The Gateway To The West
Tram Capsule
Mike, Gregory, Dorrie and Blue in "The Capsule"
Mike and Gregory looking out the window atop the Arch.
630 Feet!
Busch Stadium Home of the St. Louis Cardinals
630 Feet Down...Ahhhh!
Up In The Arch
That's One Big Spring!
I thought this was so exquisite! It is the back side of a door to a safe.
Amazing Mosaic Floors
Just Big Kids At Heart
Up A Tree
This was an awesome slide. Gregory must have done it almost a dozen times!
Crafty Gregory made a wolf mask.
Mike got himself in a tight spot here. He had to back out of this one.
Reflections
Miles of Metal
Another Tight Squeeze
The Monkey and the Music Grinder
A Painted Dorrie
A Present For Blue From Dorrie
Date: Oct. 8, 2009
From: Ferguson, Missouri (Northern Suburb of St. Louis)
To: St. Louis and back to Ferguson, Missouri (Northern Suburb of St. Louis)
Route:
Passes:
Miles Today: 0 miles
TOTAL MILES: 2,367 MILES
Top Speed on this trip: 54.1 mph
Weather: Pouring Buckets!!
License Plates Collected: 5 Montana, 8 Wyoming (2 motorcycle) and 1 Idaho (found in WY), 2 Colorado, 1 Kansas (gifted from David of Baldwin City). 1 Missouri (To be sent to Grammy’s by our new buddy, Kansas City firefighter Shawn)
Flats: 7
Broken Spokes: 2
What an amazing day! Though it was pouring buckets we had an incredible day visiting the St. Louis Arch and the City Museum. At the Arch we went up in the Tram Capsule to peer out the windows at the top of this 630-foot monument, a symbol of westward expansion and the gateway to the west. It was just as incredible as I remembered and I was so grateful that Blue made it possible for us to share it with Gregory. He was completely in awe and I’m sure will remember it for his entire lifetime. Mike visited when he was 13 and I was 20 so it was really quite exciting for Mike and I to be there once again and to share it with our boy.
After our tram ride we spent some time in the Museum of Westward Expansion (below the Arch). We continued our history lesson on Lewis and Clark and saw some interesting artifacts including “Peace Medals” that Lewis and Clark brought with them for the Native Americans. Gregory enjoyed creating his own medal design using a computer program on a touch screen.
We went out and braved the rain but only as far as the parking lot. We were happy Blue decided to let Mike drive the car in because our original plan was to take the Metro Link (Gregory was actually looking forward to that) but we would have had a really lengthy walk from the Arch to the City Museum in the inclement weather. The weather kept us from exploring the roof of the City Museum but the inside kept us busy for a good 4 hours.
It is hard to explain but the City Museum is an interactive museum for children and adults. Mike, Blue and I put our bodies through tunnels I wouldn’t normally believe I could get through. We had to be contortionists and were on the run all day trying to keep up with Gregory. “City Museum is a mixture of funhouse, playground and architectural marvel.” (http://www.citymuseum.org/home.asp) The museum is the brainchild of artist Bob Cassilly and he continues to expand upon his vision. I’m glad we had an opportunity to experience it. Every town should have a “City Museum.”
Hi! I just wanted to jump in and say that I've been following your blog for a while now and enjoying it very much (found a link to it from Ara G's blog). Thanks for taking the time to post photos and write-ups about your adventure.
ReplyDeleteGregory is fortunate and brave. I think I would have been absolutely terrified if my parents had asked me to go on a trip like the one y'all are doing when I was his age. I never went on a trip or took any sort of adventure even close to what he's experiencing right now, and I wish I had :-)
Good luck and safe journeys to you three. I look forward to more updates from y'all.
best regards,
TJ Avery
Houston, TX