Another Stop to Bear

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One great thing about Missouri’s state parks is that they’re FREE! So, after I finished checking out the history of Route 66 in that state park, it was off to north of St. Louis for another trip through history. Not only history, but some beauty as well. That stop was the Edward “Ted” and Pat Jones Confluence Point State Park. Most people would probably guess the Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States. After all, it’s the “dividing line” for “east” and “west. While it’s vastly important, it’s not the longest river in America. That distinction goes to the Missouri River, which is about 200 miles longer. Of course, the rivers don’t care. In fact, here (left) you can see them meeting! This is the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. It was here, too, that the Lewis and Clark Expedition spent the winter of 1803–04 before heading west. There are markers for the expedition that go back as far as Louisville (we have a Clark Memorial Bridge and a Lewis and Clark Bridge here), but the journey west, they claimed began in earnest at the confluence of the two rivers. After enjoying the time at the meeting of the two great rivers I started back toward my car, and I looked down and noticed some bear tracks. The tracks are cub paw prints. Thankfully, there was no sight of the cub who made them, nor of its mama. The weather was cloudy and cool my entire time in St. Louis, so these pictures might be as bright as they would be on a sunny day. But for early August, I’m delighted with comfortable temperatures to take a walk in! PHOTOS: (Left) Confluence of the Missouri (on the right) and Mississippi (on the left) Rivers (Right) Cub bear tracks in the mud on the trail to the confluence point.