2022 Fall Trip: St. Charles and St. Louis, Missouri

Tuesday, 9/20: 297 miles and camped at St. Peter's 370 Lakeside, 

US 61, sometimes called The Great River Road.

St. Peter's 370 Lakeside Park, site 219.

We got on the road about 10:00, after an initial half hour delay to put air in one soft tire on the camper. We took US 61 all the way today, arriving at campground about 3:00. Often called The Great River Road, 61 took us through small towns and farm country, and the traffic was very light. And what a pleasant drive it was.  When we arrived and set up, the outside temperature in the shade was 99!

370 Lakeside is a new campground for us.  It is a very nice, and relatively new, city park.  This 500 acre park was built by the city of St. Peters in 2011.  The campground trees are small with no shade yet.  There is a nice 140 acre manmade lake for boating and fishing, and a paved walking/biking trail that circles the lake.  It is a wonderful place of walking the dogs.  We would definitely stay here again. 

Wednesday, 9/21: 

Sunny and warm again today, although only a high of 96.  😀  I made the mistake of letting both propane tanks run dry, so we had to find propane at a nearby U-Haul.  Then we decided to do grocery shopping at an air conditioned Walmart!  We spent the afternoon reading in the air conditioned camper.  Today turned out to be a good day to catchup and rest.  We needed it after being on the go for several days in a row.

Thursday, 9/22:

Today was much cooler and a very pleasant 74.  So we headed to the Historic District of St. Charles to explore. The Historic District is a gem to visit with tree lined brick streets and sidewalks. Many of the original historic buildings have been restored and updated with new shops. We had a great time walking, visiting shops and visiting with owners and employees. For lunch we stopped at the Lewis and Clark and were able to dine on the third floor outside deck that overlooked main street and the Missouri Riverfront. We did our share of shopping and supported the St. Charles economy.

It was a really nice time today.  Lots of walking, and we sure accomplished our fitness and steps goals for the day.  😀  Dinner was leftovers since lunch was so good.

Friday:, 9/23:

Today turned out to be even cooler yet, with only a high in the low 60's, and rainy. Quite a contrast to 3 days ago!! We had planned to see the Gateway Arch, but had a slight change of plans today. Nothing serious, just a tiny hiccup. I discovered a slow leak in one of the RV tires. We had a mechanic remove the tire and put the spare on. Sure enough, there was a screw imbedded in the tread. Judy found a tire repair shop online, and we dropped the tire off at repair shop to leave overnight and pickup Saturday morning. It was cold and rainy today, so we did laundry. Between the laundry, and making a half dozen calls around for a mechanic and a tire repair shop open on weekends, it used up the whole day. As a result, we have extended our stay here one more day and now will check out Sunday to head to Memphis for 3 nights instead of 4.

Saturday:, 9/24:

We got lucky.  The weather today was a very pleasant 74 and sunny.  A great day to visit the Gateway National Park!  

We also caught a glimpse of the Missouri State Capital building from the Arch grounds.

Then we drove across the river to visit Lock and Dam #27, the last lock and dam on the river, but the visitation area was closed.  Nearby we visited the Chain of Rocks Bridge.  A unique feature of the bridge is the 22 degree bend in the middle of the bridge. According to a Wikipedia listing, the bridge was built as a private toll bridge in 1929.  At one time legendary Route 66 used the bridge to cross the Mississippi.  The bridge now is pedestrian only.  

As I walked the dogs this Saturday night, there was a beautiful sunset glow over the manmade lake at 370 Lakeside Park.  A nice view to end our stay here. 

Tomorrow we pack up and move on to Memphis.