St. Louis and Beyond

Wednesday morning we left Jerseyville IL and headed for St. Louis to see the Arch. Skies were gray and it looked as if it would rain any minute. Luckily though, the rain held off until mid-afternoon, by which time we were finished touring the Arch and were on our way west again.


We took the tram up the south leg of the Arch and spent about 20 minutes peering out the very small windows. The tram consists of small 5-seat compartments with no windows. They advise people with claustrophobic issues against using it. We were the only people in our compartment but I imagine they fill all the seats during the busy season. I think that might make me a bit uncomfortable.





They say that on a clear day you can see for up to 30 miles. But with the low overcast, we were grateful to be able to see anything. This is Busch Stadium where the St. Louis Cardinals play. It was opened two years ago and kind of reminds me of the SF Giants park, but without the bay.
We also had a good view of the historic Courthouse where the Dred Scott trial was held.
Lots of history in St. Louis.




This bear is at the entrance to the Museum of Westward Expansion which is located in the underground area between the legs of the Arch.

The museum deserved more time than we were able give it. I don't know that we will ever get back to St. Louis, but I really hope we do.






These steps lead down from the Arch to the riverbank. There are a lot more of them than this photo shows and I had a difficult time getting down; but going back up was surprisingly easy. They must be just the right height.

The reason we walked down was to get to the "Tom Sawyer", a riverboat that took us for a one-hour cruise up and down the Mississippi River.









We sailed under four bridges and saw several barges being pushed by tugboats. This method of moving freight is still used extensively on the Mississippi.