We were lucky enough to live within walking distance of the City Museum. It used to be called the Children's Museum, until the adults decided they were taking over. This place is the wild dream of a local St Louis artist, Robert James Cassilly Jr.
The museum is in an old 12 story building that used to house a shoe manufacturer. The first 4 floors contain 'exhibits' and the rest, except the rooftop, are off limits. The entry fee was around $15 and for an extra $5 you get rooftop access...trust me...you want the rooftop access.
City Museum main entrance on the West side of the building.
Parking can be found all around the museum on the streets or you can pay to park in several surrounding parking decks. The entrance area was like a jungle gym, made of salvaged metal, and all connected by bridges and tunnels made of re-bar.
Jenny flying the plane. Hope you packed your parachute Wyatt.
The infamous bus on top of the building, combined with the airplane fuselages, make a strange sight for unknowing passer-by's.
We climbed up that tunnel of re-bar in the center of the picture, out to the airplane wing.
You can see the Caruthers Jones Shoe Company's mark still on the neighboring building.
Inside, on the ground floor, you can find the ticket area and gift shop at the main entrance. Behind the ticket area to the right are the elevators, where you can skip the stairs and go directly to the roof. To the left of the ticket area, are the main bathrooms, although smaller bathrooms can be found on all floors.
The ground level is divided into two main areas: The Caverns and The Tree-House. The caves are sculpted by hand and look very real. They consist of tight squeezes and crawls just like a real cave, and we actually had a really good time with a game of hide and seek in here. The tree house is similar to the caverns twisting passages, but they are all constructed of hollowed out old tree trunks or passages made of smoothed down driftwood bound together to form a tunnel of sorts.
This crystal is in the middle of a large room in the cave area.
On the 2nd floor you can find the food court and more tunnels that connect down to the caverns and the tree house. There are a couple of very large aquariums on this floor also.
One of my favorite pieces on the inside: Squid stairs.
Mermaid Jenny.
In one of our previous articles, we mentioned Jenny's friend Sam, and that she used to live by Saint Louis. She came down with our friend Jim to visit us for a weekend.
Aquarium shenanigans.
Sams super strength saved her from getting eaten.
There is a large entomology display on the 3rd floor. If that bugs you, then you can check out the skate-less skate park or go to Beatnik Bob's Arcade for some brews and a few games of pinball.
The 4th floor has access to the stairs that lead to the spiral slides that connect to the rooftop. Let me explain. These slides were once the chutes that transported shoe boxes from the upper floors to the ground. So now, there are two different chutes that function as human transportation. One goes from the top all the way down, and the other stops a few floors short of that. There is also a display of work from the famous architect, Louis Sullivan.
No pictures can do this place justice, but looking at the rooftop, you can get an idea of how crazy-fun this place really is. This is why you want to buy those rooftop passes I was telling you about. A Ferris wheel on the roof along with the bus you saw pictures of earlier are favorites for the kids. There are also several different slides and places to climb up here. The adults tend to gravitate towards the rooftop bar and outdoor patio tables.
The reflecting pond and the trees added some nature to the roof.
Sam and Jim trying not to photo bomb us from the car behind us.
Rooftop family picture.
Night mantis
Extreme close-up!
Kids climbing the roof dome. Looks fun, but I took the stairs.
View from the drivers seat.
The bus.
If you live withing a few hours drive of Saint Louis, your children will thank you for the memories they will make here. This place is unforgettable. Even if you don't have kids, but you are still a big kid inside, you need to come see what the City Museum is all about. It is truly a one of a kind bit of functional art here in the boring old Midwest.
About a block from our RV park. A reminder of the St Louis Riots from just a few years back.
Childhood memory: Any time Dad had to haul the camper through St Louis, he would create a book of new cuss words that would make Webster jealous. I was not looking forward to towing our camper anywhere near that tangled mess of interstates either.
Before we had even left Peoria, Jenny had gotten a job offer at the STL Zoo!!! We did a little homework and found out that my hospital and the Zoo were both very close to each other. Better still, we found a campground that was only a 12 minute drive from my hospital. The bad news was that it looked to be right downtown, about 2 miles from the Gateway Arch and the Mississippi River. This was going to be a change from our desert oasis in Tucson.
Who puts a campground in the middle of the city?
It was a short drive from Peoria to Saint Louis, in fact, we almost made it on one full tank of gas. I had called ahead and got directions from the campground, and it turns out, I didn't have to drive through all those interchanges I was worried about. We did have to drive through a really run down part of town, where housing projects and corner stores were about the only thing in sight.
What's with the upside down crosses on this building???
The GPS said we were close, but all we could see was abandoned buildings and broken sidewalks. Then we saw a tall chain link fence surrounding an entire block. The sign said STL RV Park. I guess this was it. School on one side. Police Station on another. Warehouses on the other two...and a corner store right at the stoplights on Jefferson and MLK. We were home. Yikes!!!
Here is the customary link to our RV Park's website:
The number ONE reason we decided to stay at STL RV Park.
Pros: We chose this park mainly because of its location, but also because it had a nice-looking pool. We could ride our bikes to the Arch or the City museum. Forest Park and the Zoo were also very close. One good thing I noticed right away was that there were no meters for electric. You KNOW we ran that electric fireplace on cold nights. LOL! There were also basic amenities like showers, laundry, a gym, and a small store at the office. Being able to walk over to the corner for frozen pizza and drinks was nice.
Cons: The park was pricey for basically just an empty lot, full of gravel, with hookups for every site. The traffic noise from Jefferson Ave was almost non-stop, and the marching bands that practice outside at the School were just icing on the cake...not to mention the random gunshots that could be heard nightly.
Walking the dogs outside of the park for them to go to the bathroom sucked, especially with all the gunshots. However, unlike Illinois...Open carry and concealed carry are legal in Missouri for anyone 19 years or older who can legally purchase a firearm, with or without a concealed carry permit. So, taking our pistols made us feel a little better about wandering the streets at night. Our dogs effectively had an armed escort to go on a potty-walk.
Unfortunately, gunshots weren't the only danger. The corner store sold fried chicken. Allow me to elaborate. Broken glass bottles were already covering the streets, so why not just throw your chicken bones in the road too!!! There was so much garbage, and potentially dangerous things for dogs to eat, that we really had to keep a tight leash on them. Not to mention that, for some reason, the locals seem to be scared of dogs. We had several instances where other pedestrians would risk getting hit by traffic crossing the street so they wouldn't have to walk by our dogs. Oh Saint Louis!
The worst part of the whole experience was dealing with the owner's husband's bipolar disorder. He knocked on our bedroom door early one Saturday (and woke us up)...just to tell us our totes under the camper were a fire hazard. WTH!!! This was not the only time he made a scene about something, but sometimes he would be friendly and try joking with you. Stay on your med's buddy!!! He made it very uncomfortable for us to stay there, and I would recommend finding somewhere else if you can.
Really nice community garden at the school just North of the RV park. Free veggies!!!
Sunflowers at our community garden.
We had to stop and visit the hospital I would be working at so I could find parking. The lab was its own separate building and the campus was huge, so we walked around until I felt like I knew where everything was.
The micro lab where I would be working was on the 4th floor of this building.
The instrument that I worked on all day sat right next to this window. Pretty amazing view.
Over on Euclid by my hospital, we found what would become our favorite Mexican place in Saint Louis. El Burro Loco!
Best Mexican food in town...according to us.
Jenny had her birthday dinner here. I swear I had nothing to do with the sombrero and/or the song.
One of our favorite ways to explore town was on our bicycles. If you dodged the broken glass and the gangs of ATV riders in the streets...it wasn't that bad. Here are some pictures from our late night bike rides downtown.
There are many sculptures in the parks just West of the Arch. This one is my favorite.
Probably the best picture of the arch that I got.
Giant white rabbits. A light sculpture of people walking. Colored fountains. What does it all mean???
In the video below, you can see the white rabbits in the background. I wish I knew the name of this park...it was really unique to say the least.
One of Saint Louis' most well know natives is Mr Chuck Berry of Rock and Roll fame. He used to own a restaurant/bar in an area of St Louis know as the Delmar Loop. There are a few memorials to Chuck here and this is the reason I wanted to go.
It turns out that the Delmar Loop is rated one of the 10 best streets in the USA, and I can understand why. There is so much to do in just a small area. The Pageant theater brings in big name acts and there are great venues like Blueberry Hill (Chuck Berry's old place) that cater to local acts as well as national touring bands. The food here is amazing. St Louis is a food town, and Delmar Loop has many cultures represented in the culinary fare it offers. Fitz's Rootbeer is brewed and bottled here and they also have a decent food menu. We ate at Salt & Smoke BBQ and would recommend it.
We laughed at this place every time we drove by, but we never ate there.
Delmar Loop had some strange restaurant names.
There were several Mediterranean places here we wanted to try, but we were busy exploring other parts of the city. We will just have to come back...we hope you come back too and keep up with us during our travels.
Note to self: WE DO NOT PLAN WELL. With so many other things on our mind, we did not realize that we would be coming home on Memorial Day Weekend. There were essentially no compatible sites for our rig available anywhere in the Peoria area. So we called Kamp Komfort RV Park in Carlock, Illinois, about 30 minutes from Peoria. Of course, the park was full. We explained our problem to Kevin that ran the place. He was nice enough to offer us a site he had reserved for his friend, who would not be arriving for about a week or so after Memorial Day.
Bugzy and Luna hanging out at Kamp Komfort waiting for us to get the camper set up.
We were so busy visiting family and friends that we really didn't spend much time at the campground. It was a really nice facility though, and the pool looked well-kept, as was evident by the amount of people using it. The bathrooms and showers were clean and there was a playground for the kids. Kevin was a great host for letting us in on short notice until we could find an alternative. He was also super responsive to an electrical problem I was having. This is a real simple but very nice park. Here is their website:
We found a campground (if you want to call it that) in Peoria by Jenny's parents. It had no website, only a phone number listed online in a Google search. It was nice because it was so close to her parents and our storage unit. That was the only thing nice about it. I'm not even going to name it or review it...that's how much we dislike the place. We were able to sell some things from storage and visit with some friends while we were home, so that part was good.
We made it home just in time for a hot and humid Illinois Summer though. It was in the high 90's when we got home, the humidity was absurd, and it started raining as soon as we got the camper moved from Carlock to Peoria. We had to park the camper, level it, and hook up all the lines in the cold rain.
Rainy Day Peoria. Rainbows and signs of hope are rare in Peoria. Hahaha
I had forgotten how much humidity and constant rain ruined my plans in Illinois. When I lived in Peoria, I remember joking with co-workers that I was going to move to the desert if I had to cancel outdoor plans due to rain again. You get what you ask for I guess. LOL!!!
Now that we are back from the desert, its time to visit friends. Jenny and her friend Sam grew up together since kindergarten, and they are still really close. She was always willing to drive over to visit us at the RV Park, so she was the first friend we got to hang out with. We spent a lot of time with her playing board games, watching movies, or doing outdoor activities. Sam used to live in Edwardsville, Illinois, back when we still lived in Peoria. Saint Louis, is very close to Edwardsville, and she had many stories about her time in the city. Little did we know, that would come into play later on in our story.
Jenny and Sam at one of their childhood hangouts, Rocky Glen.
Sam had just been given a canoe so we had to make sure it was sea-worthy.
Sam's parents didn't mind us testing the canoe in the pool.
No leaks yet!!!
We took a canoe/kayak trip on the Mackinaw River with Sam so she could get her sea legs. We let her try out Jen's kayak, and I'm sure the sporting goods store will thank us, now that she is hooked on kayaking. We had a great trip but didn't get too many pictures on the water. So here a few random shots.
Finishing at dark in true Party Pirate fashion. Solar power truck lights make life easier.
Jen and Sam under the Old 121 Bridge on the Mackinaw River near Goodfield, Illinois.
Going thru pictures, I found this fun memory from dinner at Tyroni's Italian Restaurant. I was waiting on a refill, but could not get the server to come back for anything. So we doodled some stuff on the table while waiting for her, then we hid it under the plates. When she bussed the dishes, this is what she found under the plate. LOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I thought the black hairs were a nice touch. It looks very Italiano.
Peoria, Illinois has been the home of some great comedians, like Richard Pryor and Sam Kinison. The Jukebox has been a mainstay of comedy in Peoria since 1990. Chris Kattan from Saturday Night Live was in town for a weekends worth of shows. We went with Jenny's friend and former co-worker, Melissa. I have never had a bad, let alone a mediocre, time at the Jukebox. If you are ever in Peoria for a weekend, look them up and see who Dan has booked. It will be well worth your time and money. Here is a link to this classic venue:
From L to R: Melissa, Chris Kattan, and Jenny. How high was my camera???
We hung out with Melissa and her boyfriend Jamie at our camper one night, drinking and playing games on my old NES. Jamie is now in a band with my Four Leaf Rovers band-mate, Chris. Here is a link to their current project:
As much as we hated leaving the Southwest to come back to Illinois, it was great to get to see our family and some of our friends. We were trying to make the most of it, but it was difficult since neither of us were working, and money was short. We spent a lot of time just hanging out at the camper with friends, visiting family, or playing outdoors. The good things in life are free!!!
I'm thinking, "Illinois or bust...maybe we should just bust!!!" It was tough leaving Tucson for so many reasons, but late in the evening on May 15th, we hooked up the camper and headed back East on I-10. Exhausted from packing all day and getting a late start, I didn't have much energy left for driving.
We didn't even make it out of Arizona before pulling over at a rest stop for the night just before crossing into New Mexico. Wouldnt ya know it!!! It was full. We were forced to park on the ramp merging onto the interstate. Every passing semi truck would billow a gust of wind that would shake our trailer. That one is gonna go down in the books of what NOT to do EVER again.
Dogs like to cuddle on those long road trips.
Several sleepless hours later, and the camper began to get too hot to even be inside anymore so we pushed on for New Mexico. It seems like we stopped at every rest area on I-10 on this trip. Las Cruces was first. I remember getting dogs out for a walk and sitting at one of several nice, shaded structures with a picnic table. There was also an interesting statue of a road runner that was around 25 feet tall.
Road Runner statue at the Las Cruces Rest Area.
Stopping early for the night at the Fort Craig Rest Area was the best decision we had made on the road for awhile. Not many semi trucks in the parking lot yet, and we pulled in and got the front spot. After setting up a couple of chairs, we got the dogs and a few drinks and settled in for the night.
Got front row seats to the party.
Continuing North on I-25, we drove through to the border the next morning, and pulled into the Colorado Welcome Center before dark. Since we really enjoyed getting a spot early the night before, we decided to stay put for the night. A few beers were in order, but a Colorado Dept of Transport truck kept circling the parking lot after dark, so we decided to just go to sleep.
We woke up the next morning and finished our drive in to the Colorado Springs KOA, where we had a large pull-thru site waiting for us. Jenny had some friends that lived in the Denver area. They drove down with their dog, Teela, to come visit us.
First impression of the park was a good one. There was a full water-park in front, complete with slides, dump-buckets, and spray hoses. A pool and hot-tub were in a separate area next to the water-park. The office sold food, drink, and other necessities. No beer though, but that was just a short drive down the frontage road. We had some issues while here, but overall, it was a nice park that we recommend.
It was uncharacteristically rainy, we didn't hike as much as we liked, but we were still out for a short hike at least every day. One of our favorite places was North Cheyenne Canyon Park in Colorado Springs.
Creek on 7 bridges trail in North Cheyenne Canyon Park, Colorado Springs.
I would say it was weird to see trees after being in the desert for so long, but it wasn't. It was strangely similar to being up on Mt Lemmon, back in Tucson.
North Cheyenne Canyon Park. Colorado Springs, Colorado.
I mentioned how determined we were to hike, even if it rained. Well, it did a little more than rain, it hailed like CRAZY!!! It was so nuts, we decided to take a short video.
We wanted to stay in Colorado longer, but we had to be home to make it to Jenny's brothers graduation in Illinois. So we left out of Denver and were headed to Lincoln, Nebraska. The winds were so bad that it made driving slow, and we eventually found a rest area for the night somewhere in Nebraska.
We made it to Lincoln the next afternoon and were set up with a large pull-thru site. This was a nice family run park with a pool/hot tub area, lots of activities for kids, and it even had a 9 hole disc golf course on site. The office sold minimal food and drink, as well as bags of ice.
Camp Away Pool Area with the Hot-Tub House in the Background.
W could have spent a month or so at this place, just relaxing by the pool, but we had a deadline to meet so we forged on for Illinois. If we are ever through Lincoln again, we will definitely stay here over any other park in the area. I tried to link their website, but McAfee gave me a warning, so I am going to list their Facebook page instead. Here is the info:
Camp A Way
200 Camper Circle
Lincoln, NE 69521
402-476-2282
Iowa surprised us with its amount of hills along I-80, they are just subtle enough that you only notice them when pulling a large camper with an inadequate tow-vehicle. Sorry truck, we still love you. We drove all the way from Lincoln to Peoria in one day, due to a family emergency. The important part was that we made it home safely to our family and friends. Our living situation over the next few days was uncertain at best, but I will leave that for next time.
Thanks for reading, and we hope you catch up to us on the next article:
