American Adventure

Missouri

Eventually the rain stopped as I drove across the state of Missouri. By the time I got to St. Louis it had stopped enough so that I could take some pictures of the Mississippi and the Arch.

Along the Mississippi there was lots of activity as boats and barges whizzed on by, up and down the river. There were several paddle boats like this one here. Some were restaurants while some others were casinos.

The arch is an incredible piece of architecture. It stands right the beside the river overlooking the city.

As I walked around the structure and looked up it made me quite dizzy.

Just under the ground, between the bases of the arch is the visitor's center with a museum, a gift shop, and theaters. There's a tram that takes people up to the top of the arch and back down.

I really didn't think that it'd take too long to get to the top and back down so I decided to give it as try. Well, as it turned out, it took me over an hour. The people working there certainly aren't the fastest people in town. The system they have there is not very efficient. Now I'm a computer geek and spend way too much time on the computer but there are times that there is no need for a computer. Too many times I have seen a PC used as a point of sales system, which in some cases is detrimental to the overall process. Now I'm all for modernization but only when it increases productivity. The guy behind the counter really took his time with every step of the process. I couldn't believe how long it took to buy a single ticket. Then to turn around and hand it to the lady at the gate. I could have just gave her the money and saved thirty minutes right there.

Anyway, enough complaining. I took the tram up to the top and took a handful of pictures.

I looked down at the parking lot next tot the water where I had parked and could see my tiny little bike. I was able to zoom in to get a good shot. I leaned over to a lady next to me and told her how funny it would be if you looked down and saw somebody breaking into your car. You'd be helpless. When I finally got back to my bike I noticed that I had been robbed. Somebody came by and stole me gloves and my face and neck warmer which I had carefully stashed in my gear. Luckily they didn't take anything else.

I Looked up and down the river and took a few pictures.

I looked at the downtown area on the other side and looked down to get this shot of some of the beautiful Fall colors. Now, I can see the Fall, but I feel the Winter. I could handle some warm weather now. I missed a season there somewhere.

I got back on my bike and headed east across the river into Illinois. The next two pictures were taken in Illinois, not far from the border. As I crossed the border the clouds opened up to give me a taste of the sunshine that I hadn't seen since New Mexico. A ray of hope that I might have some warm weather coming up.

I rode on through Illinois and down into the tip of Kentucky and zigzagged my way down south to Louisiana.