Before getting back on the road, we made one stop in St. Louis: the Gateway Arch, the symbol of Westward Expansion. Since we are headed westward, following many of the pioneer routes, we felt it quite fitting to see the arch before continuing our journey. Rising 630 feet over the Mississippi River and downtown St. Louis, the Arch is quite a feat of engineering. The structure of the Arch comprises a steel frame filled with reinforced concrete and wrapped in a stainless steel skin. Inside there are two trams consisting of 8 barrel-shaped cars that carry people to the observation platform at the top using a system of pullies, tracks and auto-levelers. We went to the top (of course) and the photos depict what we saw on the St. Louis side. Illinois, unfortunately, has not done much to make their side interesting in the least.
From St. Louis, we decided to follow a scenic route that took us through the Missouri Rhineland. Our route started in St. Charles, MO the starting point for Lewis and Clark’s expedition to explore the Louisiana Purchase and to find a passage to the northwest. The historic part of town is steeped in this tradition with a brick street, historic wagons on display, and a memorial statue of Merriweather Lewis and William Clark. Proceeding south on Route 94 along the Missouri River, we passed over the rolling hills of the Rhineland headed towards Defiance, MO.
Just north of Defiance, MO is the retirement home of Daniel Boone, pioneer extraordinaire. The home is operated by Lindenwood University, who, unfortunately has a very strict policy about taking photographs anywhere on the property with cameras that look “professional” like our DSLRs. We decided not to waste any more time there and continued on to Defiance. Despite, Lindenwood’s unwelcoming attitude, the surrounding landscape proved that Boone had chosen a beautiful spot to spend his final years. The rolling hills, trees and grasslands made for incredible scenery even in the dull months of Winter.
After Defiance, we reached the small town of Augusta, Missouri (pop. 218) where we stopped to have a bite to eat. Again, we found the attitude of those around us to be unwelcoming, in an almost New York way. Not what I expected from a small town in Missouri.
Needing to get miles behind us we decided to leave Route 94 at Marthasville, rejoin I-70 bound for Kansas City. If you’re ever in Kansas City, I highly recommend the Plaza III Steakhouse.
Day 3: St. Louis to Kansas City
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Before getting back on the road, we made one stop in St. Louis: the Gateway Arch, the symbol of Westward Expansion. Since we are headed westward, following many of the pioneer routes, we felt it quite fitting to see the arch before continuing our journey. Rising 630 feet over the Mississippi River and downtown St. Louis, the Arch is quite a feat of engineering. The structure of the Arch comprises a steel frame filled with reinforced concrete and wrapped in a stainless steel skin. Inside there are two trams consisting of 8 barrel-shaped cars that carry people to the observation platform at the top using a system of pullies, tracks and auto-levelers. We went to the top (of course) and the photos depict what we saw on the St. Louis side. Illinois, unfortunately, has not done much to make their side interesting in the least.
From St. Louis, we decided to follow a scenic route that took us through the Missouri Rhineland. Our route started in St. Charles, MO the starting point for Lewis and Clark’s expedition to explore the Louisiana Purchase and to find a passage to the northwest. The historic part of town is steeped in this tradition with a brick street, historic wagons on display, and a memorial statue of Merriweather Lewis and William Clark. Proceeding south on Route 94 along the Missouri River, we passed over the rolling hills of the Rhineland headed towards Defiance, MO.
Just north of Defiance, MO is the retirement home of Daniel Boone, pioneer extraordinaire. The home is operated by Lindenwood University, who, unfortunately has a very strict policy about taking photographs anywhere on the property with cameras that look “professional” like our DSLRs. We decided not to waste any more time there and continued on to Defiance. Despite, Lindenwood’s unwelcoming attitude, the surrounding landscape proved that Boone had chosen a beautiful spot to spend his final years. The rolling hills, trees and grasslands made for incredible scenery even in the dull months of Winter.
After Defiance, we reached the small town of Augusta, Missouri (pop. 218) where we stopped to have a bite to eat. Again, we found the attitude of those around us to be unwelcoming, in an almost New York way. Not what I expected from a small town in Missouri.
Needing to get miles behind us we decided to leave Route 94 at Marthasville, rejoin I-70 bound for Kansas City. If you’re ever in Kansas City, I highly recommend the Plaza III Steakhouse.