The Mastodon State Historical Site is located in Imperial, Missouri, which is just a hop, skip and a jump from our motel. We were there this morning before it opened - saw the slide show, felt the mastodon teeth, were amazed by the size of the sloth and admired the mastodon skeleton. Didn't find the cache, though.
Drove to downtown St. Louis to do some people watching along the riverfront. We parked in the Cathedral parking lot for visitors only and walked over to the Gateway Arch, and went in and found a good spot for people-watching.
Busloads of school children were there, and tourists from everywhere in the US and beyond. The lines for the north and south trams were jammed - we decided against going up. Besides, been there done that (in 1975!)
Stopped at Dylan's Sports Bar and Grille in Arnold, MO on the way back - because, well you can figure it out! The man there actually has relatives in T.C. (David Andrews III, whose wife is a schoolteacher and whose daughter Laura is a world class skater). His grandson is named Dylan - such a coinkydink.
Daniel Dunklin started the public schools in Missouri, and was the 5th governor. We found his gravesite in Herculaneum, and enjoyed the view of the Mississippi. We found that cache :)
At another little park we watched a gigantic coal barge making its way down Old Man River - a unique sight.
When I did the Kanitz family tree I learned that my great-grandparents arrived in this country in New Orleans, rode a boat up to St. Louis, and moved to Illinois. I checked in the phone book, and while there are 27 Steigers in this area, there's not one single Kanitz.
