Thinking Out Loud

Openings for Bavaria JCMO Partner City Trip in September

Due to unexpected health issues for some folks who were planning on the trip, we have four openings for our Partner City trip to Munich and Muenchberg in September. Here are some highlights, but contact [email protected] or call 635-3995.

• Depart JCMO Sunday September 14 / Return September 23 
• Three days in an around Munich: Train to Salzburg; castles at Neuschwanstein & Linderhof
• Day in Nuremburg on the way to Muenchberg
• Three days in Partner City and surrounding venues helping them celebrate their 650th birthday & the annual Stadtfest. Official welcome by Mayor Zuber and all our German friends. (This is our third visit.) Nice hotel in the middle of town.City tours. Local bands and vendors. All very nice.
• Catch "the real Oktoberfest" in Munich before heading home.

You'll see Germany as a partner - friend and not as a tourist. We have 26 in the group and we'd like to have two more couples or four singles to fill out the roster.  Peggy and I have been on both previous trips and we can guarantee a wonderful week.

Alteburgermeister ("Old Mayor") John Landwehr

 

 

Charles Palmer Is Blazing Old Trails

There are tons of books on Lewis and Clark, and during the bicentennial celebration we learned a lot about the Expedition. Charles Palmer has been a strong supporter of local efforts and he's a docent at the Trailhead Memorial in Jefferson City. But he's taken his mission to a new level. His handy publication, "Follow the Lewis & Clark Trail in Missouri" follows the expedition trail through present day settings through Missouri. It's both historical and modern, with local folklore, photos and directions for obscure sites you'd never be able to find without his help. It's spiral bound to sit on your dashboard all the way from Bird's Point to White Cloud. Mine will have an honored place in my bedside reading library.

Charles will be signing his books at Downtown Book and Toy in Jefferson City Thursday at 11:00. You can order through Book & Toy, or post a Comment and I will get you connected. 

Flooding should not always stop park progress.

At page 21 of the current issue of Missouri Resources published by our Department of Natural Resources there is a nice article by Tom Uhlenbrock describing Confluence Point State Park located where the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers converge. (The link has a video.) The park is named after benefactors Edward "Ted" Jones and Pat Jones. Efforts there include cooperation from various state and federal agencies. 

Noteworthy is the fact that large segments of the park, including the roads, are covered during high water. This is not seen as a disadvantage or deterrent to restoration. The author points out that the flooding creates "a vast welcome mat for migrating waterfowl in winter and a home for resident species year round."

Why is a nice river resource like Confluence Point State Park accepted as a treasure by so many, but some folks in Jefferson City get all bent out of shape because Adrian's Island would be partially submerged during high water? History reflects that large sections of the park would be unusable about 15% of the time. As shown by the Confluence Point project, land in the floodplain can be a valuable resource for the community when managed appropriately.

Sign Up For Partner City Trip to Germany in September

It's a trip you'll never forget. Our Partner City Muenchberg, Germany, will once again roll out the red carpet for Jefferson City visitors in September. Call Colleen Taylor at Midwest Travel 635-3995 for pricing and the exact schedule and itinerary, but here's a summary.

We'll depart September 12 and arrive in Berlin. Mayor Thomas Fein has already scheduled a private tour of the Bundestag (State House) and a reception at the Bavarian Embassy. We will spend two days seeing the sights in Berlin and then travel south to Bavaria, spending a night in Dresden. Then we'll enjoy four days in our partner city, a small town of 12,000. It's the week of their Stadfest -- like our sidewalk sale days. We'll take side trips to the beautiful countryside and neighboring historical and cultural sites.

Then we'll take the Romantic Road through southern Germany and visit Rothenberg ("the Walled City") and depart from Munich on September 20.

Some of the folks who made the trip four years ago are coming along, but there is room for new friends who want to take advantage of this unique way to see Germany.

You Can Adopt a 50 Ton Friend

Last Saturday was  National Train Day. Our local volunteers celebrated in between duties. The expanded passenger depot at Lohman's Landing (on Jefferson Street) has been expanded and gussied up.

Call Judy Towson, Chief Engineer for Capital City Amtrak Friends, Inc. at (573) 634-4252 to get a little training and orientation, and sign up to adopt a train. You can just greet one train each week, or more if you get into it. 

Bike/Ped Bridge Will Open NEXT Friday

What if someone said, "Let's leverage federal dollars that would otherwise go somewhere else, extend our greenway system with parks dollars and raise the rest from private contributors to connect the most beautiful Capitol in the United States with the most popular outdoor tourist amenity in Missouri . . ."

What would you say?

Well, several years ago some people with a vision said "Yes" to connecting the Katy Trail to Jefferson City with a bike/bed walkway, complete with overlook stations high above the Mighty Missouri. 

Friday morning at 10:30 join us at Noren Access NEXT FRIDAY 4-8  (north side of the river) to celebrate The Vision. 

 

 

Mission Accomplished: Waveland Trailer Returns

When Katrina hit in 2006, Jefferson City responded. Based on an affiliation with the Catholic parish in Waveland, various local efforts were directed to that town and St. Clare Parish. You can see a diary of their courage on the web.

Last week, Ron Medin and friends brought back a trailer donated by Playmor Trailers (the Willibrand family) that served the parish and community well. The trailer was used initially for showers and beds. Eventually it became the church office while they dug out of the destruction. They're ready to move into more permanent quarters and the trailer is now back home, possibly to be used for other relief efforts closer to home. 

It's a testament to Waveland, and to Jefferson City. Check out My Parking Lot for some pics of the trailer "on location" and the new church building. I like the sign.

 

Update on MO River bike/ped project @JCMO

Two months ago MODOT supervisor Chuck Sullivan gave an update on the progress of the bike/ped attachment to the Missouri River Bridge at Jefferson City -- shown second below.  Chuck's video covers the tower on the north side to connect with the Noren Access. Last week I caught the progress on the south side.  Looks like things are moving ahead nicely. They're talking about an early April dedication, but the traffic may start sooner.

 

          

Heck with I-70. My next vacation will be like this.

 Challenger No. 3985 was built in 1943, one of 105 Challengers built for Union Pacific. It is only operating engine of its class operating in the world today. It was in service until 1957 and was then stored in a roundhouse in Cheyenne, Wyoming, until a group of UP employee volunteers restored the locomotive to running condition in 1981. The engine made appearances in Central Missouri all week.

Here are some clips from a great trip led by the Challenger from Jefferson City to Washington, Missouri on a beautiful fall day.

I'm ready to do our next vacation this way.  

Amazing Fly Over Animation - Jefferson City

I don't know how they do this, but it's pretty cool. Fantastic Planet TV has created fly-overs for hundreds of cities, including Missouri cities. (Click on Uploads and then use the search window.)

Check out the huge amount of land at Adrian's Island as you swoop past the Capitol. It gets a little sparse over by Wardsville.