Carrolton, Missouri to Kansas City, Missouri

July 20 - 21, 2021: 

I leave Carrolton, Missouri taking route 24 west back through Waverly, Missouri which in addition to the Lewis and Clark trail is also the route of the Santa Fe Trail.  This road goes through beautiful farm country with extensive corn fields and fruit orchards.  I see a sign for the town of Napoleon and exit which takes me to a Missouri river access point controlled by the Corps of Engineers.  There is a narrow road along the shoreline line completely filled with small campers, it appears to be free campsite, but very congested.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waverly,_Missouri

A scenic road winding through corn fields

A few miles away, I come to a sign for Fort Osage and take the exit.  I knew nothing about this fort, but it is a National Historic Park with much history.  It was opened in 1808 as a combination trading post for the local Osage tribe and a military post to protect settlers coming into this area.  At the time, this was on the far western edge of the frontier. The original intent of the fort sounded good, but once the homesteaders started pouring in, several bad treaties were made with the Indians eventually taking all their land and forcing them further west, all very sad.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Osage

The French came first

A very well constructed Trade House

The original factory system

He did some amazing things

And some very bad things

Don't ever trust a government treaty

All the buildings are reproductions, but accurately done, far as I know ?

The Trade House

The trading room, only indianas were allowed in

Very thick walls

I then drove into the city of Independence, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City.  I headed straight for the National Historic Trails Museum but found it closed.  The old Independence Train Chicago & Alton Depot is outside so I could at least see it and a mile away is the current train station which is still operational.  I explored Independence for a while, it’s a very nice town and famous as the former home of President Truman and location of his presidential library.  There is also an incredibly huge Mormon Temple complex there that is possibly the most extreme symbol of religious excess.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence,_Missouri

A very impressive Railroad Depot

The start of the Oregon Trail

One of the best signs I have seen to correct history and injustices

The Courthouse where Truman resided as a judge

An amazing Mormon Temple

I then made a library stop to use the internet as I am out of data for the month, which is really affecting my traveling efficiently and working on this blog.  I found a post for a music jam session at a club in Westport which sounded very good, but involves driving across Kansas City.   

I decide to head in that direction with a stop at the Riverside Bluff Park which turns out to be a walking trail overlooking the Missouri River.  I then parked a short distance away and explore a closed street which dead ends amidst railroad tracks, a bridge overpass, construction debris, trash, much graffiti and something that looks like a real Hobo Jungle.  A freight train was coming through slowly, I felt like hopping it.  There was a view of the Missouri River and I thought; This must have been a beautiful spot before civilization.  I wondered what Lewis and Clark would think if they could return and see what their "Corp of Discovery" has resulted in.

Homeless people aren't happy with the system

I'm trying to be 

All kinds of transportation merge here 

Moving coal cars

I then drove to a nearby quiet neighborhood park where I could open my vans doors, cool down, make something to eat and talk to my sweetie back in Tucson.  Then a car pulls behind me and starts playing this rap music at high volume.  I just don’t understand why some people feel it’s their privilege to blast their music whenever they want to with no regard for anyone else.

Ok, time to move on, I get on the road to Westport going across town on a convoluted high speed path to stay with the traffic flow, way out of my comfort zone, but to my amazement made no wrong turns and I arrive safely.  I enter the Westport Saloon for Coyote Bill's Blues Jam not sure what to expect.  Coyote Bill is already playing but it's not yet very crowded.  I get a really good seat at the bar facing the stage and hang on for the ride, it soon gets very crowded and very interesting.  It turned out to be the best music jam session I have ever attended, lots of talented musicians show up and almost everyone is good.  There are some crazy good dancing people also, it was great !  There is a street parking area behind the club which is where I stay overnight with no issues, in fact I return the following night to the same area.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westport,_Kansas_City,_Missouri

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Kansas_City_metropolitan_area

Mural on wall of the Westport Saloon

In the morning, I walk down the street looking for coffee and learn that this area was originally a French settlement and that all the pioneer trails came through this very area. Also I find some good murals and a nearby library to check local attractions and decide to go to the Arabia Riverboat Museum.

So much history here

Very effective mural

Great mural

Best realtor sign ever !

https://www.1856.com/arabia-story

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabia_(steamboat)

The museum is about a Mississippi River Boat, the Arabia, that sunk in the 1860”s after running into a snag (an underwater tree trunk) hidden from view which tore a massive hole in the boats hull.  It was carrying a full load of passengers and cargo.  All the passengers survived however the boat with all its cargo sunk and the cargo was never recovered.  As the years passed, the course of the Mississippi River changed and the boat ended up buried under a farmers field.  In 1988 a team of dedicated, enterprising non-professional people located the boat, some 40 feet underground, start digging but hit water after going down only 10 feet.  They had build a massive water pumping system and along with heavy construction equipment they finally uncover the Riverboat.  Amazingly, all the original cargo is still there, an incredible collection of stuff which they claim to be a largest collection of pre civil war articles in the world.  The team then decides that  they can’t sell this stuff (which was their original plan) as it really needs to be saved intact and they build this museum to protect and showcase it all. It’s a great museum, even if you are not a museum person, this is super cool !!!

The Riverboat in its glory days

Map shows the course of the river and location of sunk boats 

It was a fairly risky trip

The snag that sunk the boat was found in its hull

The hole dug to get to the boat

The restored anchor

Part of the original paddle wheel

The steam Engine

Treasures from around the world

Tons of ordered items destined for settlers and trade

Stacks of dishes

Tons of hardware items

In the end the farmers field was restored

I return to the downtown Power and Light district of Kansas City, which I had spent some time in on a previous trip.  It's an exciting vibrant area with loads of photo op's.

The Aladdin Hotel is a beauty

Massive new high rise buildings will block these current views

Next morning, my plan is to find this Westport landing where the original French explorers came to shore starting the town of Westport, which has since been incorporated into the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Along the way I come upon this amazing architecture and a fountain, park and go investigate.  As I go the look at this fountain a couple is sitting there on a bench, the man says hello and starts a conversation.  I notice that he looks Navajo, a little rough, but well spoken and he eventually lets on that they are homeless, but does not ask for money.  I learn that he is originally from New Mexico, she is part South American / Mexican but with virtually no accent.  He says his Indian name is Two Feathers.  I couldn’t just walk away, too awkward, so I took their photo and handed them a $20 as I left.

Beautiful park

A great water fountain

Two feathers and friend, nice people

A mile or so away, I come upon a great old Uptown Theater that I have to stop and admire.

Beautiful details

About an hour later, I am on the shores of the Missouri River at a massive new townhouse community.  There is a park and walking trail along the waterfront that goes for a few miles. This is the general area where it all started, but there is no actual marker to mark the spot ( No Plymouth rock), I suppose no one really knows the exact spot ?

So many trails came through here

Lewis and Clark also of course

It's still a vibrant transportation corridor

A famous award winning lift bridge design

 At the end of the trail where it goes up onto a bridge a young man asks for help to get some food, here we go again ?  He has been homeless for about 14 years, says he gets food stamps and disability, but is lacking at the moment.  He sounds sincere and I give him $5, he tells me he meditates a lot, was just at a library listening to his meditation tape with earbuds, when they told him that wasn’t allowed in the library.   He then got into argument about it and was escorted out although he said he wasn’t bothering anyone.  He was sounded very normal, but I was kind of thinking that without his meditation he just might have some issues.

I’ve now reached my limit, can’t take anymore of the traffic and racing around at breakneck speeds rocking and rolling over these rough streets unsure which way to go, I need to get out of this town, back to where there are dusty back roads.

Next stop will be Ottawa, Kansas