The arch is big! Approaching St. Louis, the most prominent structure is the Arch, reaching 630 feet into the sky. It is truly a man made marvel. The structure is a steel and cement sub-frame, covered by a series of stainless steel panels welded together. We watched a movie about the construction, (OK, so I only watched parts of the presentation. One does need their beauty rest!) and rode in a very tiny pod to top of the arch.
The movie consisted of movie clips of the construction and explanations but the principles applied to the design. It was interesting to see the construction people moving around the steel structure without any safety harnesses or netting below them. I think that I would have been bringing magnets to work in my pockets and lunch pail each day. It was interesting that there was not a single fatality throughout the entire construction process.
The ride to the top revealed our recent rides through the mountains of the west. The pod had two sliding doors, each with a slit window that opened to reveal 5 seats arranged in a very cozy 'U' configuration. We shared the pod we a couple and their 4 or 5 year old daughter. The youngster was the only one who could sit up straight in her seat. My guess is that the designer of the pods was less than 5 feet tall! The trip in the pod takes 4 minutes to reach the top and 3 minutes to get back down. Enough said! When reaching the observation station at the top, if you do manage to open your eyes, the views were spectacular! We were fortunate to have a bright clear day!
The base of the arch contains a extensive display of the Lewis and Clarke expedition. The exhibit rivals the displays of the Route 66 artifacts. These two historical 'things' are the West's version of 'George Washington Slept Here' on the East Coast! So much for George's history lesson. Now it's off to Paducah for a real lesson!
I almost forgot! We did make it to the Classic Cars Auction north of St. Louis. They had 167 vehicles to sell! We watched about a dozen cars run through the auction line, but not many being sold. As the cars drove off the line, they were offered a sign for their window to indicate that the car was still for sale. Most owners did take the signs and parked in the large lot outside the auction house. Quite an event. I do have a list of the vehicles , VIN's, mileage, etc. - if anyone is interested for future reference! This event occurs several times a year and they offer instant credit, transportation, and they do take credit cards!
Hold on Paducah!
George and Nancy - heading home?
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