Wednesday night we went to Aerie's winery, which claims to have the best view in the midwest and it was spectacular. Mark talked me into blackened duck (a first for me) and it was great.
Thursday morning had Mark busy changing the oil and then we headed over to the pool for the afternoon. That evening while watching the Bills game we met 2 young men along with their dog doing the Mississippi on kayaks, amazing! They started in Minnesota and are going all the way to the gulf of Mexico.
The best way to describe Friday was informational, educational and fun. We rented a car and went to St. Louis, MO. First stop was The Gateway Arch which is our nations tallest monument. It commemorates Thomas Jefferson's vision and St. Louis' role in the westward expansion. A tram takes you to the top, 630 feet up and the room at the top is only 17 feet wide making a significant confined space. I would like to say we didn't go to the top because it was raining and we didn't think the visibility would be that good, but the truth is the captain knows me too well... I would not have been able to do it. We did watch the 35 minute presentation in the visitors center and it was so interesting...that's all I needed as they showed footage of it being built. The film stated they expected to lose 13 lives while building it and they didn't lose any, but I am sure OSHA would not have been happy with no harnesses and some of the footage from the 60's.
Next up was the Anheuser-Busch tour and beer sampling. We got to see a couple of the Clydesdale horses (the stable is actually a few miles away), production area, aging cellar, mash tanks, etc. A few interesting facts about the company; they were able to keep the business afloat during prohibition by diversifying and selling yeast, soft drinks and part of the factory was converted and they made automobile and truck parts. Adolphus Busch was the second youngest of 22 children and at age 18 he traveled to America to seek his fortune, settling in St. Louis where he gained a job as a brewery supplier. In 1861 he married Lily Anheuser, the daughter of owner Eberhard Anheuser. They said he had a keen business sense and quickly helped grow the struggling brewery, became partner and later the president of the company. As far as the famous Clydesdales go, when prohibition ended they had a huge party on the grounds and brought wagons of beer out to celebrate. They hitched the wagons to teams of Clydesdales and as they say, the rest is history. The legend has it 100,000 people consumed a million bottles of beer that weekend. Whether that is true or not who knows...but certainly sounds like a good time was had by all.
Grafton really came to life on Saturday with tour buses for the wineries, bachelorette parties and birthday parties. We took a walk around town and saw that every bar/restaurant had live music scheduled for the evening. We had a wonderful dinner on the patio at The Oyster Bar.
Aerie's Winery with the Mississippi in the background
This is a tow at night, they use spotlights to help navigate.
When they are off in the distance they cast an eerie
light for miles ahead of them on the river.
A depiction of the architects, engineers and contractors
of the arch.
Lloyd contemplates leaving when his stall door is left
open by the stable hand.
The inside of the brew house is amazing, no bare
concrete walls around here.
Bud Light I said
Sunrise from the marina overlooking the Mississippi River
The marina at Grafton. Notice how everything, the offices,
restaurant and even the swimming pool are floating. Look
how high the dock posts are. The docks can go up and down
30 feet to accommodate river flooding.
What a great place to visit! Awesome pics of the arch and brewery!
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