Reached St Louis at around 11am. Did not need any directions as the arch is big enough to see before you get there!!
This was the end of my reverse travel of Lewis and Clark's journey to Oregon, so I am now well and truly half way across the USA.
The Arch is basically an equilateral triangle with a height of 630 feet. When you get up close to it, you realise it is made of stainless steel and seems very substantial.
I was apprehensive about going up to the observation platform at the top. It has a lift system up each side of the arch which is like the London Eye. There are about ten mini lifts which hold five people each. As the lifts goes up, they are kept level. I still found it scary, but once up there it all seemed safe. You cannot lean out of the windows!!
Here are some of the views from the top looking east across the Mississippi river.
Here is a view to the west looking at the city of St Louis.
The visitor centre is underground under the arch and has a museum on the growth of the USA westward, which I thought was excellent and I spent way too long in it. There is also a movie theatre where I watched a film on Lewis and Clark! (surprised?)
When I finally surfaced I took some more pictures of the Arch. The sky was nice and blue too.
Overall a really interesting national monument. I was back on the road by 4pm heading south to Memphis on I55. I am finally off I70 and away from thunderstorms and tornados!!
I am at another motel tonight in Ste. Genevieve, room 213 at the Regency Inn &Suites . Not as cheap as last nights, but includes breakfast, a very big bed and nice amenities. Still got 230 miles to go to reach Memphis, but I have plenty of time.
This was the end of my reverse travel of Lewis and Clark's journey to Oregon, so I am now well and truly half way across the USA.
The Arch is basically an equilateral triangle with a height of 630 feet. When you get up close to it, you realise it is made of stainless steel and seems very substantial.
I was apprehensive about going up to the observation platform at the top. It has a lift system up each side of the arch which is like the London Eye. There are about ten mini lifts which hold five people each. As the lifts goes up, they are kept level. I still found it scary, but once up there it all seemed safe. You cannot lean out of the windows!!
The view from the top is impressive. Obviously it looks out west one direction and east the other, hence the gateway to the west.
Thats the baseball park for the St Louis Cardinals
When I finally surfaced I took some more pictures of the Arch. The sky was nice and blue too.
I am at another motel tonight in Ste. Genevieve, room 213 at the Regency Inn &Suites . Not as cheap as last nights, but includes breakfast, a very big bed and nice amenities. Still got 230 miles to go to reach Memphis, but I have plenty of time.
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