On the Road Again - Pt. 2 - Missouri

This has been a frustrating post to do only because my computer has been acting up and when I tried to save and publish I lost the whole thing. Oh well, I'll try again. I had a really good time while I was in Missouri on this trip. As the kids get older and are both in school all day and Stacie and Tom both working I make it a point to find and do things to keep myself busy. I stopped at the Missouri Welcome Center and picked up the 2016 St. Louis Visitors Guide and brochures for things that were within reasonable driving distance so that I could do day trips when everyone else was busy with school and work.

On Wednesday I got busy going and doing. I saw in a brochure that the Missouri History Museum was having a presentation called Route 66 - Main Street Through St. Louis and I wasn't going to pass up a chance to see it. Like so many things about Route 66, this one brought back a lot of memories. Not specific memories as much as just general reminders of the many times that we drove Route 66 when I was growing up. It was time well spent.

The next day I went back to the Bluff View Trail for the first time since my knee started bothering me there last October. They were having a pretty hot run of weather while I was there and it was really humid so I was glad to be in the woods. It's a really nice trail with varying terrain, 5 miles to the junction with another trail and back.

After I went home to shower and have lunch I went to visit the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site. Despite being a former history teacher I had no idea that Grant had such a connection to Missouri. The museum gave a good look into the life of Grant and his wife Julia as well as children and the parents on both sides. Even as a history teacher I know how boring history can often be. I wish more students had the opportunity to actually visit places like this that are so much more anecdotal than just the facts and dates.

On Friday I started with another hike close to the house at the Rockwoods Reservation. I hiked the Lime Kiln Loop Trail it starts right at an old kiln and has some challenging places but isn't bad. Like Bluff View it is also in the trees so even though you still have the humidity you can be out of the direct sun. While the trail is only 3.2 miles in length it is a good workout because of the hills. After my hike I went back to the house to clean up and then drove to Eureka to have lunch with Jackie and Stacie at a Mexican Restaurant that I like, for Stacie's birthday. That might we had pizza and beer, watched the Cardinals and then sat on the deck and watched the fireworks from Wildwood Days.

The weekend was a typical busy weekend for the kids. On Saturday Tom and Chase went to the first day of Chase's hockey tryouts while Stacie, Haley and I went to the Wildwood Days Parade that was on the road right behind the house. It was a nice small town parade. After the parade Haley had a birthday party to go to so I used the time to just relax. On Sunday it was the same as far as busy days. It was Stacie's birthday, Chase had day two of tryouts and I had a race at Forest Park. I got back from the race in plenty of time to get ready to go with Stacie and Haley to hockey. The rest of the day we celebrated Stacie's birthday with lunch at the Big Chief Roadhouse and later Jackie came over and we had cake and Stacie opened her gifts. It was a crazy busy but very fun day.

On Monday everyone else went back to school and work and I took to the road again. In the St. Louis Guide I read about a few things that were not to far and sounded interesting and when I visited the first I saw the second and from there got a brochure about the third. I finished by driving to another Route 66 landmark on the way home.

The first place I went was the Confluence Point State Park where the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers come together. It was amazing standing on such a small point of land and realizing that so much history has passed through and continues to pass through that location. After that I stopped at a bird sanctuary, the National Great Rivers Museum and then went to a Lewis and Clark State Historic Site - The Point of Departure where there was a really nice museum. Finally I stopped at the Chain of Rocks Bridge and walked from Illinois to Missouri before heading back to the house.

I stayed an extra day because I wanted to watch Chase's last night of hockey tryouts. It also gave Stacie, Haley and I a chance to eat at what might be my favorite restaurant to eat at when I visit them.

I had a great time in St. Louis!

On the Road Again - Pt. 1 - New Mexico

It's hard to believe that it has been over a month since I've last written in this blog. I'm going to share my trip and I'm sure that it will take me multiple entries to cover it all. I left here on the 19th of last month after going to a VA appointment in Stockton. In spite of the appointment and the late start I was still able to get to Kingman, Arizona the first night leaving me a short drive to Albuquerque the next day for a visit with Johnny Ramos. I hadn't seen Johnny since around Christmas of 2004 when he came through the Springs on his way to a family members funeral in Longmont. That was a short but fun reunion because he got there in time to watch me coach my swimming team before we went back to the house for pizza and beer. No drinking this visit but a lot of good memories and shared laughs. We went to dinner and then we drove around Old Town Albuquerque and Johnny showed me some of the land marks.

The next morning I ran a 5K in the foothills and thought the altitude was going to be the end of me. It has been almost five years since I lived at altitude and I sure felt it. It didn't help that the first half mile was uphill either. Despite walking the majority of it while my knee is still getting stronger I still managed to win my age group. As I have joked before, the older I get the less people in my age group are showing up to race.

After the race I went back to Johnny's to clean up, say goodbye and load my car for the trip to St. Louis; I was only going as far as Shamrock, Texas that night since I was once again getting a very late start. When I got to Shamrock the first thing that struck me was that it appeared deserted. The place was loaded with motels but the parking lots and the roads were practically empty. It is one of the towns that really promote their location on Route 66.

From the book, Road Trip USA - Route 66 by Jamie Jensen this describes what I saw, "Even more so than in New Mexico or Oklahoma, old Route 66 has been replaced by I-40 most of the way across Texas, though in many of the ghostly towns, like McLean, Shamrock, or Vega, and the sole city, Amarillo, old US-66 survives as the main business strip, lined by the empty remains of roadside businesses. A select few are still open for a cup of coffee and a sharp taste of the living past". I keep finding my way back to the "Mother Road" when ever I travel near it. This won't be the last time I mention Route 66 on this trip.

I left early the next morning to drive to St. Louis to see Stacie, Tom, Chase and Haley. I wanted to spend as much time as I could with them because the time passes so quickly when I'm there, even more so with Tom traveling, Stacie working and both kids in school all day. The great thing is that we make the most of the time that we do have by staying busy and enjoying each other's company even if it's something as simple as watching a Cardinals game together or playing Wii Bowling. I spent Tuesday resting up from the drive while the kids were in school and then stayed busy the rest of my visit.