As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Check out our privacy policy disclosure for more information.
One of Dixie’s and my favorite “mini” vacations is to travel north through Alton, Illinois, then along the Great River Road,
…..making our way to the little town of Grafton and then a bit further to spend a night or two at the Pere Marquette Lodge, built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. We first learned of Pere Marquette a few years ago when they were offering something called the ‘Eagle’ Package from December through February. It included a night in either one of their hotel type rooms or even better one of their rustic stone cabins. The key word being rustic. They are somewhat dated, but have all the amenities you need and the bed guarantees a great night of sleep. We’ve always chosen the cabin. If you want to know more about this place, just let us know and we’d be delighted to share what we know.
The package deal also includes two drinks of your choice at their on site bar, Mary Michelle Winery, two dinner entrees and then two breakfast entrees the next morning – all for just over a hundred bucks.
They’ve recently added their ‘Spring Fling’ package – same great deal but now available March – April. And they’ve even started a ‘Fall into Fall’ package too that we plan to take advantage of.
So we booked a one night stay on Thursday, the fifth of March and started planning our little getaway.
Our first stop was the Melvin Price lock and dam.
They offer dam tours, free of charge at 10, 1 and 3. We made it for the 10 am tour and it was amazing.
The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) created a masterpiece with the lock and dam system consisting of 29 locks and dams on the upper Mississippi River, beginning in Minneapolis and ending in Granite City, Illinois. We had a guided tour given by a USACE ranger and learned that it took over fifteen years to build the Melvin Price lock and dam near Alton, Illinois. We learned how commerce relies so heavily on river traffic moving something around $70 billion worth of goods annually on the river. We also got the layman’s version of just how complex the lock and dam system really is and much more.
After the tour we enjoyed one of the three movies they also offer free of charge. We watched a short video on eagles and their nesting and feeding habits along this stretch of the Mississippi River. It was definitely worth staying for. They also offer a longer video on the river and another even longer one on the Lewis and Clark expedition. We plan to visit again and take in those videos on our future visits – maybe when we do the fall package.
But the highlight maybe of this stop was when the receptionist pointed to a monocular they had set up on a tripod near the entry door. He told us to take a look as we were leaving.
We were rewarded with the gorgeous sight of a mother bald eagle sitting in her nest maybe a quarter of a mile away.
She was looking right at us and even turned her head to give us a profile shot. Just beautiful.
From there we made our way through Alton, stopping at a local hangout called ‘Chubby’s’. Lucky for us – $1 cheeseburgers all day on Thursday. It was a great lunch in a great little local Alton establishment.
We followed the Great River Road along the Mississippi.
If you’ve never done this, you really must. It is a beautiful drive with the river on one side and bluffs on the other and goes through the small town of Grafton. There are numerous small bars and restaurants, wineries and lots of pretty unique shopping. One of our favorite stops there is the Aeries Winery.
It has a beautiful vantage point overlooking the mighty Mississippi, sitting on top of one of the highest bluffs in the region. They’ve recently built a tram system you can take from the main street going through Grafton all the way to the winery. Or drive up to the winery – plenty of parking and they have cabins for rent there too. We’ve enjoyed those a couple of times also. It’s a great getaway.
Another of our favorites is just down the hill from Aeries – the Grafton Winery – another great place to stop for a glass of wine or a beer and some great food. When we left there we made our way to the lodge to get checked in.
We had a couple of drinks at the Mary Michelle Winery and met a very nice couple who had a story of survival they probably should not have been able to tell having survived what sounded like a horrific car accident two years ago.
We took advantage of the on location restaurant, had a wonderful meal and then settled in front of the most massive limestone fireplaces we have ever seen. It is fifty feet tall and is in what I would call the ‘great hall’. It looks like something you’d see on the set of Vikings or Game of Thrones. Very impressive and I think very unique.
We enjoyed a great breakfast the next morning and even chatted a bit with the couple we had met last night. We checked out and drove on up the hill behind the lodge to an incredible scenic spot, Eagle Roost Overlook, and scanned for miles in search of an eagle – just one. We weren’t so lucky so we started heading back down the road toward Grafton.
I was watching the road. Dixie was scanning along the river and even across the river into Missouri for anything flying.
There just weren’t any eagles and then she said, “There’s one in a tree. Pull over!” I thought she was joking but quickly learned she was not.
As luck would have it, there was a pull off right there. Lo and behold, less than a hundred feet away was a majestic bald eagle perched on a branch.
We quietly got out of the car, grabbed the binoculars and phones and snapped a couple of photos. The eagle looked right at us for quite a while, turned its head and gave us a profile shot and then flew away across the river.
That single moment made our trip worthwhile.
From there we continued down the Great River Road, back to Alton, and stopped at another of our favorite spots – the world famous ‘Fast Eddie’s’. Another must do, but beware – you must be at least 21 years old and they only accept cash.
Thanks for reading……
Paul
