Friday the 13th, Budweiser Brewery

There is no better way to beat the heat, as well as avoid the perils of Friday the 13th , than to take the Budweiser Brewery Tour (Budweiser Tour). The tour is free, lasts about 45 minutes, and ends at the bar in the hospitality center for free beers and pretzels! Ahhh!

The first stop is the stables where they house the famous Clydsdale horses. The stable is air-conditioned, absolutely clean, and full of historic information. The horses we saw are retired, since the other team was out on a promotional tour of state fairs, etc. They also have a couple of Dalmatian dogs that accompany them. They are huge and beautiful horses.

The next stop on the tour was the chill room where the beer is kept at 50 degrees and is cooled in huge vats with chips of wood. It was really refreshing to step into this place on a day as hot as today. This is actually the last stage of the brewing process before packaging.

Then we went on to the Brew House to learn how beer is made and to experience the hot side of the process, where the hops and other items are cooked for a period of time to produce the “wort” that then becomes beer.

The spent grains are then collected and recycled for landfills and other ecological projects.

The final building on the tour is the Packaging building with the iconic Budweiser sign on top, and the strange gargoyle-like figures (mascot for a non alcoholic brew) on the sides of the building which were added around prohibition time.

The final leg of the journey is by bus back up the hill to the hospitality center where all of the guests can enjoy two free drafts of any of the Budweiser products, and unlimited pretzels. One guy was celebrating his birthday and got an 80 proof blueberry beer which he said was very good.

Outside the hospitality center is an exhibit which featured some of the fantastic beer mugs made over the centuries. Life is good!

Archway to the West

I headed off to Midtown St. Louis to visit the Archway to the West (St Louis Gateway Arch) . It was a short ride from the Retreat Center. It is right on the banks of the Mississippi River where there is a lot of boat and barge traffic.  Since it is the first National Park area that I visited, I decided to pick up my Senior Pass which is good for life at all of the National Parks in the U.S. It was really hot, so I was pleased when I saw that all of the exhibits and films are underground and air-conditioned. I decided to see the I-Max film of the Lewis and Clarke Expedition tracing a path to the sea from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean. It was really interesting and very moving.

There are lots of exhibits and displays throughout the underground area. I took some photos, but my flash does not seem to be strong enough to get good indoor pictures. Anyway, here are some of the shots I thought were worth sharing:

After that I decided to try a lunch spot that my brother Mike had recommended: Pappy’s Smokehouse (Pappy's Smokehouse) . It was fabulous. The food was good and generous, lots of parking, and quick service. If you ever get to St. Louis, you need to stop here.

While I was in the restaurant we had a tremendous thunderstorm with about 60 mile an hour winds, hail, etc. The temperature dropped about 20 degrees, but it is still very muggy.

St. Louis, MO - White House Retreat Center

The four and a half hour drive from Nashville to St. Louis yesterday was uneventful, except for the extreme heat – 101 degrees and a heat index of 110! The Retreat Center sits on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in a very nice area outside of the center of St. Louis.

It is a huge complex of several buildings and parking areas, beautiful grounds, fountains and flower gardens. I had trouble finding which building was the main one, but was pleased to find that they are all air-conditioned!

Finally I found my way to the Retreat Office and was helped out by a very nice woman named Shirley. Apparently, the Jesuits have their own residence on the property and I would be staying in one of the retreat buildings, pictured below.

They are between retreats and so there is no one around at the moment, except for St. Ignatius (above). I hope to be able to speak with someone on the team tomorrow about their operation here.

Nashville, TN - Opryland

I arrived here without any problem, after a four and a half hour drive. I went to check out Arnold's - a local Bar B Que joint that was featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" -  but it was closed, so I just took a picture of other disappointed tourists there. I went to another Southern cooking place for dinner which was good.

I forgot about the time change, so I drove over to where the current show of the Grand Ole Opry would be playing at the Ryman theater. It is in the center of downtown Nashville amidst tall, shiny new skyscrapers.  It was orginally built as a Church and the seats are pews.

I drove out to the Grand Ole Opry, which is further out from center city along the Columbia River, but it is a huge construction site since the flood and they aren't letting tourists anywhere near it. I got a few shots of the place driving by on the freeway. 

I head to St. Louis later this morning.  It is still very hot here in the South..

Santiago.jpg‎(41KB)‎

Santiago.jpg‎(41KB)‎

Atlanta, GA and Salvadore Dali

After a wonderful visit with my friends in North Carolina I travelled Southwest to Atlanta to visit with my brother Mike.  He loves to cook and to bar b que so we have not been starving.  He also took me to his favorite Mexican restaurant - Los Hermanos (Los Hermanos Taqueria ).  He bugs them every time he goes there to give him the secret of their wonderful salsa.  Today he struck the right blend and it was even better than theirs.  You'll have to ask Mike what the secret ingredient is.

Yesterday we went to the High Museum of Art to see the new show of Salvador Dali's later works.  It was truly surreal - very crazy and very beautiful. ( Salvador Dali at the High Museum in Atlanta, GA,)

I've been lucky to be able to use friend's pools to keep up my water aerobic routine.  Mike's friend Terry has a nice pool and we try to get in each day, since it is quite hot here.

Today we went to Mass at Corpus Christi Parish (Corpus Christi Parish).  It has one of the most diverse communities I have ever worshiped with.  Many immigrants were in their traditional dress - native Americans, Cambodians, Ethiopians, American Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, etc.

My next stop is Nashville, TN and the Grand Ole Opry.

Boat Trip to Bradley Creek

Yesterday Jim and I took the boat, "Bel Canto", to the Bradley Creek Marina for safe keeping during the hurricane season. The four hour trip was beautiful but hot. We were accompanied by dolphins on part of the journey. That is becoming a theme in my travels over the water during this trip. Fascinating seeing old shipwrecks and giant Cranes brought from China for the port of Wilmington, and other attractions.  On returning I gave Jim and Eileen a pasta making lesson.  We ate the fruits of our labor with gusto:  tagliatelle with white bolognese sauce.  Lydia Bastianavich would have been proud! 

Today we plan to spend a quiet day, pool aerobics now, pack the car, and have a nice birthday dinner at home with friends.  I am off to my brother Mike's in Atlanta tomorrow.