After hitting the road bright and early we crossed the border into Indiana in no time at all. Hungry for breakfast, we used the Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives app to help us select our breakfast destination. We chose the Three Sisters Cafe in Indianapolis. The restaurant is located in an old Victorian home and the food is to die for. I ordered the lemon corn cakes with fresh blackberries and homemade lemon curd and whipped cream. Kevin ordered a custom made breakfast burrito and we decided to split the "calico hash browns" (a blend of shredded Idaho potatoe and sweet potatoes). The food was killer, and the service was amazing too. We also witnessed some of the first simple but sweet moments of the trip in the form of a butterfly and a motorcycle.
Kevin's burrito before:
Kevin's burrito after: (I don't know how he did it!!!)
Check out the front of the sidecar!
With full stomachs we got back into the car and continued our journey to St Louis. We set up camp at Horseshoe State Park (8 bucks a night!!!) and headed out to explore the "Gateway to the West." The DNR ranger who checked us in to the campsite recommended a Lewis and Clark museum just down the road when we told him about the Lewis and Clark unit I teach at Hastings. I am so glad we talked to him!!! The museum, located at what is considered to be the official starting and ending point of the expedition, is located at what is known as Camp Dubois at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. I was in heaven!!! The keelboat replica was awesome, and I can't wait to share all of the pics and videos I took with next year's students!!!
From there, we headed into St Louis to see the arch and to visit the Westward Expansion museum located beneath it. Wow. The arch is so much taller than I expected. I was dizzy just from looking at it! We did NOT go up to the top of the arch. The height was just insane! It is taller than the Statue of Liberty and the Washington Monument!
After exploring the museum and the arch, we headed out in search of a casino. Kevin collects dollar chips from the casinos he visits, so we were on the hunt for one from St Louis. While we were at the casino we decided to try our luck at my favorite game...video poker. Luck was on our side, and we ended up leaving the casino up 100 dollars!!!
After cashing out at the casino we decided to look for a place to eat dinner. Just down the street we found Morgan's Brewery. Kevin and I ordered a flight of the beers made in-house and then split the beer pretzels and a Caesar salad. We planned to share a burger,too, but we were just too full to even think about it. After dinner we took the advice of our waitress and headed to the historic Soulard district for some blues music and beverages. Oh...and to hang out with the dogs that frequent the establishments. All in all it was an amazing first day. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!!!
ugh... I can't believe I use to eat like that :)
ReplyDeleteThe Arch is sweet... definitely worth checking out.