The Journey 2008: Day 12

Day 12 begins at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and of course we are going to head to the top to enjoy the view.

Looking back towards St. Louis you can see the old courthouse and
Busch Stadium below.

Looking down toward the Mississippi River.

Checking out the arch with our feet back on the ground.

Here is the old courthouse with the arch in the background.

St. Louis is known for its donuts, so of course we had to try some of them out.

The verdict is in, and the donuts are good, thumbs up, and fat dogging it.

Next we went across the Mississippi River to Alton, IL and of course more food at

Fast Eddie's Bon Air roadhouse.

Good grub and even better prices. I think we bought at least 1 of everything to share, because of course we had to try it all.

I can't remember, but I am pretty sure Amy like the hamburger best, haha. :)

(See day 8 for clarification)

More happily feed people

What goes well with some good food? Well more good food...in the form of pie at Pie Town.

Mmmmm Cherry Pie.

Back to St. Louis to check out the grounds of the 1904 Worlds Fair.

The Palace of the Fine Arts from the 1904 Worlds Fair now houses the St. Louis Art Museum. We did not get a chance to head inside, but the outside and surrounding grounds were very nice.

I bet you all did not know I helped Louis and Clark as they explored the west. I spelled my name a little different back then, but it was quiet an adventure. They were nice enough to set up a memorial in my honor along the Missouri River.

Lewis and Clark Trail...oh the memories of exploring the west as a moutain man.

If you don't believe me you can check it all out on wikipedia where they say John Colter is "widely considered to be the first mountain man"

A good description of me don't you think? haha :)

Checking out the Missouri River in New Haven, MO.

After all of this exploring of course we are hungry and we have to stop for some more delightful food in Hermann, MO, mmmm custard.

I think this place is trying to tell us something, and of course since it involves good homemade pies we had to stop and listen to what the signs were saying.

There is day 12. No new states, but lots of good food and fun exploring new places.

Tomorrow more Missouri, new states and Route 66.

The Journey 2008: Day 11

I am resurrecting the Photo Blog, and am going to finish up our run through the Journey 2008.

After the Journey is complete we will move on to more photo fun.

Day 11 begins early on an overcast morning on the roads of Iowa surrounded by farm land.

Morgan was having fun searching for her home on the range.

Time for a new state as we head into Illinois for a short visit and some food.

Just across the Mississippi River in Quincy, IL it is time for some Maid Rite.

More good food and some delicious pie.

Cruising the Great River Road in Illinois...

...and in Missouri

Overlooking the Mississippi River as it runs between Illinois and Missouri.

Morgan wants to build a house right here, overlooking the Great Mississippi.

More of the Great River Road

On the back roads we passed Ralls County Courthouse in the town of New London, MO built in 1858.

Heading into St. Louis for the night.

Here is the Gateway Arch as we head into Downtown to our hotel and to a ballgame.

At Busch Stadium watching the Cardinals take on the Pirates.

More of Busch Stadium with the Gateway Arch in the background.

The Cardinals lost 5-4 but we had a great time experiencing a ball game at a new stadium.

FYI, the bathrooms at Busch Stadium double as tornado shelters, just in case you are ever there when a tornado hits, now you know.

We ended the night the way a lot of other Cardinal fans did, easing the pain of the loss with some Ted Drewes Frozen Custard. Great stuff after a long fun day, and with so many different flavors and toppings to choose from it was hard to make up our minds.

There is day 11. We added Illinois and Missouri to mix to bring the total to 15 states with only 4 new ones to go.

Tomorrow more of St. Louis, more of Missouri, and of course more good food.

The Journey 2008: Day 10

Sorry it took a little while. I need to get this back on track and not take so long to update. I know you all are waiting and wanting to know what happens next on The Journey 2008, haha. :)

We begin day 10 at Minnehaha Falls, and what a beautiful day it was. Great day for a wedding and celebrating with our friends.

Little Asian dance group all dressed up for a day at the park. Looked like they were out for a little photo shoot.

This crazy building is the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum on the University of Minnesota campus. Wish we had more time to check out how crazy the inside looked as well.

This crazy modern looking building is the Guthrie Theater. I know Morgan would have loved to go see a musical there. She would love to see a musical pretty much anywhere anytime she gets the chance.

The old mill area down by the Mississippi river.

Now we begin our portion of the journey following (well at least partly for part of the way) The Great River Road, down the Mississippi River.

Here we are at the Midtown Global Market. Amy and I had some good Middle Eastern food, and Morgan had some good Asian food. How can you go wrong with good food from around the world?

Here is the house we stayed at while in Minneapolis. It was a beautiful house in the middle of Lebanon Hills Regional Park off a dirt road with trees, paths and lakes nearby.

Now it is time for Tom and Carrie's Big Day!!!

The beautiful bride walking down the aisle.

A little laugh during the ceremony.

Ring time.

The kiss...it's official!!! It's time to celebrate.

Here is the happy couple.

Off to Wisconsin to catch the party boat to cruise the St. Croix River for the reception.

Tom and Carrie on the boat and ready to celebrate.

It was a beautiful day with perfect weather to be out on cruising the river.

Here is the party table. Santa Maria represent.

Tom showing all the guys the proper way to kiss their lady.

Cheers to the happy couple.

Two happy couples, and look I made it into a picture today.

A couple more pictures of the happy couple enjoying their day.

Good-bye Carrie and Tom...time for your honeymoon. Thanks for letting us share in your special day. It was an amazing day, and we had a great time celebrating it with you both. You are a great couple, and you will make great parents to Small Child who is coming into you life soon. We will have to plan another road trip out to Minnesota with our little one to meet your little one. Sound like a plan? :)

Time for us to head out of Minnesota. We are off to Iowa City, IA. Tomorrow we work our way down the Mississippi River to St. Louis, MO.

We added Wisconsin and Iowa to the state mix. Now we have been to 13 states and only have 6 new ones left to go.