Arch, Arch and away…

Today we ride up the arch… but first we go down into the belly of the beast!  I think it could have been a bomb shelter…narrow cement walls and steep stairs…I thought we were going UP (way too much thinking)!  They put us in front of #6, a skinny door, to wait until the “hatch” opens.  behind the door…its a egg shaped pod.  Visions of Mork and Mindy, and alien planets come to mind.  Jessica cried just a little…

But, who could resist the fun Arlon was having, seeing a metal wonder, a mechanical marvel, a slow moving vehicle of death, a tribute to other “Tall, Powerful Men!” So we got in the egg and moved up the Arch, listening to the ratcheting of the gears, as it constantly re-aligned itself to traverse the really, really high structure.  Once at the top we got out to look out narrow windows, and get a true birds eye view of St. Louis.  I really worried about this part, heights and I don’t always get along.  But the windows were small, and the walls were really thick, and we were not hanging over empty space but just looking out, so it was “kinda fun”. 

even if we were 630 feet in the air…auggggggh!

After descending back to the bottom, Arlon now need to see how they made it.  They show a 20 min film, on the building of the arch.  The film actually gave me more anxiety than the ride.  Watching all those men walking the beams (this was before the invention of safety harnesses)  and hearing how they had actually factored in the loss of around 13 men (they had no deaths building it) really made you marvel at “WHO THINKS UP THESE THINGS”!  Must be a man thing.

Funny side note…While we were waiting for the film to start, Jessica attracted the attention of a local boy scout troop…one of which stared at her the entire time we sat and waited…awkward!  She did a few poses hopping to embarrass him into looking away, no such luck .  I think he probably still dreams of her today.

Going back outside, I had to cross the street on the other side of the park to even attempt to get Arlon, Jessica and the arch in the frame…This is one Amazing structure!
Leaving the Arch it was time for sustenance (food) again (you will find eating a familiar theme through out this entire trip.)  Even though we has agreed no chain restaurants… it was Jessica’s turn to pick the watering hole.  Since we had ventured down to Union Station, and it happened to have a food court, and one of Jess’s favorite places to eat was there, and since she was…pretty good…(if you call sleeping being good) while we watched the “Making of the Arch film,  We ate at Panda, (I just happen to love it to so we let her think it was her idea)  Yum! 

While wandering through the station shops, we stopped in a gift shop.  There was the cutest display of sock monkeys, all colors and sizes (and not all monkeys).  Now by this time Jessica was a little tired of smiling for all the pictures, I think the only pictures that should be taken, should have someone you know in them…otherwise just buy a postcard, the pictures are professional then.  So following in the footsteps of Mike and Lindsey’s trip where they let their Nutcracker man be their traveling companion (this was before they had children to take hundreds of pictures of)…Jessica talked me into a getting a sock monkey to replace her in the pictures…Meet Bernerd!  Not BernArd, but BernErd…why…only Jessica knows but it was her monkey. So for awhile he got to pose for the many pictures yet to come.

Such a happy camper too!