic.  It takes 4 minutes to reach to top.  The only view on the way up is of the stairs and the bolts on the metal plates.  It's a weird feeling and they ask you several times before you get to the trams if you are claustrophobic.  Once you see the tram, you understand why.  The door is about 4 ft long and maybe 3 ft wide if that.  Inside are 5 small seats - everyone has to arrange their knees just so to fit.  Thank god I had a pretty thin group going up and down.  I'm not claustrophobic, but when it started out, I did get an eery feeling.  It's a round barrel, going up 630 ft of an arch - so it has to hitch around every now and then to keep the car even - you go sideways into the arch underground, and then up and over inside the arch.  The top is a narrow spot with very thin windows - about 15 in high and 24 inches wide (I'm guessing here).  It was incredibly crowded and you had to wait your turn at the windows to see out.  Some people just parked themselves there and wouldn't budge.  A very nice child asked me if I would like her spot (there's hope for the younger generation yet! LOL!).

After the tram ride, I wandered into the Museum of Westward Expansion, which covered Lewis & Clark's expedition, the Indian wars and treaties, the Louisiana Purchase and life in the 1800's as settlers expanded into the west.  One of the coolest parts was a viewing of rare Indian Peace Medals.  These were stamped with the various presidents likeness and given to Indians when signing peace treaties, etc.  The were essentially worthless - being two pieces of metal stamped together and hollow inside.  Yet another way we screwed the Indians.  It was interesting to see them, but sad at the same time.