But the nice thing about driving is that you can change directions. Sorry, Bro. Ryan...we didn't even pass exit 90 in Indiana this time....so we didn't even get to honk! We drove to St. Louis instead.
It was very overcast and was drizzly when we arrived so here are the pix I got.
The Courthouse.
When we first arrived, we thought the Arch was deserted...but then we went underground and it was packed! Who knew that there was so much underground!
It was too crowded and too late to take the Arch tour..so we walked around the Museum of Westward Expansion instead.
Yes, the following are real....stuffed...animals.
Twins.
You can click on the pix and see more from the museum. We decided to stay in town and tour the Arch on Monday.
We went back outside and walked along the "river front" park. Only the park is...
This is how high the Mississippi River is. This fellow is barely keeping his head above water!
The statue is supposed to look like this....Lewis & Clark ("Captains Return")
The view from our hotel room.
Sunset.
I had hoped that we would have clearer skies on Monday. We had this.
Have you ever wondered how you get to the top of the Arch?
Here ya go! You stand in front of this little door...that suddenly slides open and you have to duck to get through and you see this.
Nope...that's not a porta potty. That is a POD that supposedly could seat 5. We had four adults in it going up...and only the two of us going down. There is a pod tram going up and down both sides of the Arch and then you tour the very tip top.
Mike is suddenly claustrophobic inside a little egg!
Help! Get us outta here!
Outside view:
Nope, that's not who you think it is. :)
There are two windows in the door of the pod...so you can see that if for some reason the tram stops or gets stuck (due to high winds or mechanical or something :)...there are landings and stairs out there...so you aren't actually stuck in a little egg forever! Read about here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_Arch
It was funny though...when you are going up part of the Arch...it feels and sounds like someone is out there pulling a lever...ratcheting you up. Click...Click...Click.
Top of and inside of Arch. As you can see...not a lot of room.
You lean against those slanted walls and look out those rectangle ports.
Mike just likes to take pix with random people...they were the Park Rangers at this historical monument.
Stairs down to those little pods.
Ha! This was the outside view...straight down to river and the helicopter pad and the riverboat dock.
Was supposed to see something like this...but only a 2009 version.
We enjoyed the Arch anyway...even without the view...especially for the adventure of the little pod egg. We figured that St. Louis couldn't beat the Chicago skyline anyway...so it may have been a bit of a let down.
Wall Sculpture in museum area:
Future Trips!
Walked back to hotel in the rain.
Oldest bridge across Mississippi River (I think they said.)
Of course the sun peaks out of the clouds when we get back to our room!
Bye bye! Time to go home!
Well, we spent this vacation walking miles of city streets, sailed on two boats, and tried to get as high in the sky as we could get without a plane in the John Hancock Tower, a very tall farris wheel and the Gateway Arch!
2 comments:
I enjoyed your vacation so much! This last section--St. Louis--makes me feel more at home, though. We drove through St. Louis going to and returning from the Assembly many, MANY times--twice a year for many years. We've done the arch tour a couple of times, but the only way you'd get me in one of those pods is to drug me, tie me up and physically put me inside in spite of my kicking and screaming. NO WAY. The rest of my family has gone and they took the camcorder and recorded the whole trip up, while they were on top and back down so I heard the sounds and saw the sights. Even looking at PICTURES gets me queasy! My two great phobias are heights and claustrophobia. Well, I suppose spiders and snakes and any other creepy crawler would be at the top of the list, too. So, because of my fear of heights I'm thankful for those of you who are NOT afraid of them and who will bravely *wondering if "brave" is the correct term* go and photograph the great sights from the top of skyscrapers and ferris wheels (I can't do them, either)and such like, and then share the sights that we chickens would never get to see otherwise. THANKS! I LOVE your photography.
Glad you enjoyed the trip! We REALLY enjoyed it.
I'm not afraid of heights for myself if I have something solid under my feet. I could NEVER jump out of a plane to skydive though!
I was never afraid of heights at all until I had children. Then just the sight of one of my children getting near the edge would make me shake. Now that they are moved out and I don't actually see them "diving out of airplanes, bungee jumping, hanggliding, etc."....
I'm not afraid of closed spaces...probably because I sleep with blankets and pillows over my head. :)
I AM afraid of ROLLER COASTERS and weird Carnival rides in parking lots that twirl, tumble, go upside down all at the same time! There are some rides I have made promises to God not to go on anymore....as in "if you let me and my sister live through this ride...I'll never ride one again!" So a Six Flags trip is basically useless to me and I won't go. I always watch the ride before I get on. A Farris Wheel isn't included in that group of rides....however, I am careful who I get on with...no rocking the gondola!!
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