When You Say Bud....

When you say Budweiser...  You said it all!


Saturday was a damp and dreary day, so our host, Sam showed us downtown St. Louis Missouri, and we toured the Anheiser-Busch Budweiser brewery!   Steve drove us downtown in the little Tracker.  I laughed and laughed from the backseat as Steve drove and Sam navigated--- they would be talking about stuff and forget where to turn!

What a great way to spend the afternoon, rain or shine, (or snow???  So far the weathermen are WRONG and it's been only rain).  The best part of the tour was the beginning, where we got to see the Clydesdales!   Most of them are kept out of town on a big farm that isn't open to tours until April, but 2 were at the brewery for our pleasure.

Talk about pampered ponies!!!  This is the doorway and window of the stables that are at the main brewery building.  Oh my.... stained glass and chandeliers????

These horses have first class accommodations all the way... there are about 200 horses on their teams, and they rotate around the country.

Even the tack room with the harnesses was gleaming and sparkly.  Everything polished to a cleaming shine.  The chandeliers were brought over from the World's Fair buildings in St. Loius.  How elegant...all brass and glittery lights.

They even let loose the dalmatian Bud Dog....   and he was so friendly, making the rounds with everyone.  I even got to pet him, and he liked smelled "doggie" on my hands, so he knew we were "dog peoples".   So we bonded.  For a moment.  LOL

And from there we toured all the old buildings,

 the brewing process and all the information about the making of beer. 

The whole process was very, very interesting.

 They use real pieces of beechwood in the process into each vat, 

where the process is called "Croisening" 

with rice, barley, malt and hopps.   

After they use the beechwood, they rinse it, chop it up and sell it for mulch.  Can you imagine having a real "BEER GARDEN" if you bought your mulch from Budweiser????

We got to see all the vats, the bottling and the process while on the tour.

We got to ride the tour bus trolleys back up to the Hospitality Room.....

Because at the end of the tour is what the guys were waiting for:

F R E E     B E E R !!!!

 (and I don't even DRINK beer....)

When we left the brewery, it was still cloudy and rainy and not too nice... so we buzzed past the Arch, without going in or anything.  I have been up in it, but Steve hasn't. We will save that for another trip someday.

Then Sam said let's stop in and see Donna at her restaurant... it was corned beef and cabbage specials for the weekend----   Here is the link to it:  http://www.jjsofallon.com    She got to sit for a bit and visit with us, and one of her favorite little waitresses took a pic for us...awwww how cute!

Thanks Donna and Sam for the wonderful visit...
you guys are great Driveway Hosts!

Well, it's Sunday morning and the weathermen were wrong... the roads are clear and we don't see any 2-4 inches on the ground.  So we are heading up to our friend Rosie next, in Bethel, MO.

It's a Pizza Night in Dardenne Prairie, Missouri

We pulled into Sam and Donna's yard about 3 p.m. today.... They are fellow bloggers we have known for a few years.   http://samdonna-5thwheelvagabonds.blogspot.com   They came up to Wisconsin to see us 2 years ago in the summer.  Here are the blogs posts from their visit with us:

http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/2011/06/visits-with-weaving-and-rving-friends.html

http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/2011/06/grinning-from-ear-to-ear-sooo-wide-his.html

So here we are pulling in to their yard in Dardenne Prairie, northwest of St. Louis, MO.  Sam snapped a few pics right off the bat as we got the motorhome settled in their long driveway.  (next to their fifth wheel called Chappie) 

Sam doesn't like the term "moochdocking" he said.  So we will just call it "Driveway Visiting" 

Their silly dog, Riggens was full of the dickens and wanting me to play ball.... (a very slimey ball!) 

Sam decided to make us one his stupendous homemade pizzas!   Well... he went right to work as soon as the kids brought home his special supply of cheese.  (he uses 2 kinds on each pizza!) 

He rolls out the dough... and that is one big pizza tray!   

(extra large square commercial cookie sheet) 

He adds one layer of cheese along the bottom,

then a special sauce he can only get around St. Louis. 

(called "Imo's Pizza Sauce) 

 Next, he covers the entire thing with a layer of pepperonis,

and finishes off with a sprinkling of Provel string cheese which

will melt all over the pizza!

The chef working with his ever-hopeful assistant, Riggens! 

(hoping a piece will drop to the floor?)

O M G ! 

That is one massive pizza, and he has a mighty big pizza cutter to go through all that puffed up thick crust.  Oh my goodness!  It sure was good.   I only could manage three squares... Steve put away four! 

(and I slipped Riggens a pepperoni... shhhhhhh)

So now we are sitting here, shooting the breeze.  Donna is working till ten, but the plan for tomorrow is a tour of the Anheiser Busch Budweiser Brewery!!!    I think we get some "samples" and maybe some "souvenirs" for the kids! 

But for now, I think we are going to hit the bed early.... it's been a long day and we put on 271 miles today.  We left Carthage, MO about 9 a.m. and headed north and east to get up this way.  The terrain is looking more and more like Wisconsin countryside... 

no more cactus

no more rocks

no more mountains

no more desert

no more mesquite

Now we are on gently rolling hills and dipping down valleys.  The trees are still brown with no buds yet in sight.  Soon though, spring will come.   We hope.   

Seeing as I am on Sam's fast DSL hookup, I can add more pics to the blog tonight!   

Here are some shots as we came northeastward across Missouri:

We were cruising along parts of the Historic Route 66! 

Alongside the road, people park their tractors for sale, just like cars for sale! 

Quiet pastoral settings and livestock and wildlife... ahhhhh 

We swung down the main drag of Carthage, MO... 

just look at these elegant old buildings in a row, 

all with the same stained glass design, built in the mid 1860's. 

We wound our way up and down through the layers of stone cliffs as they cut out 

to make room for the lanes of the highways.

This is a  cool shot!  

On the right side of the photo is the bridge over the Missouri River

and  the left side of the photo is the reflection of the bridge in the window of the motorhome

(I was holding the camera out the window to take the shot) 

We saw this guy a couple times... first loading up like this next to the Wal-mart in Carthage

and then he passed us several times, and we passed him at the weigh station and a few other places.

We leapfrogged each other for a few hundred miles. 

(it's kinda strange to see a semi coming "at" you but heading the other way!)

Well, enough is enough, we are pooped out and heading off to bed early.  The miles added up today and I was very tired to begin with.  All four dogs are romping here in the house now, Riggens, Ducky, Duke and Sadie Mae... whew.. it sounds like a dog pound in here! 

Grinning from ear to ear sooo wide --- his ears almost popped off!

(catching up on blogs this morning, this is about Friday)

This strange bright round ball of light appeared in the sky, after six days of rain!   Wheeeeee it was time to show our visiting pals a good time and get out and about in Northern Wisconsin!

We got going on Friday morning because our destination was the Steam Engine Train and historic Logging Camp at Laona, Wisconsin.  It's called Camp Five, as all logging camps in various companies were just numbered here and there as they were erected and used till all the timber was cut, and then torn down again.  But this one was close to a town, and remained intact.  Now as a museum, it is funded only by donations and ticket fees, and functions with a foundation that accepts donations to keep it going.

http://www.camp5museum.org

Sam is an absolute train nut, so we wanted to show him about the old steam engines in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.  We had been here years before with our kids and friends, and felt it was worth the 80 miles to get in a visit.  Steve stayed behind at work, so us gals gabbed all the way up to Laona in a truck of clucking hens with rooster Sam at the wheel!

We bought our tickets for the ride and waited at the station.... dontcha just love this pic?  

And it turns out, for an extra fee, this big big grinning guy gets to ride up front  

IN THE STEAM ENGINE! 

I can hear that train a comin

She's rollin round the bend.....

Sam got acquainted with the crew, and soon was up on the deck and into the big train engine, grinning and waving and having the time of his life!   I could tell this was quite the event for him, and we women were teasing and laughing at the little boys and their great big toy!   The guys running this train are all volunteers--- doing this because they love trains.  I think if Sam lived in Wisconsin, his whole summers would be spent here helping to maintain and run this train!!!

See him up in the front as I leaned out from the next car to snap his pic... I have a feeling he was oogling and touching every lever, wheel, button, gauge and dial.  They even let him blow the steam whistle!

We found seats in the cars, or we could opt to ride in a caboose or out on a bench on a an open flat car.  It was still a little cool out, so we rode inside.  The conductor came through and gathered our tickets, and then we were underway!

Just love the authentic old seats, iron work light fixtures and luggage racks.. and the windows would still open up too!   The old passenger cars were in very good shape and well taken care of.

The train wound it's way along the tracks, through the woods, at a nice speed to enjoy the effects of rocking along the tracks, but not too fast or too long to get boring. There was even a Hobo Camp set up alongside the tracks.  We arrived at the Camp Five logging museum, general store, farm and picnic area. The grounds were immaculate, and the staff very friendly and helpful.  We spent the whole day wandering around the exhibits and buildings, learning about the logging era of Wisconsin.

(that is Donna and Sam sitting on the bench after walking all over the grounds) 

We saw goats, horses, a tiny calf, pigs, goats, chickens etc.  

It was such fun playing with all of the animals, and I got kissed by a STUD! 

We wandered among the displays, and enjoyed the artifacts and history about logging in the Wisconsin Northwoods.  A young man was adeptly showing his blacksmithing skills.

After a few hours of walking around the grounds, we found a picnic table to enjoy our lunch.  Coolers of food can be brought along on the train, or food can be purchased on site.  We also enjoyed some pie and ice cream...   We hit the General Store and bought some gifts for the families back home.

After a full day of exploring, we caught the train for the ride back to the parking area and depot.

This time we chose to ride in the caboose.  Everything was authentic other than the pile of firewood next to the coal burning stove?  LOL ... but I am sure that if there were lumps of coal in there, kids would be tossing it around and making a mess.  There were two cabooses hooked up, I am sure for the piles of kids who insist on riding in the back on the crowded weekend groups.  This was only on a Friday, so we had the whole caboose to ourselves other than one family.

These fine little ladies were able to ride up in the cupola seats of the caboose.  

They took a few pictures for me, including the group shot above.

I handed them the camera to snap some shots out of the top cupola windows of the caboose we were in.  One of them got a good shot of the engine as we rounded a bend... look at the puffs of black smoke! 

Sam made friends with the caboose agent--- just look at the smiles on both of them!  

I think it will take many many many days to wipe that smile off Sam's face... 

He was grinning so wide, ear to ear, 

that his ears almost popped right off his head!!!

And as fellow RV blogger Judy says:

"THE END"