Picking through a giant pumpkin patch
outside Springfield, IL. |
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A few more photos:
Click each thumbnail for a larger image. |
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The selection at Jefferies Orchard in Springfield.
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Andrew at the base of the Gateway Arch.
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Andrew couldn't stop talking about the Arch for weeks.
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Feeding the fish at Union Station.
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Union Station's shopping mall is in need of a makeover.
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The big slide on the roof of the City Museum building.
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A newborn giraffe and mother at the zoo.
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The lions were surprisingly active... maybe this isn't a good photo to illustrate that.
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The closest elephants to Chicago live in St. Louis..
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The Penguin House is the coolest part of the zoo.
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A silverback guarding his zoo troop from zoo problems.
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Statistics:
Dates:
For a spontaneous Indian Summer weekend in October, 2010
Areas
Explored: The usual sites in Saint
Louis, MO
Transportation: 2009 Dodge Grand
Caravan
Cast:
Jessica, Andrew, Scott, Trish & Caty
Trip
Notes: The weather was perfect and the winter is always right
around the corner. Since we had the energy, we drove on down to St.
Louis to have some fun at Ottertoberfest at our favorite zoo. The only
two people crazy enough to drop everything and drive 12 hours round trip
tagged along.
Click to see my
last visit to Ottertoberfest
We started out at
Jefferies Orchard near
Springfield in search of Empire apples, but the crop failed this year
and we settled for boring Fujis. Andrew was amazed at the giant pumpkins
they had on stock.
Next stop was the Gateway Arch at the
Jefferson National Expansion
Memorial on the MIssissippi River. Andrew kicked around his soccer
ball for a while and crawled in the park's lawns to get his "ya yas"
out. As darkness fell and Andrew fell asleep, we went into
Union Station for
dinner and to shop for a bit. Andrew woke up in time to feed the rabid
goldfish in the parking lot.
We continued to the
City Museum and went up
to the roof where we met Trish and Caty who had been driving all
afternoon. There is never a dull moment at this place and when the
lights went out at ten, we knew we were in for it. People disappeared
into the floor and we promptly got lost.
The next day we went to
St. Louis Zoo where Ottertoberfest
was a bit toned down due to construction of a few new exhibits. The baby
elephants were almost all grown up, but we found that we have a newborn
giraffe to keep track of on our next few visits.
Before night fell, we were already off and on our way
up I-55 and back home.
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