St Louis....Oh MY!!

Our journey is finally underway. Nathan and Cameron could hardly contain themselves because of the excitement. I made them go to school for half the day on Thursday, to make fewer overall absences. As I was picking them up at the school, the first graders were all heading back to their classrooms from lunch. I was standing by the office when my cutie came around the corner with her lunch bag. She came right up to me and started to cry. She's going to miss me and it was tender, because it was an unexpected last hug and kiss. She buried her face in her sweater and kept walking with her class back to the room. I overheard another little girl ask her what was wrong. In her attempt to contain her emotions, she said "nothing...." She had also given Nathan and Cameron big hugs and told them that she loved them. There's nothing better than to hear "I love you, Mom." Jeff wanted to know what was taking so long and why I was weepy from just picking the boys up. I hadn't expected running into Jessica and it was a sweet moment with her

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After a quick pit stop, we were off to the airport. Nathan's tickets were marked as "medical transport", so he was the very first passenger to board the aircraft. We had two of the easiest flights in history because we were comfortable, grouped together, and had the best help on and off the plane. The plane ride was very exciting for the boys. The first time they traveled by plane they were in infant carriers. This time was so much more enjoyable!

We arrived in St Louis at almost midnight, and we came in on two fully-booked flights. Ida Mae and Gale met us at the gate. Being two hours behind local time, the boys were ready to have a second dinner and start playing. We went through downtown on the way home and saw the beautiful arch all lit up along the Mississippi River.

Our day started with a grand breakfast. And then we hit the road when Dave and Jan arrived. It was cute that Jan brought the boys treats too. Gale is spoiling them rotten. These boys have no idea how excited their extended family is to finally see and meet them.

Our first destination was the famous Jefferson Memorial Arch. It was built in 1964 for the world's fair in St Louis. It was made from stainless steel and is 630 feet tall.

I didn't realize that it was a national monument and also included a museum of the history of the westward expansion, starting with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 by President Thomas Jefferson. Thus, famous arch is named after Jefferson for his wise investment in the future of America.

Gale bought us tickets to ride the cart to the top of the arch, where there was viewing windows. So many people were there, but we were able to see over the river into Illinois and the new famous ball stadium.

Last year, the river had flooded so much, that there was water in the stadium in the pictures that Ashley took when she was here. The skies were a bit overcast, but you could see out on both sides of the arch. To the south side, you could see the St Louis courthouse. I thought it was the capital building, but I guess it isn't.

Lewis and Clark's started their expedition from St Louis. It was amazing to see the beginning of the westward trek, because being from the west coast, I've only seen the "end" of their expedition.

St Louis was a booming metropolis before the railroad took away some of it's business by cutting through another location on it's way west. The railroad also took away the power and efficiency of the river boats. But it remained a thriving community and was the starting point of the thousands that headed west on the Oregon trail. Many of the pioneers headed west in either covered wagons, with wooden carts, or by stagecoach.

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Along the way, the plains were littered with buffalo. One of the more unfortunate chapters in the history of the west was when settlers and frontiersmen were given free ammunition to deliberately kill the beasts. They were left for dead and their skulls were innumerable between the Mississippi River and the Pacific coast.

There were amazing pictures of the Indian chiefs of the tribes around this area, and the story of the bison that roamed the westward plains. I'm still shocked that at one point they tried to exterminate this incredible animals.

There was another cool form of transportation in the museum, and it was a type of boat that the Indians made from animal hide and tree branches. The skin was water-tight and the fur would have been reasonably soft on the inside. I love the tail...very decorative :)

After the trek around the arch and museum, we headed to the Crown Candy store.

Talk about nostalgic!

It's an old ice-cream parlor and sandwich joint that was built in 1913. Nathan had a chili dog and Cameron ordered the Heart Stopping BLT. Their BLT sandwiches have 3/4lb of bacon and are 4-5 inches tall.

Cameron took pride in clearing his plate of everything except the iceberg lettuce. He polished it off with a milkshake concoction. Nathan was super-excited to be there because his favorite show, Man Vs Food, filmed an episode here that featured the century-old milkshake challenge. It you can down 5 of their famous 24oz shakes...you get them for free!

We had big talkers, but no takers. The banana malt was delicious, and totally filled me up!

After a full day of sightseeing and yummy treats, we headed home to crash and get ready for the next day's adventures. While mom and grandma went to have a rest, Gale took the boys ride the go-karts. For these guys, the trip seems to circle around having fun and going to famous places to eat. Gus' Pretzels, Ted Drewes Frozen Custard on Rt 66, Pappy's BBQ, Crown Candy Sandwich and Malt shoppe...then on to the Cracker Barrel, Spanky's, and more to come!