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| The Gateway Arch |
If there's one thing I don't like about road tripping...it's being in a hurry. I like to wake up and lay in bed a while. I like to pull over at picnic areas or rest areas and relax. I definitely don't mind turning around to look at something I passed too quickly or to take a picture. This is how I've been for most of my trip, including when I left Illinois to head to my next stop in Topeka, Kansas.
Another bonus is that it's on the Mississippi River. Though the river is a serious wonder of nature, the Mississippi River is more than that to me personally. As a kid, my favorite books were The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Not to mention, Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain is one of my favorite books I read as an adult. If you haven't read ANY of these. Go do it now. Go. Order it on Amazon, stop into the library...do something because you are missing out otherwise. If you've read any or all of these, then you can understand my affinity for the river even though I've only ever seen it in the delta region of Louisiana. Maybe Mark Twain's stories were a little exaggerated - meeting robbers in a labyrinth of caves (Tom Sawyer) or rafting down the river (Huck Finn) - but come on! Who didn't want to run away and do awesome stuff as a kid where there weren't any rules and you didn't have to wear shoes?! (I'm currently doing this right now. Adult here. My life may be ridiculous.)
Enough about my love affair with a river and back to the Gateway Arch. The arch was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States. In case you don't remember history class or any of the movies that your dad or grandpap watch on the Western Channel, Americans were kind of badass back in the day when they decided to move west to build, expand, and create better lives for themselves. According the information at the arch, settlers would often arrive in St. Louis before making their way to Independence, Missouri to buy supplies for their trips westward. We all know the supplies they had to purchase. WE ALL PLAYED OREGON TRAIL! The only thing was that people really didn't always make it to Oregon, or California. It wasn't always for bad reasons though. How do you think we settled all the space in between?
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| North base of arch |
This National Monument is still a must see no matter what you like to do or see while traveling. Walking up and standing beside one of the bases is incredible. It doesn't seem like it should be able to stand there without crashing down when the first strong wind kicks up. Amazing.
Don't forget - you can ride up into the arch too. Being at the top and looking out over St. Louis or the river is incredible. The best part for me is the ride up. You don't take a normal elevator. Instead, you are squeezed into a pod with four other people (hopefully four other non-stinky people) and you ascend the arch in about four minutes, listening to the cranking and clanking of the gears and chains that push the pods upward. This is not for the claustrophobic. Once at the top, you are released from the pods to walk up to the viewing deck and check out the sights on either side of the river. The windows are narrow and it's a little different because you have to lean out to the windows, but the view is worth it.
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| Looking west |
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| Looking east |
If you visit the Gateway Arch and the surrounding park area, I suggest taking your time. I did not have as much time as I would have liked (more to come on that later) but it was worth the visit even if it was rushed. Again, a big shout out to our National Parks system. There really are some great places out there to explore.
Happy roadtripping! -D.
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