Jim Holland

Fort de Chartres is an early French fort along the Mississippi river. It never saw action and was vacated and abandoned after the Louisiana purchase. A number of years ago the fort was partially restored and now provides a fairly good representation of what the fort was like during the time it was in use by the French.
The grounds are open all year and there are shaded areas and picnic tables near the parking areas. Great to bring a picnic lunch while visiting the fort since you are a little bit away from towns with restaurants or fast food.

Francis park is a nice park for everyone to enjoy. Today they had the annual St Louis Hills Art in the Park festival within Francis Park. There were around 100 booths with various art works displayed that were for sale. There were also food booths and a music stage set up. A good time to stroll around enjoying the art work, eat a little and enjoy listening to various musical artists playing.

This is one of the homes where Teddy Roosevelt lived. It is well preserved and is just how it was left after the final Roosevelts no longer lived there. Lots of memorabilia from Teddy Roosevelt remains there.

Today we walked the Emmons vista trail early morning and the view to Mount Rainier was spectacular. The clouds almost disappeared and the sky was clear blue. The trail is about one mile long and descends gradually going and of course gently upward on the return back to the visitor center parking. The clouds near the mountain seem to accumulate more in the afternoon. Recommend getting there early to avoid the crowds.

Ft Kaskaskia offers a spectacular view of the Mississippi River towards kaskaskia Island, farmland in the bottomland, and Sainte Genevieve in the distance. There is a large pavilion to have a picnic and there is a playground for kids to enjoy.
In the fall the trees present a spectacular color display.