24th Anniversary

Last year, we went to Newburg to celebrate our anniversary. We took a step up this year, going all the way to Steelville, a much bigger town. We arrived in Steelville in the afternoon and then headed to Cuba to the world famous Missouri Hick BBQ. You haven't heard of it? Obviously, you don't live in Central Missouri, because we're told it's the best BBQ place in this area, and it was very good! After a delicious meal, we headed back to Steelville, and before settling into our home for the evening, the Frisco Street Bed and Breakfast, we took a walk around town, which took about 5 min :) Actually, we just walked around the block, but far enough to see quite a few large old homes, many of which need restoration. We also saw a Edsel parked right up the street -- imagine, a 60 year old car without rust in Missouri! Steelville actually has quite a bit of charm and character for such a small town!

We started our actual anniversary (June 1st) with a delicious breakfast followed by a walk down a city trail to the park, where we've spent many hours at Zeke's baseball games -never knew there was a trail! It was a bit warm for a walk, but there was a pleasant breeze and plenty of shade, as well as some interesting sights along the way.

After picking up a sandwich from Subway, we started on a driving adventure, which eventually led us to the metropolis of Cook Station ...which has about 7 buildings, 3 of which are pictured below. We found out later that the railroad used to run through here. The Meramec River is not very far away, so we saw lots of canoes in the town as well.

The general store and train station

The bank

We thought this looked like an old school, but it now appears to be a home.

A few miles down a gravel road, we found the Missouri University farm that is run by the parents of one of Andy's teammates. We dropped in to say hi and enjoyed our lunch by the spring just 1/4 mile from their home. It has quite an entrance considering it is on a gravel road!

At the spring
The view from our picnic bench

Then we wandered back to Maramec Springs Park, a privately owned park that emcompasses the ruins of the first iron furnace in Missouri. It is a beautiful place, and we enjoyed finally getting to visit after 4 years in Missouri!