Day 3 ~ The Arch!

 After an incredible and delicious breakfast at my new favorite hotel, Drury, we drove to downtown St. Louis to ride up in the arch. We had a later morning reservation, so we had some time to walk around the grounds a little and tour the underground museum.

It was so well done and highlighted not just the arch development and building process, but the whole westward movement as most folks got their start from St. Louis.  Lewis and Clark, then pioneers and wagons, and the railroad build. 

Our travel up and down the arch was such a wild adventure!  Tiny little cars barely fitting five riders. It clicked and clacked for 4 minutes up to the top.  Once we got out, we had ten minutes at the top to look out little rectangle windows. I felt no sway while at the top, but a number of people do if it's windy out. We stood under the spot where it's marked as the peak of the tower. 

A faster 3 minute ride brought us back down to solid ground. The whole thing happened so fast, you don't have time to get nervous going up that high! 

After The Arch, we drove 20 minutes north to the spot where Lewis and Clark camped at Dubois to practice wilderness living before heading out on their adventure. They have old replica buildings on the grounds, and there was a walking path to the edge of the Mississippi River where the Missouri River meets it. This is where they started their exploration.  

We left St. Louis and headed straight west to Kansas City.  Michele's aunt lives there as well as her two cousins and their families. They spoiled us with an incredible BBQ dinner and lots of great company, with laugh-so-hard-you-cry stories.  We stayed at Aunt Linda's house, and Panda got to stand in Missouri and Kansas at the same time in the backyard! 

Westward forward tomorrow with a 9 hour drive to the heart of Colorado!