ALTON, ILLINOIS IN TWO DAYS

It was September 27, 2011 when I landed at the St. Louis airport. The first part of my trip was spending two days in Alton, Illinois, about 25 miles away from St. Louis, Missouri.

I first checked into my hotel, a Holiday Inn (Lewis & Clark Trail Site), noticing that the lobby was one big atrium. It was nice to see that it differed from other Holiday Inns. I always like to find out as to whether a hotel has laundry facilities as the trip would continue on to St. Louis. No coins....free! And just happened to be located around the bend from my room...how convenient.

Off to lunch at My Just Desserts in Downtown Alton. They are famous for their homemade pies and 1/2 pound chicken salad sandwiches. Owner Ann Badasch had was not there when we ate, but left me a cook book, which did not divulge the secret to the chicken salad. I had the chicken salad sandwich and a slice of the cherry/almond pie. As it turned out, Esther and Eunice showed up.

Just across the Clark Bridge is an escape to nature; the Riverlands Migratory Bird SanctuAuduary, the only Audubon Center in the Midwest and located right on the Mississippi River.They were just completing the Audubon Center at the Riverlands, where you can sit and watch the birds and find loads of information. I would love to see the trumpeter swans. They have trails but I'm not up for hiking.

We then made a stop on Small Pox Island, the site of the Lincoln-Shields Duel and the final resting place for soldiers and citizens who succumbed to small pox during the Civil War Era.

Alton is known for hauntings, so I got my first taste at the notorious Alton Prison, where I met Len Adams, who conducts these tours. What you get to see is what was left of the prison.

We later went to the Enos Apartments, to see the tunnels that were part of the Underground Railroad. The tunnel was actually located just below the sidewalk. This way the sounds of walking about would cover up the sounds below.