Fort Davidson, Pilot Knob, Missouri

Who would have thought that there was a major battle in Missouri in 1864, in the small town of Pilot Knob? The hexagonal Fort Davidson, recently clearly of historically inaccurate trees, is a site to behold.In a last ditch attempt to capture St. Louis from Union forces, a large Confederate force headed north from Arkansas, but were stopped at the earthen parapets of Fort Davidson. The fort is not large, and it is amazing to consider that 1,500 soldiers lived and worked in its confines. Perhaps it is not surprising that such a densely packed force could deliver such withering fire from such a compact site.The Union abandoned the fort in the middle of the night after a repulsing wave after wave of Confederate soldiers in the fields around the fort. The Union was running low on ammunition, and felt leaving was the best option, after already inflicting over a thousand casualties on the ill-prepared Confederate army.You can still see the hole where the Union blew up their gunpowder stores in the middle of the night as they escaped through Confederate lines to St. Louis. The Confederate army waited until the next day to investigate what they thought had been an accidental detonation of the gunpowder, only to discover the fort empty.

Quarry, Elephant Rocks State Park

Luckily for the iconic "elephants" at the quarry, their stone was too battered by weather to be of any use to builders.Consequently, the stones remain where they have rested for millions of years.Nearby, however, the quarries soon tapped into the distinctive pink granite of the area, cutting and hauling away huge chunks of the mountain for building St. Louis and other nearby cities.More discarded stone sits in a pile near the quarry; where these stones deemed poor quality, or were they simply left when the site was abandoned, work stopping in progress?

Quarrying, Elephant Rocks State Park

Quarrying occurred all around the outside of the famous elephant boulders, as these stonecutters' signatures suggest.Throughout the park, the drill holes and rectangular edges of stone outcroppings attest that quarrying was a labor intensive occupation.Below, a pile of discarded blocks of pink granite sit in a corner of the site, slowly being overcome with vegetation.Pretty much all of the pink granite you see in St. Louis comes from this quarry or nearby, whether in a church or the stones of the Levee. Below, two test holes were drilled to check on the quality of the granite.

Meramec Highlands Quarry

I set out to find the quarry that provided some of the stone for Union Station, as well as many of the stone for houses--perhaps the Lemp Mansion, Cragwold--in the Meramec Highlands resort area of southwest St. Louis County.I found the edge of the quarry, but my traveling companions wanted to get going, so I will have to return in the future to find the quarry itself.See an aerial view of the quarry here; it is located southeast of I-270 at Big Bend.

The Tucker Tunnel, De-Tunnelized

It seems like just yesterday that the Tucker Tunnel was the center of attention as Larry Rice and his organization were threatening civil disobedience to keep a squatters' camp in the entrance to the tunnel.Months later, the tunnel is slowly and quietly being dismantled and filled in.It's a weird situation where businesses such as a McDonald's are only accessible from their rear entrance, as their front ones end at a sharp incline.See pictures of the tunnel before demolition, look here.

The Confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers

I traveled to the new observation deck (you know, the one that took five years to open after completion) and was pleasantly surprised at the views from the top.


Listen carefully, and learn about Wood River history.

Fort DuBois, Illinois

This is a reconstruction of the original Fort DuBois, built by Lewis and Clark back in 1803.

Mount Vesuvius and Mount Somma, Naples

It was actually Mount Somma, the larger mountain that erupted famously back in the 70's AD, destroying Pompeii and Herculaneum. Mount Vesuvius grew up inside the crater of the older volcano. Consequently, there are two summits, the older, blown off portion of Mount Somma, and the newer Mount Vesuvius, with its own crater, spilling steam still to this day. This is the longest period of time since its last eruption in World War II.It looks like the Moon or Mars up on top of the volcano. I took a rock from the summit, and it's now sitting on my desk at home. I know, I know, I'm a cultural pillager.Above, here is the ridge that marks the edge of the old volcano. Below are steam vents on the interior of the crater of the volcano.The cultural supremacy of America is illustrated by the relative size of the English language, equal to the local Italian, and larger than everyone else's. Go USA!Below is some crappy video I shot up on the mountain.

Fort McHenry, Baltimore Harbor

It is very cool to visit Fort McHenry on the tip of Locust Point in Baltimore Harbor. While the fort was once in the country, miles from Baltimore, the port of now wraps itself all around the fort.It was very foggy that day, but if you look closely, the fort looks much the same as it did 180 years ago.

Mark Twain Shrine

I stumbled upon one of the most interesting examples of Mid-Century Modernism out in the middle of nowhere this weekend, on a peninsula of Mark Twain Lake. There nestled between two branches of the lake, is the Mark Twain Shrine.The building features a self-supporting hyperbolic parabola roof, or so the guide told me. The building opened in 1958, after Mark Twain's daughter had approved the plans.The roof is self supporting, allowing the moving of Twain's birthplace house under the eaves of the roof before the walls were constructed.You'll never know what you find out in the middle of nowhere.

Jefferson Barracks