A Short Trip To St Louis and a Few Places In Between

[Judy in Texas 150]

A short trip report that is photo-heavy because I bought a new camera.  After a bunch of research and one aborted buying mission, I ended up with a Sony Cybershot DSC-HX300.  So far so good. 

 

When I drive to Ohio to visit my family, I go right by the St. Louis Arch; but, I never budgeted the time to stop.  My friend Joyce and I had a few days off last week so we decided to visit St Louis and a few places in between.

 

Wednesday May 15 – day one.  We were on the road by 6:00 AM.  A co-worker told me the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (sponsored by Walmart) is hosting the traveling Normal Rockwell exhibit until May 27th so that was our first stop - Bentonville, Arkansas.   

 

Here is a link to the museum’s website: http://crystalbridges.org/

 

Once out of the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area, it pretty much looked like this all morning:

 

 

We drove up US 69 in Eastern Oklahoma and crossed Lake Eufala several times. It was windy, the lake was muddy, the campgrounds appeared empty and no boats were on the water. L

 

http://www.travelok.com/listings/view.profile/id.4330

 

 

We made it to Bentonville noon-ish. Before going to Crystal Bridges we stopped at the original “Walmart” on the Bentonville town square. 

 

 

 

The front of the store has retro toys, candy, soda:

 

 

 

 

The back of the store is dedicated to the Walton family and Walmart:

 

This is Mr. Walton’s original truck:

 

 

Display of items returned for odd reasons:

 

 

Near where we parked I saw this and decided it was worth exploring:

 

 

In the window to the left of this I saw - chandeliers and wigs???

 

 

Turns out this is the 21c Hotel Museum.  I’ve not seen anything like it before and definitely didn’t expect to see it off a small town square:

 

 http://www.21cmuseumhotels.com/bentonville/

 

Here is the cement bench by the front door:

 

 

Here is an explanation of this the current exhibits:

 

 

We decided to explore a bit.

 

Inside the front door was this little guy (?) sitting in front of his/her tent. 

 

 

What I didn’t see till later was his/her back:

 

 

Here’s a turkey in a red wig.  Who thinks of these things?

 

 

A moose made of spindles, molding, etc:

 

 

A two-headed ram made of tires:

 

 

A moose made of boots/shoes:

 

 

A rhino made of gold-tipped matches:

 

 

Black birds eating the still life:

 

 

This mural took up most of one entire wall:

 

 

Here is a close-up of one small section:

 

 

That's enough of that.  Next up, Crystal Bridges...

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Wow! Interesting trip so far. Looking forward to more!

[dblr....Rennie 224]

Nice photos of some really starnge things, I did like the mural it looked pretty neat!!!!!

[Millermouseketeers MaryAnn 150]

The Walton store was great! Great pictures!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

The thing with creatures coming out its back is disturbing.

[Beckers 1,136]

The thing with creatures coming out its back is disturbing.

Yes, yes in deed. It was better when I was on my phone, it was small. Now I have a big screen and can really see it. Whoa.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

The thing with creatures coming out its back is disturbing.

[Judy in Texas 150]

Wow! Interesting trip so far. Looking forward to more!

 

 

Nice photos of some really starnge things, I did like the mural it looked pretty neat!!!!!

 

 

The Walton store was great! Great pictures!

 

 

The thing with creatures coming out its back is disturbing.

 

 

Yes, yes in deed. It was better when I was on my phone, it was small. Now I have a big screen and can really see it. Whoa.

 

 

 

The thing with creatures coming out its back is disturbing.

 

 

 

Thanks all. Yes the thing with creatures coming out of its back is a bit disturbing. I'm trying to figure out if it's a marsupial or what. I have no clue who thinks these things up. Do they actually make a living selling them? Who buys them?

[Judy in Texas 150]

That was interesting but the "art" was not my style. 

 

We head to Crystal Bridges which is just a few minutes away.

 

The grounds are beautiful as we wind our way to the parking area.

 

 

Wednesday afternoon seems to be a favorite time for the senior citizen bus tours. The place was packed. One 95 year old lady I talked to was from west Texas. She and her group were on a mystery tour. They paid the money for a five day trip with no idea where they were going. That sounds fun!

 

We bought our tickets for the Norman Rockwell exhibit and decided to explore the main (and free) part of the museum since we had 90 minutes to kill.

 

George Washington by Gilbert Stuart (1797)

 

 

Alexander Hamilton by John Trumbull (1792)

 

 

The Samuel Beals Thomas Family by Edward Dalton Marchant (1830)

Thank you to the person who invented blow-driers:

 

 

Along the Shore by William Trost Richards (1903)

This large painting of the ocean is breathtaking. You can actually see the light shining through the waves:

 

 

This is a Remington:

 

 

An Andrew Wyeth:

 

 

Rosie the Riveter by Norman Rockwell is part of the Crystal Bridges permanent collection.

 

 

It’s Very Queer, Isn’t It? by James Henry Beard (1885)

 

 

 

Black Balloon by Gene Davis 1964

How did he come up with that name? You know that blue painter’s tape they advertise on TV? With a roll of it and a few cans of paint, I could do this:

 

 

The ceiling is a piece of art:

 

 

There are several seating areas with comfy chairs and small libraries of art-related books. Note how the building across the water shows through the red disk.

 

 

I like realism. Here is a man sitting on a bench:

 

 

Old Self: Portrait of the Artist as He Will (Not) Be Variation #2 by Evan Penny

 

 

 

 

 

Isn’t that just awesome!

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Judy, that is awesome. I can't imagine how long that piece took. But it is so realistic that it's a little spooky too.

[Judy in Texas 150]

It’s our turn for the Norman Rockwell Exhibit.  It was way too crowded to enjoy.  No way to stand in front of a picture and explore it.  We weren’t supposed to take pictures but Cousin Yuri sent me this one. 

 

 

This is a view out the gift shop window:

 

 

The grounds are beautiful with lots of walking trails; but, it was pouring so we hit the road and continued on to Springfield, Missouri where we had hotel reservations.

 

 

Wednesday evening was interesting.  After supper at Ruby Tuesday, both of our cell phones started ringing.  Benbrook, TX is a member of Code Red Weather Warning, an automated phone service that calls participants when weather warnings for their area are issued.  I have it set up to first call the home phone and if no one answers, to then call our cell phones.   A tornado was on the ground just west of Benbrook heading east.  Bummer.  We turned on The Weather Channel and I tuned into WBAP in Dallas on I :heart:Radio.  The tornado veered a bit south.  The house was OK; but, it hit Cleburne.  Another tornado hit Granbury, 20 minutes south of the house.  Two neighborhoods destroyed with six people dead.  More bad weather was being forecast for the remainder of the week for a wide area of the Midwest.   We were just east of Joplin that was hit so hard two years ago.  It became a top priority to pay closer attention to the weather the rest of the trip.

 

 

Day Two - Thursday morning we were up and out early – heading East on I-44.  We had reservations for the 1:30 tour of Grant’s Farm, the Anheuser Busch Clydesdale farm in Fenton, Missouri so there was a bit of time to explore along the way.

 

(I forgot to note earlier that I took most of the pictures while on the road with my iphone and not the new camera.) 

 

The Rt 66 Antique Mall, Phillipsburg, Missouri.  We took the time to stop here once – not this time. 

It's too neat for the  American Picker guys.  Lot of interesting stuff. 

 

 

There were lots of billboards for the Shephard Hills Factory Outlet mall in Lebanon, Missouri.  

Denby, Chicago Cutlery, Case Knives, Zippo Lighters, plus a Waffle House (scattered, covered, smothered).

 

 

Lots of campgrounds along I-44.  Nice to see some listed on the highway exit signs.

 

 

We pass the Tracker Boat factory.  There are thousands of boats (some with motors in place) and boat trailers just sitting there in field after field.  The grass is neat.  It can’t be easy to mow around them all.

 

 

 

We saw a sign for Cuba, Missouri.  Rt 66 - Mural City. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the murals proclaimed that the World’s Biggest Chair was 4 miles down the road.  My daughter and I have each had our pictures taken in big chairs. Hers was bigger than mine. I need to one-up her. 

 

Here’s her picture taken at an outdoor garden center in Newark, Ohio.

 

 

 

 Here's the mural in Cuba.

 

 

 

 This is some chair, isn't it!!

 

 

 

…and it’s certified by Guiness Book of World Records!

 

 

Once a year they have a day where the local fire department brings their ladder truck to help people climb up in the chair and have their picture taken.  It's one of their fund raisers.  This year it’s Saturday August 3^rd.   My daughter and I both agree that this chair doesn’t count in our unofficial contest until one of us can actually sit in it. 

 

What else do we find?  You know those Can-Am three-wheeled motorcycles?  Here is a Can-Am bicycle.  Multipurpose.  Ride the bike, mow the yard. 

 

 

Now on to Fenton, Missouri. 

[Beckers 1,136]

This is really neat! I am glad you are sharing with us!

[Big Kahuna aka John 71]

Judy this is just awesomwe!  

[alexwyattmommy 181]

The riding eco-friendly lawn mower is on my wish list.  That is so cool.

Great trip so far.  Looking forward to more.

[Judy in Texas 150]

This is really neat! I am glad you are sharing with us!

 

 

Judy this is just awesomwe!  

 

 

The riding eco-friendly lawn mower is on my wish list.  That is so cool.

Great trip so far.  Looking forward to more.

 

 

Thanks for tagging along.  Here's the next installment:

 

 

We made it to Fenton, Missouri with a bit of time to spare so we visited the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site which is right next door to Grant’s Farm and the Budweiser Clydesdales.  

 

Have you ever seen a recycle box for American Flags?  It was at the Visitor’s Center.

 

 

I picked up an America the Beautiful National Parks Pass so I could get my Senior Citizen Discount on Friday’s visit to The Arch.   There is at least one good thing about getting old. 

 

The property originally belonged to U.S. Grant’s father-in-law “Colonel” Frederick Dent.  Grant and his wife Julia purchased the farm from the Dent family in the 1860’s and maintained it while he was President. 

 

 

There was a mirror (really a flat screen TV) in the dining room that was designed to “reflect” a conversation Grant, his wife and father-in-law may have had over supper.  Grant was from Ohio and an Abolitionist.  Frederick Dent owned slaves and was referred to as “The Colonel” even though he is not known to have served in the military.

 

 

A section of the wall plaster has been removed to show how the building was constructed.

 

 

A view of the house from the back.  The stone building on the left is the summer kitchen.

 

 

Although the summer kitchen is of simple construction, I was surprised at the detail.  Look at how the wood flooring is carved to match the stonework of the entryway. 

 

 

An interesting water pump in the back yard.  The chicken coop is in the back right of the picture. 

 

 

It’s about time for our tour of the Grant’s Farm Clydesdale farm so we drove 2 minutes to the next parking lot.

[Judy in Texas 150]

Here is the link to the Grant’s Farm website.  www.grantsfarm.com

  

We met our tour guide Emily and began our 90 minute behind the scenes tour.  She started working at Grant’s Farm with the animals at the Wildlife Preserve and then transferred to work with the Clydesdales.  It is her goal to be assigned to one of the Budweiser show teams.  The next step in her training is to get her CDL since everyone who travels with the teams must be able to perform all of the duties.   After that, if she is accepted, she will transfer to Merrimack, NH where the horses and wagon drivers (??) complete their training.   

 

Emily explained that the Anheuser Busch Clydesdales are born at Warm Springs Ranch near Columbia, Missouri. 

 

www.warmspringsranch.com

 

 

When the male horses reach about 5-6 months old they are transferred to Grant’s Farm where they learn “their barn manners”.  They are divided by age and each horse has a red notebook where their daily report cards are kept.   

 

 

This is the field with the 1 year olds. 

 

 

Here is a plackard telling about the two year olds.

 

 

When the horses reach about 5 years old and if they meet the Budweiser requirements, they are transferred to Merrimack, NH for further training.

 

We moved on to the next field and these two horses came RUNNING to see Emily.  Do you recognize them? 

 

 

They are two of the horses from this year’s Budweiser Superbowl commercial.  PeeWee is the smaller one and he played the younger horse at the beginning of the commercial (He’s grown a bit since then).  Bill is the bigger one who ran down the street to meet back up with the trainer at the end. 

 

I loved that commercial.

  

It soon became obvious that these horses like to spend time in pairs.  Emily explained that they match horses up who get along well together.   A lady entered this corral to put a halter on one of these horses and to take him to the main barn.  The other horse was right at his side all the way to the gate where he was left behind. 

 

 

 

This sled is used to start teaching the horses to pull. 

 

  

 

We took turns brushing Lee. We were not allowed to touch his face or feed him by hand since the horses are not pets.   

 

 

The collars are put on upside down and then turned around.

 

 

The tack for one of the horses. 

 

  

The horses go barefoot at the farm.  They are shoed when they are going to be at an event pulling a wagon down the street.  The shoes are backed with leather to help protect the bottoms of their feet.

 

 

Lee demonstrated how he is weighed and measured.

 

 

We could get our pictures taken with Lee if we wanted. 

 

 

Emily explained that there are only four people on staff to handle all of the duties associated with the farm.  They are even responsible for all of the pretty landscaping and flower boxes.   

 

 

 

This guy was assigned to a show team; but, was brought back here to have issues with his feet addressed. 

 

 

We took a peek in a few of the stalls.   This guy is sound asleep.

 

 

We went inside one of the horse trailers. This one holds 4 horses.  No air conditioning.  Emily says the horses don’t mind the heat.  Really? 

 

 

 

We end up at the refrigerator.  Bottled water or Budweiser.  Take your pick. 

 

[Big Kahuna aka John 71]

What beautiful and majestic animals.   To bad they haul such a terrible beer. :rofl3:

[caveat lector 181]

It's really cool when folks talk about visiting your home town. It's neat to see it through others eyes.

I never tire of seeing Grants Farm. It's one of my favorites.

Clydesdales are awesome. They are a huge beast. Your pictures do a great job. They are treated like kings (rightfully so).

That deposit box for flag retirement is new to me. I just usually seek out a boyscout when time to retire my Stars and Bars. Thanks for pointing it out.

Great job Judy and thanks for visiting! :)

[Judy in Texas 150]

What beautiful and majestic animals.   To bad they haul such a terrible beer. :rofl3:

  

I don't care for beer so I'll take your word for it, John. Thanks for following along.

 

It's really cool when folks talk about visiting your home town. It's neat to see it through others eyes.

I never tire of seeing Grants Farm. It's one of my favorites.

Clydesdales are awesome. They are a huge beast. Your pictures do a great job. They are treated like kings (rightfully so).

That deposit box for flag retirement is new to me. I just usually seek out a boyscout when time to retire my Stars and Bars. Thanks for pointing it out.

Great job Judy and thanks for visiting! :)

I had a great time but know I didn't even scratch St. Louis' surface. One thing I learned (more on it later) is there is such a thing as St Louis-style pizza.

[.....Gary 85]

All kinds of food and fun in St. Louis.  Thanks for showing me things from my own backyard.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I haven't been online much this weekend, but am all caught up now. 

 

You know what I have to say....as your trip reports seem to do this to me.  You are CREEPING me OUT! 

 

That thing with the creatures crawling out of its back is beyond disturbing.  I can't believe anyone would consider that art.  But Bentonville is a neat town.  I was there once for work and it's such a nice area. 

 

Love the pics from the Budweiser barn too.  Those flowers are beautiful.  Looks like a very interesting trip so far. 

[Beckers 1,136]

We just saw an RV show on the Travel Channel Sunday night and it feature the Budweiser trailers. It said that air conditioning is bad for their health and each trailer has 17 windows and personal fans for each horse. They have to stop every 2 hours to tend to their needs and only travel 500 miles a day. I found that impressive considering they have to stop every 2 hours and let the horses out.

I knew their feet were large but holy cow that picture of the horseshoe being held really shows how massive they are!

[Judy in Texas 150]

I haven't been online much this weekend, but am all caught up now.

You know what I have to say....as your trip reports seem to do this to me. You are CREEPING me OUT!

That thing with the creatures crawling out of its back is beyond disturbing. I can't believe anyone would consider that art. But Bentonville is a neat town. I was there once for work and it's such a nice area.

Love the pics from the Budweiser barn too. Those flowers are beautiful. Looks like a very interesting trip so far.

Just doing my job, Dave, just doing my job. :)

We just saw an RV show on the Travel Channel Sunday night and it feature the Budweiser trailers. It said that air conditioning is bad for their health and each trailer has 17 windows and personal fans for each horse. They have to stop every 2 hours to tend to their needs and only travel 500 miles a day. I found that impressive considering they have to stop every 2 hours and let the horses out.

I knew their feet were large but holy cow that picture of the horseshoe being held really shows how massive they are!

Thanks for clarifying about the lack of air conditioning in the trailers. I should have asked her about it; but, we had a guy on the tour who wouldn't shut up. He had a comment/question about everything. I didn't want to be another "him".

The horse shoe was heavy, too.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

What?  Yuri was in Arkansas?  Wow!  I didn't know that.  I hope he didn't bother you too much.

 

I agree with the others who commented about that statue with the critters in its back.

 

What the Fort?

 

I am convinced that some artists intentionally create crazy stuff just for kicks.

 

That giant chair is way bigger than the one your daughter found.  I think I know where you will be on August 3.

 

Looking forward to more of you report-especially the arch.  I've never been.

 

TCD

[Judy in Texas 150]

Cousin Yuri was a perfect gentleman.  He does have a mischevious glint in his eyes, though. 

 

It’s later afternoon Day Two.  We checked on the weather and decided to spend only one night at the hotel instead of two and to leave for home Friday after our tour of The Arch.  The forecast for the next few days was looking ominous no matter which option we decided to take back to Texas.   

 

Note the gas prices at the QT gas station across the street from the hotel.  Diesel is cheaper than regular unleaded.

 

 

We stopped at Culver’s Butterburgers for supper.

 

 

After supper we drove around Lone Elk Park. I forgot my new camera so my iphone will have to do.  Despite the park’s name, none of the Elk were alone or appeared to be lonely.     http://www.stlouisco.com/ParksandRecreation/ParkPages/LoneElk

 

“...The park acreage was once a part of the 2,400-acre Tyson Valley Powder Plant used for the testing and storage of ammunition during WWII. After the War, the area served as a County Park, and in 1948 herds of elk and bison were established. The land was re-acquired by the Federal Government during the Korean War, and for safety reasons the wildlife herds were destroyed in 1958. However, one lone bull elk survived. In 1964 St. Louis County acquired 405 acres of the original tract from the General Services Administration for $60,787, and in 1966 the name was changed from Tyson Park to Lone Elk County Park. Six additional elk were obtained from Yellowstone National Park in 1966 through the efforts of the children of the Rockwood School District and West St. Louis County Lions Club. Construction of the park’s lake was done by Fred Weber at no cost to the County. The park was officially opened to the public on October 17, 1971...”

 

We were surprised at how rugged the land is.  I would not recommend driving through the park in an RV or towing a camper. 

 

 

Some of the Elk.

 

 

 

I bet these cement structures are left over from this property’s time as a munitions testing area.

 

 

 

 I thought this tree looked like it could come to life – maybe have a part in a Muppet movie.

 

 

The lake.

 

 

Looks like there are a few woodpeckers around. 

 

 

That’s all for Day Two.  Tomorrow we are off to the St Louis waterfront area.