The first of many arches

Going back a few days, before the snowstorm...

We woke up to beautiful sun on Tuesday morning. We were so glad to see it because it had been so rainy. Our hotel was a short walk to the Gateway Arch, so we headed down there to check it out. We watched the movie about Lewis and Clark. I thought it would be a good introduction to the kids about where we were going and how hard it had once been to get there. Of course, the impact of that was completely lost on them.

We, despite my serious concerns, took the tram to the top of the Arch. Here we are in the tiny pods that take you to the top.


 I really hate being in places that I can’t get out of, such as elevators and tiny pods that head up a very tall and skinny arch. My biggest fear is having them stop and being stuck. Well, a short ways from the top, that is exactly what happened. We came to a complete stop. It was probably only a couple minutes, but I was having trouble remaining calm. I am a worst-case scenario person, so I start thinking that we are going to be trapped for hours. I think the kids were laughing at me.

Fortunately, we made it. The top is pretty small with tiny windows to look out over the city.

Here you can see the flooding Mississippi.

My budding model:

 I love this picture, even though the Arch is over-exposed.  At home, I'll play with it when i have better software.  I just love all the kids in it.

We walked around St. Louis, which has a beautiful downtown area, and tried to find a geocache.  We looked all around but were unsuccessful.  Zack was very upset when we had to give up. 

On to Kansas City...