A busy day is planned today so we were up and ready early. Well, not too early as we wanted to avoid the morning traffic. We are about 20 miles east of downtown St Louis. That part of the drive is no problem. It is when you get downtown that the fun starts. As with most big cities there are one way streets, no parking, road construction and detours. It took a couple of loops around the area but I finally got to the parking lot for the Gateway Arch.
There is a large park where the Arch sits and it just so happens that this is Marine Week in St Louis but more on that in a minute. After getting parked ($6.00) we walked over to the base of the arch to get tickets to ride to the top. Did you know the Arch is a high as the base is wide? It is 630 feet. It is made of stainless steel. It is also the tallest National Monument in the US. It can be dizzying to look up from underneath.
So in we went. Because we have our National Park passes we were able to get discounts on the tickets. There is a tram (that is what they call it) that takes you to the top. It is more like a little egg you sit in with 4 of your closest friends. The trip up takes a little over 4 minutes and it is a little over 3 minutes to get back down.
When you get to the top you can spend as much time up there as you want. There are small windows you can look out and take pictures. Downstairs there is a very interesting museum about the movement west.
Soon we headed back down and back into the park. The Marines were putting on many displays and explaining everything to the visitors. At one point they hovered a Harrier over the Mississippi. They also have helicopters flying around. There were also many static displays of jets, helicopters, guns and computerized weapons systems. They also put on many shows. Here is a helicopter pilot playing Monkees in a Barrel -
We really enjoyed our time there. The weather cooperated and kept it pleasant. Oh, we did notice that the Mississippi River is very high. Take a look at this picture. Notice the walkway disappears.
After we left the Arch area we headed towards the Budweiser facility but first we made a stop for lunch. There weren't any restaurants within walking distance of the park (or at least for me after having walked around for a couple of hours). And they didn't have parking either, unless you wanted to pay. Bill noticed this place so we stopped.
Yep, the second time in a year I have had White Castle burgers! Yeah!
After lunch we continued to Budweiser to check out their tour. It is a free tour and you get beer at the end. That is what most people were there for. The facility is very old and there are three buildings on the grounds that are National Landmarks. Everything is well maintained and some of the older buildings are beautiful. The stables for the Clydesdale's is fabulous!
When you finish the tour you board the trolleys and return to the welcome center. There you are allowed to taste many of the beers made by the company. Bill had a Michelob Ultra and I decided to try a Stella Artois. Aimee really likes this beer. It was served in a very nice glass. I took a sip and thought, nope, it still tastes like beer. Sorry, I am just not a beer drinker. Bill said it was good. He finished his but I didn't. They also offer soda for those that don't drink beer or who are underage.
Terry would have loved this tour. You get two samples each and we would have shared. If you are in the area I recommend the tour. I love the Clydesdale's and am still wondering how they got the Dalmatians to behave! We had one and she was crazy.
Back at the rig we relaxed and then drove over to Cracker Barrel to have dinner as I was too tired to cook.
That was our day. Not much happening tomorrow. Here are all the pictures. Remember, you can double click on the pictures to go to the full screen
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