How we live now: midwest travel

I had been missing my girlies in a bad way. I had been promising a visit down to SLU for weeks. Last Saturday, we made the trip, Rob, R and I, down for a quick visit. Do the math: the four hour drive down + the 6 hour drive home (through snow and ice) for a 6 hour visit? It only makes sense if you are a mom missing your kids. And, if you have a fabulous hubs willing to do ALL the driving!

We arrived around 10am, picked R and K up from R's apartment and drove over to Rooster for brunch. Rooster! So FUN and So Delicious! If you live in St. Louis, you don't need me to tell you about it, apparently most of the city had the same idea for Saturday brunch as we did. But, if you are visiting, please brave the lines and the family/cafeteria style seating for the Rooster experience. Their specialty is crepes and they do them fabulously with locally sourced ingredients. The breakfast menu was so enticing, I already have plans to return to try more of this amazing food!

After brunch, we took a leisurely stroll through Soulard Market. It was sparsely populated with vendors, a shadow of its warm weather self but it was an act of hope going there on such a grey and blustery day. Another "Don't miss" when visiting St. Louis.

With the weather being what it was: cold and grey. We opted for indoor entertainment to round out our afternoon. After reviewing all the free venues St. Louis has to offer, we chose the Science Center.

It had been years since we'd been to the Science Center. The last time, R, K and R were a more typical age, but I don't remember it being this much fun. Everyone played with the hands-on exhibits:

Enjoyed the overpass:

and obliged me with some photo-ops:

After a few hours, we noticed that the snow coming down was heavier and so we decided to grab a quick early dinner and get on the road home. R recommended Tortillaria in the Central West End, for their happy hour. Our waiter was super attentive, the food was excellent and the happy hour prices were a great deal.

Just a short day's sampling of all St. Louis has to offer. If you haven't been in awhile, take your kids and enjoy a weekend.

October days draw you into the outdoors

Maquoketa Caves State Park

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It was an overcast Sunday. Rob was home, a rare weekend off, and we had R and A, our favorite co-adventurers. We headed out with a picnic lunch to do some hiking and low-key spelunking at the Maquoketa Caves. I need a day in the woods every so often. It recharges my spirit like nothing else can. These views, large and small scale, help to calm my mind, to bring my attention into the present.

The state park, located just north of Maquoketa, Iowa is replete with limestone bluffs, beautiful rock formations, hiking trails and a fascinating collection of caves. Admission to the park is free. They have park rangers available to give you a brief orientation to the park and educate you about "White Nose Syndrome" a disease which is fatal to bats that inhabit the caves. So far, this disease has not made its way to the Maquoketa caves.