Expedition Leader's Notes
Day 2
Wednesday morning and we launched at 9:00am from Henderson and headed down the Ohio River
with Southern Illinois to our right. Fair skies and high clouds above us but extensive
flooding below us. On the air-to-air channel I briefly tell the crew about George Clark's
trek across the swamps of Illinois Territory to capture Fort Sackville from the British in
1789, thus acquiring for the fledgling United States a great block of land now represented
by the states of Indiana, Illinois. Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota… the "Old
Northwest Territory".
Recognized Fort Massac near Metropolis, IL… the home of Superman. The airport that we had
planned to land at was closed (construction) and the Cave-In-Rock area had been trashed by
twisters on the previous days. We flew on to Cairo over coal barges and dredges… noting
where the clearer water from the Barclay and Kentucky Lakes entered from the South to
diffuse the turbid waters of the Ohio.
Even at the confluence of the Ohio and the mighty Mississippi there was a discernible
difference in the color of the silt suspended in the waters of the separate rivers. While
the fixed wings landed at Cairo Regional (CIR) for 100LL, the choppers flew on to Cape
Girardeau for Jet A and lunch. We all eventually joined up around Festus and I pointed out
the Tums manufacturing facility and the Caravan and Hughes took some low-level photos of an
empty tent encampment on the east side of the river.
Everyone got through the St. Louis Class B in different ways… some on ATC and others going
VFR beneath it. George in the WACO and I straddled the Sanyo blimp and watched from 1500
AGL while the Hughes and Bell took pictures of each other framed by the Arch. Bending west
at Wood River and the confluence of the Mississippi/Missouri the high waters of the flood
obscured the rip-rap groins that normally can be seen… directing the flow of the Missouri
away from the north bank to deepen the channel for navigation.
Past St. Charles and Spirit of St. Louis airports… almost level with Tavern Rock and abreast
apparent mansions on the south bank just before the stacks at Labadie and over the top of
downtown Washington, MO before turning north to land at MO6.
We were welcomed by Rick Schwentker, Physics teacher at Washington High School; Dorris
Keevan-Franke of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission; our hosts for the evening's
dinner… Phyllis Steckel and her husband Rich and children Nathan and Katie… and numerous
other citizens of the town where Lee and I used to live and where he and his sister Kate
graduated from WHS.
Dinner at the Steckels was down-home: meatloaf, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, home-made
rolls, etc. We stuffed ourselves while Roger and Mike Mann attempted tertiary productivity
sampling in the pond behind the house. Before adjourning for the evening, I read passages
from the original Journals appropriate to the time and place.
Most of the crew camped at the airport within the circle of aircraft near the FBO.
Non-campers found the Schwegmann House on Front Street very much to their liking. Always a
favorite with me, the place just exudes nostalgia… even to the point where the every-15
minute-parade of trains and their whistles lulls you to sleep… not. Despite the photograph
of the old lady in Mike Mann's room in the garret whose eyes seemed to follow him everywhere...
we all slept pretty soundly, in spite of the trains.
Day 3
Weather magnificent. Lee was the prodigal student at a breakfast hosted at the home of
Rick and Judy Schwentker. Everyone had maps directing us to get to the beautiful home
north of Dutzow… but this crew doesn't seem to be able to navigate when on the ground very
well, but eventually we all got there for a tremendous breakfast with some of Lee's former
teachers, administrators and kids he went to WHS with, now also in or graduated from college.
Danielle Carducci and Ursula fiddled while we ate (ala Cruzette). You know you're in German
country when there's brats for breakfast.
On the way home some of us stopped at Daniel Boone's grave and discussed whether or not
he was still buried there. His nose on the bas relief sculpture is shiny from so many people
rubbing it for luck. Carol said it was the same for Lincoln's bust at his memorial in
Springfield, IL.
While most of the crew went into St. Louis to check out the Arch and the Missouri
Historical Society exhibits in Forest Park, Carol and I hung out with Dorris Keevan-Franke
and did a radio interview and the Rotary Club lunch at Riverfront Park. Ribeye steaks from
Droeges and all the fixins. I think that during both events I invited everyone in town out
for a BBQ at the airport… luckily only a few showed up that evening. Carol and I bought
raffle tickets from the Rotary for a 1960 Corvette Stingray, so we'll be back in August to
pick that up.
Mike, Randy, Bill , Chin, Candise and George took in the sites in Washington including the
mandatory stop at Cowen's for meringue pie. Others stayed at the field and relaxed and
worked on their journals (I can't imagine how L & C kept current at the end of their long
and exhausting days. We dropped the Ford Expedition off for it's first 3,000 service at
Chris Auffenburg's… the miles are starting to add up.
Late in the afternoon, Randy shuttled Carol back to St. Louis in the Hughes…she needed to
get back to San Diego for business and will rejoin us in Great Falls, MT next week. Kari
and I went shopping for the evening's food at Ed's Meat, Droeges and the Williams Brothers...
we wanted to spread our money around and give the crew a sampling of the various meat
products Washington had to offer. We also went looking for Daniel Boone's home in Femme
Osage. If the signage was as bad 200 years ago as it is today, no wonder Lewis and Clark
never visited the Great Trailblazer.
This evening, as Rob and Andrew cooked sausages and Wanda, Jill, Julie and Jeanette laid
out the salads Randy and Mike took turns letting each other play with their toys and Chin
gave scenic rides in the Bell. This included dropping the Mayor off at a Council meeting
in the park… wonder if that will help his re-election? Others took kids and adults up in
the Cessnas and their was plenty of food for all that came out from town.
Late that night, Candise, Chin, Randy, Bill, Mike and I sat at the picnic table in the
garden behind the Scweggmann House and put away a couple of bottles of Vernaccia while
demolishing a lemon meringue and coconut cream pie from Cowen's. I plugged my phone into
the cigarette lighter in the Expedition and went to bed around midnight.
Sciences
Flight Operations