Feared Lost in St. Charles--Did You Miss Us?

Significant others, dare I say wives, are an interesting lot. After my last blog she complained that I was getting a little wordy. That slowed down my enthusiasm some for the next one but then she prodded--Are you getting lazy? Where's the next blog? Hard to win.

And I bet you've been wondering what you do with yourself in St. Charles, MO, while you're waiting days for your boat's generator to be repaired. Turns out St. Charles is quite a town. And, though it's a 25 minute drive from the marina, Port Charles Harbor's generosity with their courtesy car has made it crazily accessible.

St. Charles has an historic district along it's Main Street that's more than a mile long. Being October the district is all dressed up for Halloween with a consistent and very high quality decorative theme, period actors, horses and carts along the entire stretch. It draws tourists like sweet things in the autumn draw yellow jackets.

Before we discovered Main Street for the first of several visits this weekend, however, we first explored the Lewis and Clark Boat House Museum. Who knew that St. Charles is where the two pioneers and ther crew who charted the American West for the rest of us embarked on their epic 30 month journey to the Pacific Coast of Oregon? Who knew that they departed at 3:30 in the afternoon and paddled and dragged their boats and canoes only three miles before making camp that first night? And, who knew that the headwaters of the Missouri River lie some 2500 miles from its confluence with the Mississippi at the point in Montana's Bitteroot Mountains where the Madison, Jefferson, and Gallatin Rivers come together? As one friend and descendant of Lewis told me, waiting a few days or more for generator parts pales in comparison with the many setbacks Lewis and Clark faced on their 6000 mile roundtrip trek from St. Charles to present day Astoria, Oregon, and back.

The Admiral studies and remembers American History much more effectively than I do but I would be remiss if I didn't mention the three takeaways I found most interesting. First, that Lewis and Clark exemplify team leadership and apparently never disagreed regarding a major decision. They created and motivated a "Corps of Discovery" that worked together successfully to overcome incredible hardship, discomfort, and amazing physical challenge. Second, native Americans from a dozen or more tribes along the way played crucial roles in the success of the venture but none more than 16 year old, pregnant and then mother, Sacawagea, wife of a Corps member and the only woman on the trip who served at times as guide, at times as interpreter, and at times ambassador, stateswoman, and negotiator with tribes along the way including her own. Her wisdom, competence, knowledge and insight pulled the expedition through many very difficult circumstances--a huge credit to her and kudos to Lewis and Clark for being the kind of men who could and would listen and let her lead. Lewis and Clark also exemplified their egalitarian tendencies when they asked their team to vote on the location of their winter camp at what became Fort Clatsop near Astoria. The votes of both Sacawagea and York (Clark's slave who was also a team member) counted equally with all others. Finally, Seaman, Lewis' Newfoundland dog, made a huge contribution with his hunting skills, his ability to scare off bear and bison, and his assistance in making friends with the Native Americans they encountered.

It turns out that St. Charles is also near one end of Katy Trail State Park--the longest developed rail trail in America which follows the route of the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT) Railroad. Saturday saw us breaking out our folding bikes for the first time and taking a crack at a short stretch of trail along the Missouri River north of St. Charles. The bikes, the ride, the views, and the company all proved delightful and were enhanced by the numerous festivities St. Charles hosted along the way.

Today, we travelled just a touch further afield to the home where Daniel Boone spent the last decade or so of his life and the place where he died. Boone's son Nathan built the 4000 square foot home out of self-quarried limestone and hewn oak timbers over a period of seven years. Daniel and his wife lived there with his son's family off and on before she died in 1813 and Boone, himself subsequently lived there full time until he died in this room in 1820:

A few more pictures of the Boone home are below including a portrait of Daniel Boone by John James Audubon:

Now, as to wordiness, I've lumped several days of experiences into one; I've spared you the countless errands, chores, and meals that were wrapped around the headline escapades, and I didn't whine (too much) about being dead in the water.

Comments always welcome!