MIH Pere Marquette State Park, Grafton, IL & St. Louis, MO

Saturday – Tuesday, July 22-25, 2017

We left Decatur without really having a specific destination.  Our only thought was that we would like to head to toward the Cahokia Mounds, the largest prehistoric Indian site north of Mexico.  We first learned about Cahokia while visiting the Field Museum in Chicago and thought that it might be interesting to see.  We also thought that it would also give us a chance to visit St. Louis, MO as well.

There were very few options for State Park camping or boondocking and the private campgrounds that were in the area did not have very good reviews.  Pere Marquette State Park ($20/night) was a bit further north from our ideal location but we headed there in the hopes that they would have space available.  When we arrived space was not an issue, apparently many of the reservations they had were cancelled, probably because of the heat.  The last several days have had temperatures in the high 90s and low 100s.  This would not be an issue for us because Elwood has air-conditioning. 

Along with the heat the region had tornado warnings.  I must admit traveling in a camper while such warnings are in effect is a bit disconcerting.  We didn’t experience a tornado but we did experience a huge thunder and lightning storm with high winds.  The campground did get hit by a bolt of lightning a few sites down from us but other than a loss of electricity we were left unscathed.  Unfortunately there were a few other campers who had some near misses with trees and others who lost their awnings as a result of the high winds.

While staying at this campground we took a day trip to St. Louis, MO.  We, well Wilson especially, like to visit cities on the weekends to avoid as much traffic as possible.  At times this can be limiting but for the most part there is so much to see in the city that missing one or two things isn’t a big deal.  While in the city we visited the Anheuser Busch brewery/tourist center, the Old Courthouse, and the Gateway Arch, all of which were very interesting.

Anheuser Busch Brewery – If you are ever in St. Louis I would highly recommend going on the brewery tour, even if you’re not a Budweiser fan.  The tour is free and includes the standard “this is how we do it”/history spiel but it also includes a visit with the Clydesdales and free samples.  We not only got a sample (5oz) during the tour we got a free pint at the end of the tour.  The pint at the end was especially nice because it wasn’t just Bud that you got to sample, you could have any number of offerings that Anheuser Busch bottles…I had a Stella Artois Cider, which was incredibly refreshing as it was another hot, hot day.

 

The Old Courthouse & Gateway Arch – The area around the Court House and the Arch was originally called The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, but is now called Gateway Arch National Park (as of2018).  The Court House is a beautiful old building where the first trials for the freedom of Dred and Harriet Scott were heard.  It’s now a museum which highlights not only the Dred Scott case but also the Lewis & Clark expedition.  In this part of the country, wherever we traveled, we would continue to see various historical markers referencing the expedition.

While the Old Courthouse checked the box for historical learning the Arch checked the box for seeing an iconic piece of architecture.  The Arch was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States.  It is the world’s tallest arch and the tallest man-made monument in the western hemisphere at 630 feet.  You can go up into the arch for not that much money, but we decided we really didn’t need to do that.  Other than the views I don’t think there’s much to do in there…I found a video taken of the inside on YouTube which confirms this (Inside the Gateway Arch). Now when I see it in a movie or read about it in a book and can say, “yep, I saw that”.  

 

On the same day we went to St. Louis we passed through Alton, IL where we stopped to view a painting on the limestone rocks.  The Piasa Bird (pronounced Pie-a-Saw) legend dates back to 1673 and describes a bird-like monster with a particular taste for human flesh.

While we were staying at Pere Marquette Wilson and I had a solo day.  He visited the Cahokia Mounds and I was content to stay “at home”.  During our trips we periodically take days-off which is good, especially when we’re with each other 24/7.  People sometimes ask how we do it, (am I supposed to use a ? when a question is part of the sentence?) spending so much time together and taking a day off every once in a while works for us.  We’re lucky because we travel together really well and most days we like each other.  Anyway….if you are interested in hearing about the Cahokia Mounds you should ask Wilson next time you see him.

Leave Decatur, IL - 11:14am - 74°, sunny

Rte. 72W►51S►48S►140W►3N►100N

Arrive – Pere Marquette SP, Grafton, IL 2:45pm

Miles traveled – 137.4