Missouri (and More) on my Mind

"Frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me.  I am from Missouri: You've got to show me."

So are the legendary words of Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver from Missouri, supposedly the origin of the state's nickname, "the Show-Me State".

I decided to show myself physically to Missouri, the fine neighbor state to the west and south of Illinois, on the occasion of its Bicentennial of Statehood, and made an extended weekend road trip out of it.  And I discovered how much Missouri has to show.

Shortly after 10 AM on Saturday, August 7, I got Avila packed with my luggage for the weekend, and headed in a southwesterly direction.  Half of my route for this day was along I-55, through the length of Illinois, from Chicagoland to the St. Louis Metro Area.

I stopped for lunch a few minutes after 2 PM in Farmersville, near Litchfield.  And while traveling through central and southern Illinois, I listened to more of Sarah Huckabee Sanders's book Speaking for Myself on audiobook.

Shortly after 3 PM, I had that thrilling experience of seeing the St. Louis Skyline as I approached the city on I-55, complete with the iconic Gateway Arch.

I headed through St. Louis and then northwestward to St. Charles, which was the first capital city of Missouri for the first 5 years of statehood, from 1821-1826.  The Peck Brothers owned a building with their living quarters and a dry goods store on the first level. The upper level had a meeting space, which they gave to the Missouri state legislature as a temporary capitol in the interlude before Jefferson City was ready.

I was super-impressed by the historic Main Street District of St. Charles, where the First Missouri Capitol State Historic Site is.  In celebration of the upcoming Bicentennial day, there were festivities in St. Charles, including displays, historical reenactors, and interpreters offering tours of the first capitol site.  After arriving around 4 PM, I took a look around, especially in the government spaces on the upper level.

Above is the First Missouri Capitol State Historic Site, decked out for the Bicentennial celebration.  (Please note that all photos in this post are mine unless otherwise stated.  Also, all times in the post are Central Daylight Time.)

Here is the interior of the upper level of the building.  Toward the background is the space used by the Missouri State Senate, and toward the foreground is the space used by the State House.  A partition can be used to divide the room.

The interpreter invited me to sit down on a bench in the House chamber, and placed this laptop desk on my lap, quipping the only way to hack it is with an ax.

Here is the governor's office, in a room separated by a short hallway from the legislative chambers.

Here is a view of the Historic Main Street District in St. Charles, looking in a southerly direction. The First Missouri Capitol appears near the white tent toward the middle of the photo.

It was also scenic to see views of the Missouri River, which runs right by St. Charles, as is shown in the photo below.

Around 5 PM, I got back in Avila and returned to my southwesterly trek, heading through the heart of south central Missouri.  It was especially scenic to drive through the hills of the Ozark region on I-44.  During this portion of my drive, I switched from Speaking for Myself to start listening to the audiobook version of David McCullough's The Wright Brothers.

Around 9 PM, I reconnected with a storied moment of my past, when I exited Missouri and entered Oklahoma, just like I did for the first time 10 years ago on the storm chase trip.

I tacked on a visit to Miami to reconnect with various memorable aspects of my last stay there.  I left I-44 at the first exit at Miami--pronounced "My-am-muh"--where I paid a toll.  I drove through town to Braum's to get dinner, which is a restaurant I was first introduced to 10 years ago on the storm chasing trip.  It's a chain based in Oklahoma, and most of its locations are in the Great Plains region.  I got a strawberry chicken poppyseed salad, which was really tasty, along with an orange shake.  Then I drove back toward I-44 where I booked a stay for the night at the Holiday Inn Express, the same hotel where our group spent our 2nd night on the storm chasing trip.

Above is the exterior of the Holiday Inn Express of Miami, lit up at night. Below is my Braum's dinner.

After checking in, I settled down, watching some coverage of the Olympics, and enjoying my dinner.  It was a really nice hotel, just as I remember it.  The room was spacious and the bed was comfortable.  And the offerings at breakfast were fantastic, including the pancake machine, shown in the photo below.

After enjoying a great breakfast on the morning of Sunday, August 8, I packed up and checked out around 9 AM, and then drove the short distance northward into town to attend 9:30 Mass at Sacred Heart Parish--please see the exterior of the church in the photo below.  Following Mass, someone took note of me, and when I informed him I was from way out of town, he showed me around, including the adoration chapel.  Among its relics is a piece of the Cross of Christ.

I meandered around in town a bit, and got a couple of postcards.  

The Gateway sign in downtown Miami

Then, around 11:30, I went to reconnect with another memorable part of the Miami stay 10 years ago, and had a meal at the Buttered Bunns Cafe, where we had dinner upon recommendation of the HIE staff.  

On this Sunday, it was a happening place, filled with customers.  This time, I ordered beef pot roast with mashed potatoes with gravy and green beans.  When the server asked if I wanted a buttered bun, I responded affirmatively and eagerly, as that's a signature item there, a nice, sizable bread bun.  

This photo show my meal, with the bun near the blue cup.

This day, I wore the shirt from the storm chasing trip, which makes a couple of references to this restaurant.  I showed my server, and when she went back into the kitchen, I heard her tell another employee about my shirt.  As I waited in line to pay my bill, a senior citizen couple struck up a conversation with me, and I showed them my shirt.  They then got the attention of the owner, and pointed it out to him.  

The wife of the couple I spoke with took this photo of me inside Buttered Bunns Cafe.  Around the middle of my shirt is a bacon icon that denotes the restaurant.

It was nice to reconnect with this place 10 years after first having a memorable meal there with a wonderful group of my meteorology colleagues.  And eating a buttered bun was fitting in light of the Gospel reading for this Sunday, which was from the Bread of Life discourse in John 6.

Following my delicious meal, I headed north out of town, and then departed Oklahoma and entered the very southeastern reaches of Kansas.  I drove eastward, through the Route 66 town of Baxter Springs, and then returned to Missouri.  As soon as I crossed the border, I wound onto a road that led to the triple point of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri.

Thanks to the couple who had stopped here at the same time I did and photographed me.  My right foot is straddling Oklahoma and Kansas, while my left foot is in Missouri.  Below is a photo of mine showing a broader view of the site.

Then I continued my journey, riding on I-44 a short distance, and then southward to George Washington Carver National Monument near Diamond, MO.  This site preserves the farm, owned by Moses Carver, where George was born and lived during his childhood.

I walked on a trail on the property, which wound its way through a wooded area, and then out by wide open farm fields.

the path through the woods

Statue of George Washington Carver as a boy

It was so wonderful to walk and enjoy the stillness of nature, the setting that inspired Mr. Carver in his formative years, and influenced his work in agricultural science and his sense of spirituality.  

At one point on the walk, near the visitors' center, there's a footprint of the cabin where he was born, which is in the photo below.  

There's also a preserved farmhouse, which the Carvers built after George left the farm for his educational pursuits--please see photo below. 

Near the visitors' center is a bust of him with a button that upon being pushed plays a clip from a speech he gave toward the end of his life--please see the photo below, and thanks to the fellow visitor who got this photo of me.

I then went inside the visitors' center to look at the exhibits about George Washington Carver.

This exhibit in the visitors' center recreates a Tuskegee laboratory where Mr. Carver would have spent time.

Shortly after 3:30, I departed and headed toward Joplin.  From there, I rode I-44 northeastward. At one point, I passed through a rainstorm.  On the ride, I finished the audiobook of Speaking for Myself, and  notably, it happened within close proximity of Arkansas.

Between 5:30-6:00, I arrived at the iconic Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon.  I walked into the front office and met Ramona Lehman, the longtime owner, and paid for my room for the night.  Then I headed into town, and ended up getting dinner at a local grocery store.

I brought my dinner back to my room, and ate it as I watched the Closing Ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, which is notable because the 1904 Summer Olympics were held in St. Louis.

Here's the neon sign lit up in the evening hours.

Here's the area of the motel near the front office.

I spent the night in room 15, the second door from the left.

The following day, Monday, August 9, I departed the Munger Moss Motel around 9:30.  I went to the Lebanon-LaClede Public Library, which also has a Route 66 museum.  I looked around there for a few minutes, which includes displays showing life in bygone days.  I also looked around the stacks at the library.

The front of the library

An exhibit inside recreating some type of restaurant establishment

A display of Route 66 and other items from a bygone era

Around 10 AM, I departed Lebanon, heading north on Missouri State Route 5, into the Lake of the Ozarks area.  At Camdenton, I switched over to US Route 54, and soon crossed over the Lake of the Ozarks.  By noon, I had arrived at Jefferson City, and had a great view of the Missouri State Capitol.  I got lunch at the Jefferson City Sub Shop, a fine local establishment: I had a turkey sandwich.  At this point, I was well away from the mild conditions of the morning and back into the blazing summer heat, full of humidity.

Then I went to visit the Missouri State Capitol.  

I thank the passerby who took this photo of me as I posed on the south side of the Missouri State Capitol Complex.

It's a grand edifice perched on a hill overlooking the Missouri River.  I spent about an hour wandering around on a self-guided tour, looking at the different parts of the building, including the various officials' offices, and the legislative chambers. The walls inside are covered with so much artwork, depicting scenes from Missouri history.  There is also a collection of busts of notable people of Missouri.  On the ground level is the Missouri State Museum, with exhibits showing aspects of its geography, history, and more.  There was a special timeline display in celebration of the Bicentennial.

This painting shows the assembling of the First Missouri State Legislature session in St. Charles, and is near the Governor's office.

View of the rotunda area on the 1st floor

View of the rotunda area on the 2nd floor

View looking up into the rotunda

Walt Disney is one of many individuals with Missouri ties whose busts appear throughout the halls of the upper levels of the capitol.

Missouri Bicentennial Quilt

This hallway on the first floor leads into a wing of the Missouri State Museum. The words above the entryway read, "Lord God of hosts be with us lest we forget."

The Missouri Bicentennial timeline

View of the Missouri River through a window inside the Missouri State Capitol, looking in a northwesterly direction

Here is St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church as viewed looking out a window of the state capitol. The parish, across the street from the capitol, is marking its 175th anniversary in 2021.

Shortly before 2 PM, I went outside to a ceremony dedicating a Bicentennial Bridge, which is a walkway from the state capitol grounds over railroad tracks to an area along the banks of the Missouri River.  There were remarks from various officials, including Governor Parsons.  A musician performed a song written for the Missouri Bicentennial, accompanied by a youth choir.

Governor Parsons appears near the middle of this photo, as he makes his remarks.  The four individuals near the foreground in black shirts were part of the youth choir that performed.

After walking around the grounds to look at some of the statues and other displays, I went back inside to cool off and look at more of the museum exhibits.

Louisiana Purchase Treaty Monument and Fountain, on the north side of the state capitol grounds

The Ten Commandments

Liberty Bell replica

A little bit after 3 PM, I departed and walked back to the parking garage where I parked Avila in a nice, shady spot.  I detoured a bit to look at the buildings by the Jefferson Landing State Historic Site, which is also the site of the Jefferson City Amtrak station, and then I walked by the Missouri Governor's Mansion.  Shortly after 3:30, I got in Avila and made my way out of Jefferson City.

I decided to drive the scenic route east toward the St. Louis Metro Area, following Missouri State Route 94.  I had thought it would travel right along the Missouri River, and though it didn't as much as I expected, it was still a scenic drive.  At some points, I caught glimpses of the Missouri River.  I also stopped to look at displays along the Katy Trail, a bike trail that runs much of the west-east length of Missouri, and displays about the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  The road also went by an area of bluffs.

I pulled over to get this photo of the Missouri River near Pinckney.

Historic grain elevator in Treloar

This Lewis and Clark Expedition display is in Marthasville, a site where the expedition camped.  The Katy Trail appears right behind the signs.

After winding my way along the rural roads, I got on I-70.  A short distance later, I saw a sign for Bob Evan's in Wentzville, and stopped there for a delicious turkey dinner.  Following dinner, I made a brief stop at Schnuck's, a St. Louis area-based grocery company.  Then I got back on I-70, and a short distance later, I was on I-64.  Then I had a scenic view when crossing the Missouri River on the Daniel Boone Bridge as the sun was setting.  

Shortly after 8 PM, after a little bit of directional confusion in inner-city St. Louis, I arrived at Ted Drewes, the iconic ice cream stand along Route 66.  I joined the throngs of people looking for a cool, sweet treat on a hot, humid, and sticky night.  I got chatting with a woman in front of me who had a particularly large order since she had family visiting from out of town.

The woman in front of me with the large order photographed me waiting in line with the throngs at Ted Drewes on Chippewa Street.

A little after 9 PM, I had arrived and checked in at the La Quinta Inn in Maryland Heights.  It was refreshing to go in the pool for a few minutes on such a hot/humid evening.

The next morning, Tuesday, August 10, I was up by 7 AM, and out by 7:15, delighted to be in Missouri for the day of its Statehood Bicentennial.  I drove through the pleasantly warm morning into city center St. Louis, mostly on I-64, to attend 8 AM Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.  It's an impressive building, and when I stepped inside, I was totally amazed at the awesome artwork that covered the interior.  Once Mass ended, I was drawn to linger inside and continue admiring the artwork, including scenes from Scripture and scenes from US history pertinent to the settling of St. Louis and Missouri.

Inside the Cathedral, looking toward the altar

Artwork focusing on Pentecost and the Holy Spirit in the west transept

Looking toward the main church entrance

Scenes of US and Missouri History, in the ceiling area near the entrance, with a steamboat in the middle

Here I am posing outside the Cathedral on the morning of Missouri's bicentennial. A fellow Massgoer kindly granted my request to get a photo of me.

The exterior of the Cathedral on Lindell Boulevard

I drove back to the La Quinta Inn, driving along the north side of Forest Park, and then passing by Washington University, my Grandpa Martin's alma mater.  Once I arrived back at the hotel, I had a light breakfast, including a Trix yogurt, which I haven't had in a while.

After tending to a few things, like my post in tribute to the Bicentennial of Missouri Statehood, I packed and loaded up Avila.  Before departing Missouri, I stopped at the nearby St. Louis Bread Company (in the photo below), where I got a couple of bagels and a turkey avocado BLT sandwich for lunch.  (By the way, St. Louis Bread Company is the name for Panera restaurants in the St. Louis area, as the company headquarters are in the suburb of Sunset Hill, MO. Besides the names, everything is mostly the same in these restaurants as in Panera.)  

Then, around 10:45, I got on I-270, and rode it through the north side of the St. Louis Metro Area.  As I neared the Mississippi River, I caught a glimpse of the St. Louis Skyline.  Then, I exited Missouri on the New Chain of Rocks Bridge, paralleling the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, which was a memorable part of my summer trip a year ago.  And then I bid farewell to Missouri and greeted Illinois once again as I journeyed through the northern reaches of the St. Louis Metro East area.

I then picked up I-55, which I traveled for the next few hours to reach Chicagoland.  I stopped at the first rest stop I encountered, between 11-11:30 AM, to enjoy lunch from the St. Louis Bread Company.

I kept going on I-55, pulling over at rest stops now and then, enjoying the scenery of the towns, cities, and fields that were along the way, and listened to more of David McCullough's book on the Wright Brothers on audiobook.  I blasted the air conditioning, which kept me comfortably cool as the hot and humid conditions persisted through all of Illinois.

After traveling nearly 260 miles on I-55, I exited at Harlem Avenue.  I arrived home around 4 PM, where it was just as hot and humid as in St. Louis.

I am so glad I had the opportunity on this trip to explore more of what Missouri offers, especially considering how close Missouri is to where I live.  Indeed, it's amazing to consider how many wonderful places there are to visit that are within a day's drive of home.  While I've been to Missouri a few other times in my life, this trip was special in how much I could focus on a swath of what it offers, not to mention celebrating the history of when its statehood started 200 years ago.

From what I observed, Missouri still retains vestiges of the days when it was a frontier state serving as a gateway into the lands that are now the western United States.  In fact, when I was at the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City, I noticed that the state seal has bears.  When I asked the staff about those bears, they noted they are a symbol of the ruggedness Missouri had in the pioneer days.

Indeed, Missouri's history is steeped in the advancement of the United States westward.  I also think about other advancements that have come out of Missouri:  George Washington Carver contributed much to agricultural science, and while he became famous for his work in Tuskegee, it was his childhood on a farm in southwest Missouri that stoked in his mind a deep appreciation for the natural world.  I was in a sense of awe being in the nature on the farm there.  I also felt it I was when driving along I-44 toward Miami on Saturday evening, and then on Monday as I journeyed to Jefferson City and then St. Louis, driving the scenic route.  I'm glad that I spent much time off the interstates that Monday, which gave me a whole different view of the land and its beauty.

This is the land that so many saw as they headed westward into an area inhabited largely by the indigenous peoples, and untouched for so long by Eurocentric settlements.

And there I was on this trip, making my way westward through Missouri, just like I passed through Missouri on the way out west on other trips, including the storm chasing trip.

I'm delighted I had the chance to reconnect with the past by visiting Miami, and the trip's timing worked so I could include a visit there during this trip.  Even though my group only spent one night there, we had a good time there, and I regard it so memorably to this day.  It was special to share about my visit with a couple of good friends who were on that same trip who are still great friends of mine to this day.  One remarked that he was glad to see Buttered Bunns was still in business given the challenges of the restaurant business over the past year and a half.

I also think about the shirt from that storm chasing trip, and how it's filled with statements and images that would only make sense to those of us who participated.  Yet when I went to the restaurant, and showed my shirt to some of the staff, I was able to make a connection with them through the memory of our dinner there that lives on.  That weekend, Gospel reading at Mass was about the Bread of Life, and the priest in his homily encouraged us to think more deeply about what we believe about the Eucharist. Given that backdrop, there was a distinct spiritual dimension to my meal there, especially with the buttered buns.

Miami was just one place I visited along Route 66 on this trip, the famed route by which people made their way west to California.  While it no longer officially exists, the road still figures prominently in US culture. It was enjoyable for me to spend some time on Route 66 in Missouri, most especially in Lebanon.  In keeping with a Missouri theme, the portion of Route 66 in Missouri speaks to the state's role in westward movements in US history.

It's interesting to think that Missouri is a Midwest state, yet there's something about it that gives the feeling that the West is soon on the horizon.

Reflecting on this trip, it's wonderful to think of how connected I, as an Illinoisan, am with Missouri as a neighboring state, and how we can share it as part of our experience of the United States of America. 

Missouri's story, just like with all the other states, has a unique contribution to the story of the United States.  And it's notable how Missouri is the latest in a string of state bicentennial celebrations that have occurred over the past 5 years, with each state having something to contribute to the narrative of the USA.  

I think about how wonderful it was to celebrate the Bicentennial of Illinois by spending time engaging more closely with what is in Illinois and its story.  It was in a similar spirit that I spent time looking more closely at what is in Missouri and its story.  Yes, it was special to travel in Missouri to celebrate its bicentennial of statehood, and to marvel at all there that is very much part of the rich composition of the USA.  I could see the USA and its story through the lens of what Missouri offers, and to celebrate all that Missouri has to show.

Looking west on Route 66 in front of the Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, MO--a roadway that speaks to Missouri's role in westward movements

A commemorative banner by the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City

Poster with the Commemorative Missouri Statehood Bicentennial Stamp at the Post Office across the street from the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City