We've known some of both. Let's just leave it at that. We arrived in St. Peter (one of a dozen cities and towns in Missouri with names starting with the word "Saint") and were starving. Lucky for us, there happened to be a BBQ joint a stone's throw from our hotel. We love the randomness of these kind of "finds", especially when they turn out to be really good. This is "Bandana's Bar-B-Q", the place with sauce for every taste bud. And yes, we tried them all.
Our server Lori was terrific (and had a wild personal story, including working the carnivals when she was 14) and gave us great suggestions about what to order. Bart went with the smoked chicken platter and Rorie went with smoked brisket (lean) which she used to keep sopping up the delicious sweet and smokey BBQ sauce. And let's not forget our daily dose of veggies...
Smell that smoke!
We were both a little road weary after our nearly 7 hour drive, and decided to rest up for a while. Hunkering down was an excellent decision as it turned out, because the National Weather Service issued a severe weather alert in our area for "dangerous storms with possible tornadoes, large hail and torrential rain". Our good friend Bonnie, who used to be a town manager in a community near where we were staying, saw the alert and urged us to be careful. She said "Missouri storms are nothing to mess around with". Man, was she right. Soon after that warning, the thunder, lightning and sideways blowing rain that reduced visibility to zero came. Luckily, the tornados and large hail didn't happen!
The next morning. we headed out to Main Street in the historic town of St. Charles. Founded in1769 by a French Canadian fur trader, the city is the oldest one on the Missouri River and the third oldest city in Missouri. So many interesting people and events are tied to St. Charles. It was Missouri's first state capital - for a whopping 4 years. Lewis and Clark left from here and sailed up the river to find a route to the Pacific Ocean. Even Daniel Boone and his family called St. Charles home. We started walking on Main Street, and everywhere we looked we saw restored, interesting buildings and brick paved streets and sidewalks. Bart said it reminded him of Thames Street in Newport. Rhode Island, where his parents were born and raised.
Right in the middle of St. Charles is a preserved church from 1789. Guess that makes it historic.
Now, having had a serving of spirituality, it was time for a different kind of "serving". The sweet kind!
Fudge, candy, ice cream, candied apples and more. So many treats...what to choose?
Riverside Sweets must apparently require its employees to be sweet too. These two, smiley faces made being there a treat. They were so proud of their hometown and their employer.
Rorie is the queen of funny, witty tee-shirts. This one was perfect for the occasion. At least half a dozen people stopped her on the street and told her they LOVED its message (and wondered aloud why - if it was true - they weren't skinny).
Mike Hurlbert, Community Development Director for St. Charles County, sang the praises of Dan Krankeola (Director of the St. Charles Convention and Visitor's Center) and his "crew" to Bart. He suggested we stop by the Tourism Center to meet with the staff (and volunteers) on duty. They couldn't have been more friendly, and informative. With proud "ambassadors like them, it's easy to see why St. Charles is such a successful tourists magnet, and economic driver for the City and County.
We thanked them for their great information and recommendations, and continued our extensive walking tour. Uh oh. We sensed something spooky about this place.
Built by Mr. Kremer for his family and his wife's mother, it's now a restaurant that has a very mischievous spirit. It's said to be one of the most actively haunted sites in the area where things disappear, food inexplicably changes temperature, and coffee ends up in diners' laps. Could it be a dearly departed mother-in-law? For once, Rorie decided she wasn't very hungry.
TV's Travel Channel did a special episode on St. Charles, Mo to investigate hauntings on Main Street, CHECK IT OUT HERE :https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/ghost_hunters/s10/e04. And, if you're ever in St. Charles, you might want to book a Ghost Tour to "see" for yourself: http://www.stcharlesghosts.com.
Oh yeah, forgot we hit another mileage milestone (and that's before we got our new "oil change" car).
Next stop, the Blue Grass State and the Bourbon Capital of the world...Bardstown, KY. See you soon!