In 2008, on our first trip through St. Louis, we made the serious mistake of trying to tow our 32' Excel downtown and park it under a bridge by the Missouri River, in a lot designated for RVs. Only we hadn't counted on the parking lot being underwater, and it was quite stressful and difficult finding a route through narrow downtown streets to get back on our way.
Today, we left the Majestic at the campground and drove the truck to the arch. The same parking lots were underwater, but we found a lot a bit north of the Arch that had spaces to fit the F450. We parked and walked to the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. The Gateway Arch dominates the park, which has acres of grassy lawns and shady trees, plus two large pools. Under the Arch is a large museum, and across the street is the Old Courthouse.
We bought combination tickets to take a tram ride up to the top of the Arch and see a film about Lewis and Clark Expedition on a giant screen. The video, , “Lewis & Clark: The Great Journey West," was produced by National Geographic. It's a compelling re-creation of the harrowing difficulties faced by the Corps of Discovery as they pushed their way west, the first outsiders to penetrate the vast inland territories. It also shows the beauty of the majestic mountains and thundering waterfalls that awed them, but also blocked their progress. After the video, we had tickets for the tram ride to the top.
The ride to the top can be a bit claustrophobic. Each car holds five people, and the only window is in the door, which faces the insides of the Arch, with a view of the stairs you might have to climb down in an emergency. At the top, visitors find themselves in a hallway lined with small windows. One side overlooks the Missouri River and Illinois, and the other side overlooks the Old Courthouse and the city of St. Louis.
Next we went to the museum, which houses some wonderful displays depicting Lewis and Clark's adventures, along with excerpts from their diaries. The history of western expansion is also depicted in some creative and even stunning displays. But after a while we were museum-ed out for a bit, so we went for a walk around the Arch grounds. We saw several emergency vehicles responding to an apparent accident on I-70 and one man on a gurney being loaded into an ambulance.
Next we walked to the Old Courthouse. One of its claims to fame (or is it infamy) is that the Dred Scott case was filed here. This case went to the Supreme Court, which made a political decision to deny Dred Scott and his wife their freedom in an effort to avoid stirring up the passions already heated in the struggle between slave and free states. Chief Justice Taney, in his majority decision, offered this ironic justification: slavery was for the benefit of the enslaved!
When we walked out on Memorial Drive again, we saw this unusual horse drawn carriage.
The ride home at rush hour was much longer and slower than the ride downtown.
We walked around the campground this evening and remarked on the diversity of the people and their accommodations. One man with a Father Christmas beard sat at his picnic table smoking a pipe. He had a small tent and was evidently touring by bicycle. One site had an SUV tailgate tent and was occupied by a man and his young daughter, who was mastering the art of hula hooping.
Our outing today was delayed by our having to move over from site #25 to #24. We are actually too big for either site, but so far no one has said anything about the truck being partially on the grass.
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