Ideas for places to visit in the Midwest
St. Louis’ riverfront on the Mississippi River. This photo was taken from the historic Eads Bridge, a combined road and railway bridge over the Mississippi River connecting the cities of St. Louis, Missouri and East St. Louis, Illinois. Also in this photo the Gateway Arch.
My two hounds: Lolly and Dixie. They do not get to go hunting in the country but like to chase rabbits in the back yard. However the back yard fencing cuts the hunt short. They have discovered that other critters, like opossums, cannot make it to the fence. Unfortunately the opossums fight back but Dixie takes that as a challenge. Even the opossums enjoy the challenge as they come to the back door looking for Dixie.
This is a photo using sunset light on the hounds.
I was photographing a sunset in Farmington, Missouri and turned around to see that the moon was rising in the east. And yes, just on the other side of the evergreens is Possum Hollow Road. On this day, I was with a group of Basseters hunting rabbits but my Basset is great fan of Opossums and loves to hunt them in the back yard.
We always have the same conversation: “do you really want to bring that into the house” and “I don’t think it is really dead.”
This gift shop was built in 1856 according to the sign. However, I suspect it did not start out as a tourist trap. This is a building in Elsa, Illinois, an old village along the Mississippi River between Alton and Grafton. This 18th century enclave is fun to explore with lost of classic old buildings.
Sochii is out with his pack combing through brush and undergrowth trying to pickup the scent of a rabbit. He usually hunts with a dozen other Basset Hounds and is part of a pack that belongs to Three Creek Bassets, a professional group of hounds that competes nationally.
This is actually part of a sport called Basseting, which is, following a pack of Basset Hounds in pursuit of hares or rabbits. The structure is nearly identical to a traditional foxhunt, although the pursuit is on foot. It is a centuries-old tradition that continues to draw young and old who love the outdoors, good sport, and hunting with hounds.
The staff consists of the Master, or Joint Masters, Secretary, Whippers-in, and the Huntsman. Followers are called the Field. The Huntsman is responsible for the actual hunting of the hounds, while the Whippers-in assist to manage the pack. The Field Master leads the Field so members and guests will have the optimal views of the hounds at work.
Sochii and his packmates get out several times a week to do what they were originally bred for and they love their work.
After foraging through the woods in Weldon Spring, this group pops out on a country road. These hunters have a pack of about a dozen Basset Hounds and are part of Three Creek Bassets, a nationally known pack of scent hounds. Today they are trying to pick up the scent of a rabbit, track it and stay on the trail as long a possible. Apparently, they only found a coyote who would move too fast to keep the Bassets attention.
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Another beautiful fall sunset in the Midwest. This well and the stables beyond are part of an old club in St. Charles County.
The property is along the Missouri River and served as a family farm in this rural section of Weldon Spring before World War II and before the bridge across the Missouri River was completed. In 1960, the property was purchased primarily to protect the area from development.
The name Strathalbyn was given to the property by one of the prior owners of the land, reminiscent of their ancestral homes in Wales. The words are Welsh and mean “stream and field” appropriately named since its fields meander down to the Missouri River.
The basis of the clubhouse is an old log cabin from the 1820’s which still exists inside the building.
Tucked away in the bluffs along the Mississippi River is the little village of Elsah, IL. The entire village of Elsah is on the National Registry of Historic Places. This village, with a population of around one hundred people, is often referred to as the “village where time stood still.” Visitors to Elsah can escape back to the Americana of the early 1800s with quiet streets and 19th century stone homes. This “picture perfect” village nestled in the valley is a perfect place for photographers – amateur and professional – anxious to capture a glimpse of the past.
This church is in the back of the little valley where the village is located. Almost every building is picture perfect. be sure to take come time to explore.
View of the top of the Clark Bridge spanning the Mississippi River at Alton.
The Clark Bridge was named after William Clark who, with Meriwether Lewis in 1804, commanded the two year 4,000 mile exploration of the Louisiana Purchase territory up the Missouri River into the Pacific Northwest. The Lewis and Clark Expedition set off just a few miles south of the bridge near Hartford, Illinois.
This is a view from Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary which runs just south of the Mississippi River.
Canadian Geese doing a flyby at Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary. On this day the place was full of geese, pelicans, egrets and more! Around St. Louis these geese are pretty common. In fact they may be considered a nuisance. However, these birds are always amazing to watch fly by.
Great Rivers Imaging 