M3U8 Mid-Missouri Meet-Up 8

03 October 2020

Six cars from our Chapter met four cars from the Kansas City Chapter for the annual Mid-Missouri Meet-up, version 8. Rock Bridge State Park outside Columbia was chosen as the location. It was a great venue with space to park so that all cars could be nearby and afford easy access for viewing and Volvo chat. Some attendees offered various Volvo parts and accessories for sale.

Below are pictures from Mark Morgan, Piotr Kornacki and Doug Morrell taken at our gathering spot in Eureka, along the route and at the CoMo venue.

Missouri High Points Drive:

11 July 2020

It was a typically hot July day, with temps in the mid-90s. We started at the highest point in St. Louis County (Mercy Hospital South) and ended at the highest point in the entire state of Missouri (Taum Sauk Mountain). Along the way we stopped at Sandy Creek Covered Bridge, built in 1872, one of four covered bridges remaining in the state. Then we continued down Route 21 to Elephant Rocks State Park to picnic and be amazed at the humongous granite boulders strewn about. From there it was a short drive to Taum Sauk State Park and the state’s highest point (1,772 ft).

This video gives a quick recap of the sights.

Inaugural Flash Drive:

Meramec River Bluffs Tour

7 June 2020

A “flash drive” is a hastily planned, last minute drive to take advantage of good driving weather. After a couple of months being confined due to the pandemic, a getaway drive seemed appropriate. Employing our best social distancing practices, nine cars and 14 persons took a meandering drive from Kirkwood to Eureka. It was hot (upper 90s), but that didn’t detract from the enjoyment.

Seventh Annual Mid-Missouri Meet-Up (M3U) 2019:

Visit to Lake of the Ozarks

2 November 2019

We had a strong turnout for the 7th annual M3U (Mid-Missouri Meet-Up). Our crew met members of the Heart of America chapter (KC) in Lake Ozark for a hearty lunch at Tucker’s Shuckers. Then we crossed Bagnell Dam and visited Wilmore Lodge and its museum dedicated to the building of the dam and subsequent flooding of the Osage River Valley. After a short trip to the base of the dam, we drove over to Osage Beach and stopped at Ozark Distillery and had an excellent presentation on the creation of distilled spirits. Some samples were had and perhaps a few bottles were taken home for enjoyment later.

Mid-Missouri Meet-Up 2018:

Churchill Museum at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri

28 October 2018

The annual get-together with our cohorts from the Kansas City club took place at the Churchill Museum on the campus of Westminster College. In 1946, Churchill travelled to Fulton and delivered a speech warning of the rise of Communism and the influence of the Soviet Union. Churchill described an “iron curtain” closing vast portions of Eastern Europe from democracy and freedom.

The museum is built in the basement of a medieval British church rebuilt on the campus. It had been destroyed during WWII and Britain did not have the resources to restore this and hundreds of other damaged structures. Funds were raised in the US and the church was disassembled and rebuilt in Fulton. Missing stonework was recreated using blocks cut from the same British quarry which supplied the original church.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, a large portion of it was transported to the College as a tribute to Churchill.

After visiting the museum, the group proceeded to a local lunch spot, then continued on to a local auto museum showcasing many fine vehicles from the past.

Lewis & Clark State Historic Site Drive

21 April 2018

Time to shake off the winter chill and get the cars out on the road! Six club members in four cars met for a drive into Illinois and its educational Lewis and Clark State Historic Site. It commemorates the famous expedition up the Missouri River in 1804-1806, starting from almost this exact spot.

We then proceeded about 1/4 mile to the Confluence Tower to take in a commanding view at 160 ft. Immediately to the west is the confluence of the two great American rivers: the Missouri empties into the Mississippi. A spit of land marks the spot where they come together. The weather was clear enough (although very windy) to see downtown St. Louis, 19 miles to the south.