Columbia, MO

I caught up with my friends in Columbia, MO. We were supposed to be staying at a campground on the Missouri River (Catfish Katy's), but with all the flooding and rain, the campground was too soggy, so we moved to the Elk Lodge parking lot in Columbia, MO.

The town of Columbia is home to the University of Missouri-Columbia so off we headed one day to visit the campus.

These columns are from the portico of the original Academic Hall, built in 1840. They are now an icon and symbol of the University of MO-Columbia. Which this university was the first state university built west of the Mississippi River. The Academic Hall was destroyed by fire in 1892, but these columns were saved.

 

The current Academic Hall.

The original marker for the gravesite of Thomas Jefferson, who is buried at Monticello, VA. His heirs donated it to the university.

Whatever Thomas Jefferson is writing, it must be very interesting.

Everyone wants to read what he is writing.

Happy Hour at the Elk Lodge parking lot.

The KATY Trail runs 224 miles through Missouri. Once the route of the Kansas, Missouri and Texas Railroad (KATY), it is now a bike trail. We started just outside of Columbus and road about 10 miles down to Rocheport, MO.

This is supposed to be a cave where Lewis and Clark spent the night on the epic journey.

Above are these markings on the cliffs which are supposed to be Indian graffiti about 300 years old.

Although this looks like an abandoned home, it was actually a storage site for the workers while building the railroad. It held the explosives and other materials.

On the other side of Rocheport is this tunnel, all hand dug.

We came back to Rocheport and had lunch at this eclectic restaurant named Abilgail's. Notice the canoe hanging from the ceiling?

Here they are using bicycle spokes to hold the pots and pans. Although it had unusual decor, it was wonderful food. I even had avocado soup and it was great!

Down the road about 40 miles south of Columbia is Jefferson City, the capital of Missouri. Here is another monument to Lewis and Clark.

The original courthouse building is now just administrative offices.

The capital. If you ever visit Jefferson City, go visit the museum inside the capital.

A statue of the signers of the Louisiana Purchase.

This building was once a busy trade center on the Missouri River, but is now a museum and visitor center. The buildings date from the mid 1800s when the Missouri had a booming river trade with the steamboats providing supplies to the new and emerging west.

After all the museums it was ice cream time. Can you imagine any one person eating this banana split by themselves? I can't and it was all we could do to finish it between the two of us, but several in our group ordered their own and finished it all. Really, they did!