A trip to the Rhine!

It just so happens, that one of my american friends lives just down the road in Missouri. We decide to take the back route, following the Missouri river along towards St Louis to see her.
This area is full of german names, as the main group of immigrants in the 19th century were german. There is Rhineland, Starkenberg, Holstein, Hermann, and along this route, also thanks to the germans and italians, are numerous wineries and vineyards.
Missouri was a big wine producer in the nineteenth century. By the turn of the century, Stone Hill Winery in Hermann was the second largest wine producer in the country and the third largest in the world, shipping a million barrels of wine a year. It's wines won international awards both in europe and at home.
When phylloxera almost wiped out the european vines it was a Missourian entomologist Charles Riley, that arranged for american bug resistant rootstock to be sent to France, thereby helping to rescue the industry. Apparently there is a statue to Riley in Montpellier because of this.
Sadly, prohibition put an end to this industry for some time and it wasn't till the sixties that they started opening again. Sadly, also, I don't think todays product would win any awards, but I suppose it is early days. We have had several drinkable, dry reds, but completely unremarkable. I don't think there is much of a market for sweet reds outside the immediate area!
There are grape varieties I have never heard of because they are native to America. Norton, Concord, Chambourcin, vignoles and Catawba are just a few.
Having sounded rather negative about it, the area is beautiful and it is obviously a new and expanding industry. The towns are very pretty and stress their german heritage. There is a very nineteenth century feel to the whole area. The road we take is part on the escarpment above the river and part on the river valley floor- the flood plain. It reminds us of rural France.

We arrive at my friend's house in New Melle, which is typical of the area. It is very Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn. Much more old fashioned than we thought it would be, this is after all St Louis commuter belt.
Quite by chance, this really has been a Roland weekend, just down the road from here is Chuck Berry's Estate and house- Berry Park. We have to drive by and take a peek, apparently he does actually live there and does cut his own lawn. Roland is newly enthused by reading an article in Rolling Stone magazine, which he actually bought.

We of course don't see the man himself, but Roland still very pleased with the visit.

We were amused by this in New Melle-

City Hall!  

We drove back on the highway and I was very struck by the sky just as the sun was setting. The sky just 

seems much bigger.

It doesn't quite do it justice, but it looked amazing.

Labour day today and the american flag is out. It is very acceptable to be patriotic here! Walmart always has a selection of american flags on sale- in all sizes. A lot of houses have them permanently on display in the front garden or on the porch.

The white wooden fence is very typical round here.