Road Trip: Day 4

A nice relaxed morning with Joe and house, talking and relaxing and just generally enjoying the downtime and company. After a nap, noon found me saying good-bye to the friends I could now say I actually knew, and heading into the car with Terry, my trusty terrier.



This was a day of driving I could get behind. Only 5 or so hours of driving. I pretty much got on the road, and just headed down. I saw a hawk pick up a mouse and eat it. Illinois! I saw not one but TWO Wooden Elephants!. ILLINOIS!

And just like that, the arch was in sight!


I called my St. Louis host, Chris Weiss [xxfalling_outxx] and he directed me towards a parking lot on his SLU campus. We met up, and, after dropping off my crap in his apartment, set off in quest of food. Pizza following through, Chris brought me to a sub/deli place called Jimmy Johns that he was shocked I had never heard of. It was quite tasty! I rather enjoyed it. It was now dark out and he had homeworks to do, so we went back to his room and shot the shit, while I figured out my plans for while he was in class the next day.

Road Trip: Day 5 : Part 1.

The morning came! We awoke from our slumber, and stumbled into the world. With terry in Proper Exploring Position we made our way to the bus system, and began the public transit route to the arch. I don't know much about the tourist attractions of St. Louis, but I know that the arch is there, and that it is supposed to be both cool and a National Park. It is, in fact, both.



The arch is actually bigger than I think I imagined. It towers over the city with it's archy self, and I wandered inside with no clue what to expect.

Having purchased my tickets, I made my way to the elevators, and then. Then is when I came to the realization that the Arch is not a friendly tourist attraction. Oh no, the arch is a devil-being. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the view from the top, and I enjoyed the exhibit's at the bottom. It is the process in between that is the devil.

I am not a claustrophobic person. Neither [any more] am I afraid of heights. But these cars that take you from the bottom to the top had me claustrophobic easily. How they expect to fit 5 people is beyond me. I heard the woman in the next car screaming.



Terry fit fine, of course. And the view from the top more than made up for it. St. Louis is by no means a beautiful city [sorry St. Louisians] but it has a lot of character, and it is fun to look over from above. Plus I got to see the cardinals stadium.



Safely restored to the bottom, I found my way to the museum, guarded by a large and fierce bear, and meandered through the exhibits. It was really interesting, to me, because I am a dork. a big one. More interesting though, for me, was the animated figurines in the process of repairs:


I mean, really. How often do you see that? Not often.

It was nearing the end-time of Chris' school duties so I toddled out, having had my fill of Archy goodness, and got on the train and rode back to SLU to meet Chris.