Overnight: Granite City, IL
Sightseeing Day:
- Grant's Farm
- Butterfly House
Today we were up extra early so that we could get a couple of sightseeing items into our agenda. We left the campground at 8:30 AM and headed to a great restaurant of high nutrition; you should try it. It's called McDonald's.
After filling our bellies, we headed to Grant's Farm (click the link to check it out). It is southeast of St. Louis. The farm was the property of the Busch family. In 1950, they opened it to the public. It is named in honor of Ulysses S. Grant because his family farmed some of that acreage in the 1800s. The Ulysses S. Grant National Historical Site is right across the street, but our hips couldn't take too much more walking, so we opted to pass for this trip. Too much to do and too little time and physical ability to do it all.
Grant's Farm is mostly geared to young children. Of course, that meant Dave and I had fun. The first thing you do is hop on a tram that takes you around the property to view some larger animals, such as elk, bison, and deer.
After the tram ride, you walk around the small zoo-like exhibits. The only close call we had was at the baby goat petting area. Those little rascals tried to strip me naked! They chewed and pulled at the bottom of my shirt, the back of my knees and pants, and my jacket-tails. I had a milk-soaked shirt hem from their baby lips. When you didn't pay attention to them, they enjoyed butting you as if to say, "Here I am--give me some of that go-go juice." Dave and I had great fun with them chasing us around for a drink from the baby bottle.
The farm has a cute (but typical) bird show and an informative elephant show. We enjoyed watching the sleepy kangaroos and curious eagles as well. Dave did his best to get one to come to him. But, all they'd do is turn their head as if to say, "I hear ya--leave me alone!" The eagles are kept in an open pen and can't fly because of previous injuries. But, that gave us a great close-up encounter with them.
Around noon, we headed back to the car to eat our sandwiches. For the first time since we left home, I remembered to make our lunch! Just as we were leaving the farm, it began to rain. So, we arrived at the car just in time. We were sure glad we arrived at the farm early as the line to get in was now about 100-ft. long.
After eating, it stopped raining and we headed to the Clydesdale stables. We saw a couple of horses in stalls and then we walked down a path to pet the mares and their foals.
Our next stop had us heading east of St. Louis to the Butterfly House (click the link to check it out). We watched a short video about the life cycle of the butterfly, which was quite informative. It's crazy to know that you learned all these things as a child, then you forget the details. As an adult, you are really fascinated at re-learning to the point of wondering, "Did I really learn this previously?"
After the film, we enjoyed going into the conservatory that was filled with numerous species of butterflies of all colors and sizes. They were everywhere. The conservatory was quite humid with lush tropical plants and flowers. I have posted some of the better pictures for your enjoyment.
We drove around the grounds and enjoyed seeing the baby goslings and ducklings all eargerly learning from (or ignoring) their "parents."
Gas story--early this morning, we decided to fill up as the gas was "down" to $3.95 per gallon. So, Dave topped us off figuring we would certainly be at $4.00 within the next few days. On our way to Grant's Farm we pass numerous stations posting prices of $3.75! I just don't understand how there can be a $0.22 per gallon difference in only a 15-mile spread. Is this gouging or what?
When we arrived back at the RV, I cooked up some hamburger for a couple of days' worth of meals. I made spaghetti for tonight. After I post the pics for tonight, I'll work on the afgahan that I need to complete prior to the USS Princeton reunion's raffle. I have about 7 nights worth of work left to do on it. So, I'd better get crackin'.
We have decided to stay here for two more nights as there are several more things we'd like to see. We may even have to return to Missouri on our way back, as there is so much history here and we haven't even scratched the surface!
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