Just Being Tourists

July 31, 2010
St. Louis, MO - Alton/Grafton, IL

Today was a long but fun and productive day. It was nice having a "tour guide" to show us various things. We started with a drive into St. Louis, a little over an hour away. This was the farthest out we were going, so we were then able to work our way back with ease.

Our first stop was for breakfast. Where better than a donut shop? We each had a couple of treats from World's Fair Donuts, in operation since the 1904 Exposition (with some of the original equipment, from the looks of it). Right across the street are a couple of "antique" stores that Michael and Susan like to browse. It seemed to me that the buildings were more antique than the wares, as the shop owners apparently do quite a bit of direct importing from Mexico, mostly metal work and cast concrete type decorative "art". It was fun to poke around enough to not feel guilty using their restroom.

The donut shop is at the foot of "The Hill", a neighborhood that celebrates an Italian heritage. It reminded us of parts of South Philly, and we took advantage of two different markets to stock up on Italian products that are hard to find on the road.

As we headed back to Illinois and lunch, we stopped at one of the many Lewis & Clark sites in the area. This particular one is relatively new and features an observation tower that affords views of the confluence of the three rivers. Since it was a heavily overcast and hazy morning (and they charge a $4 admission), we decided to save the tour for a better day.

By now, it was time for lunch, and Michael wanted to show us some local flavors. We headed for "Fast Eddie's Bon-Air", and found the lines about a half hour long. Essentially a "biker bar", the place is known for cheap food and cold beer, and attracts a much broader crowd than just HOG riders. 99¢ burgers, 99¢ fries, 29¢ peel-and-eat shrimp, and $3 beer - you know how they make their (cash only) money. The food line snakes around inside, right around the bar where one bartender is positioned to get you drinks while you're still in line to order. Gotta love that! Of course, one of the neat things about a place like this is the people-watching, and we definitely saw some characters.

After lunch, we made a quick stop back home to check on the pups and let them out for "exercise". Then we headed for Grafton, just a few miles down the road. We took a few pictures of the high water, which is almost up to the road in places because of the heavy rains in the upper plains this summer. The water's not usually this high at this time of year, as the rivers usually peak in the spring.

We headed up the bluffs to Aerie's Winery to enjoy the view and maybe some vino. In spite of the name, they don't actually make wine, but they do sell a decent selection by the glass or bottle. The real attraction, though, is the views of the rivers from 250'+ up. It would have been perfect sitting on the deck and watching barges plow by and eagles soar on the updrafts - if it wasn't for the "entertainment". They had a "country boy" doing solo karaoke (he sang and pretended to play guitar while the machine provided all the music), and he was actually pretty good except for his overcompensating use of sound. And he kept turning the volume up. And, "appearing on the deck 2-6 PM" meant playing without taking any breaks. But, the views and company (Susan's sister and brother-in-law joined us after a while) were nice, the wine was fine, and we still had a good time.

Click here for pictures from today's adventures...

Back home once again, it was soon time for dinner. Pappardelle (fresh pasta, also from the West Side Market) married nicely with the Veal Ragu, and we all ate well. And there was even a lunch worth left over. Since we were up early and busy all day, it'll be another early night.