Yep, it is a St. Louis signature food. At least according to some folks, so we had to give it a try. A version made by Ann and Allen of St. Louis fame made the perfect anniversary cake. Rich and sweet just as one might guess, delicious.
We headed out to the point just north of St Louis where first the Illinois then the Missouri join the mighty Mississippi to create “The Great River”, the lower Mississippi. Today the water moves slowly but there are signs of the high water this past Spring. Confluence Park is closed, still covered in mud and debris. We had to be satisfied exploring wetlands and watching tugs with long flats of barges lock through at Melvin Price Dam and Locks. The locks are an engineering marvel and the captains pretty amazing as they maneuver those gigantic loads with only two feet per side clearance.
The National Great river Museum is here by the locks. Displays tell an interesting story of the Rivers’ origins and historical paths as well as modern day changes and challenges. Usually they give tours of the locks but not today, there are contractor’s everywhere as they appear to be working on chamber gates. We watched a bit and it gave some perspective as to the scale of the locks; the rigging on the crane holding up one gate was rated at 400 tons.
The day was a bit overcast and the entire area around the arch
is riddled with excavation equipment. They are completely redoing the grounds that surround the arch and the Westward Expansion Museum.
Still, we couldn’t pass up the quintessential St. Louis tourist spot. It was a somewhat claustrophobic and choppy ride (much as I remember it from years ago) in that tiny elevator car but the view was worth it. We rounded our downtown visit with a 
stop at the Old Cathedral, simple and gracefully beautiful, and the Old Court House
, fascinating architecture and inspirational history.
Oh yes, then BBQ at Pappy’s. It was worth the 45 minute wait in line. My rating; pulled pork, then ribs, then the brisket.
Actually, Taylorsville Lake State Park is serving as our home base while we are in the Louisville area for a few days to check in with family. It was a beautiful morning drive then the first raindrops hit the roof within 30 minutes of setting up camp. It seems we have gotten caught up in a long string of everyday thunderstorms. We hope that weather and family get together schedules will allow for a little time on the lake. We shall see.
A doe standing watch over her still-spotted fawn. A fox teaching her two adorable kits how to safely cross the road. This is a fun time of year for watching critter families.
First hand proof that a bit of ethanol in the gasoline can be a bad thing. We launched onto Green River Reservoir in Kentucky. The outboard didn’t spring to life but it did start. We limped along assuming it would work the kinks out. No such luck. It quit and proceeded to just dump gas out of the bottom of the carburetor. Now what? Kent disconnected the fuel line and fired up the 5 Hp so we could spend a few more hours on the lake until the rain ran us in…thunder and lightening. Oh, my.
As for the outboard? I mostly stayed clear of the diagnosis phase but came to understand that the gaskets Kent replaced last week had swollen and bulged out of the sealing groove. Wonderful, right? We are out of the boating business until we can affect repairs. The short story, the guys at the local marina informed him that replacement gaskets he ordered from Mercury are not resistant to gas blends that include ANY ethanol. So, Kent visited the local Napa store, bought new gasket material, and as we “speak” is cutting out a new gasket. Until new gaskets are finished we will stay a little closer to the ramp when thunderstorms are forecast. Top speed with the 5hp is about 5 mph. Always something to fix…..
Shiloh National Military Park was set aside in the 1890s as one of the five original Civil War battlefield Historical Sites. Like Gettysburg, the park has 100s of plaques and magnificent granite memorials often including elaborate bronze statuary. The Confederate Memorial is a beautiful example that depicts brave and determined soldiers day 1 (April 6) and the weary, defeated, disheartened soldiers at the end of day 2 (April 7). 10’s of thousands died or were wounded on this wooded battlefield. Ridges were dotted with canon. Gullies emitted torrents of musket fire. A movie of the battle is heart rending.
On the bright side….they did cannon demonstrations. I am always amazed at the complex sequence of events that culminates in cannon fire. Every movement of a team of 8 men is perfectly choreographed to a cadence set by the bark of the gunner. The noise. The feel of the shockwave. The smell of spent black powder. And this is just one gun and it is firing low charge blanks. God, what this place must have been like during battle! Every American needs to visit a National Military Park at least once in their life.
Another bright side – Hiram and Julia (named for General Grant and his wife), a pair of eagles nesting in the park. This year they have raised two young who are just fledging. I got a glimpse of one first flight but we tired of watching before the second youngster got brave enough to take wing.
This morning brought a new adventure. We went through the normal, startup, slide in, jacks up procedure. All went normal except voltage appeared low. After visiting the dump station the voltage still was unusually low. I stopped the engine and opened the hood only to be greeted by a feral cat heading off into the woods in a real hurry. Apparently the cat had became tangled in the fan belt and caused it to jump off the pulleys. Since the cat made the woods and the belt was undamaged it was a relatively simple process to put the belt back on and continue our travels for the day. No real tools required beyond a block of wood to retract the idler spring. Hope the cat was really ok and learned a lesson about suitable sleeping locations.
The Peabody ducks.
The elevator door opened onto the crowd-lined red carpet. Led by a red coated Duck Master, one mallard and four ladies marched into the fountain and set about merrily splashing.
A detailed look at the entire 1000 miles.
A half mile walk On Mud Island Park took us along a wonderfully detailed scale model of the Mississippi from the headwaters of all its tributaries to the Gulf. It is a wondrous body of water with its twists and turns and amazing how much the path has changed, both naturally and at the hands of the Corp of Engineers, through the years.
More BBQ.
This time at Blues City Café. Yep, the best ribs. The baked beans had a nice jalapeño kick.
A raspberry phosphate at the soda counter at A Schwab Mercantile. There should be more of these around.
Fresh roasted peanuts were wonderful. Great proprietor too.
By late afternoon the clubs on Beale Street were just coming to life. Music rolled out into the street. Streetside carts and drink shacks were just opening. We called it an early day but this must be a rocking place as the sun sets. Did you know that the sidewalks around town have music staff lines cast into them?
Of course we just had to! Ribs and brisket from A&R BarBQue. 
Both were delicious. It is definitely all about the meat not the ambience, a repurposed gas station. The peach fried pie for desert wasn’t too bad either.