Iowa
With an early start on the road, we crossed over the Mississippi River to enjoy breakfast in Keokuk, Iowa. We ate at a darling place called 4th St Cafe. The cheery waitress could spot that we were from out of town right away, and we had fun telling her all about our adventures so far. She said lots of Mormons pass through going from Independence to Nauvoo on their “pilgrimage,” as she called it. Though I suppose that’s exactly what it is.
St Louis, Missouri
Six Flags, St Louis
Earlier this spring, Skylar and I bought six flags season passes so we could go to the several different parks across the nation. On our way to St Louis we made a quick stop at Six Flags St Louis to ride their epic roller coaster Mr. Freeze. It was raining with a mild lightning storm as we drove in so we knew that the roller coasters would be closed but hoped that we could wait it out. We got in line for Mr. Freeze to wait out the storm. Again, we were recognized right away as out-of-towners. Perhaps it was my LA cap, the fact that I was the only one in the park wearing pants (it was raining!), or our lack of thick Missouri accents. Well it only took about 30 minutes for the storm to clear and they opened the coaster — we walked right on. It was pretty intense! It shoots you out backwards through a couple loops and then up a tall tower. Then you repeat the process moving forwards. While waiting in line, the park attendant told us we HAD to also go on The Boss, and excitedly told us all of its impressive statistics. So we made our way to The Boss, despite our hesitation over riding a bumpy wooden roller coaster. And boy was it bumpy!! Yes, it was fast and long but it shook the life out of you. After The Boss we hopped back in our car and made our way to St. Louis.
St. Louis City
The Gateway Arch is Huge! Skylar and I were both amazed and had fun taking pictures of the city with the arch. We bought our tickets to ride the “tram” to the top of the arch. This tram system is quite the engineering feat. Riding the tram cars is sort of like riding a Ferris wheel except you can’t see out (til you get out at the top) and five people are crammed into one tiny little car. This is definitely not the adventure for the claustrophobic. It was awesome. At the top you look out small narrow windows over the city (including Busch Stadium) on one side and over the Mississippi River on the other side.
The arch is a memorial site to the westward expansion and settlement during the 1800s. Built 1963-1965, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is designated as a national historic site that stands for the many cultures that made the American West what it is today.
St. Louis Cardinals
My highlight of the day was attending the Cardinals v. Royals game at Busch Stadium. We got to attend game 2 of this series in Kansas City two days ago, and now we were cheering on the Cardinals during game 4 in St Louis. It was another packed stadium and the energy at the game was high. Busch Stadium is a newer stadium that looks out over the city, Mississippi River, and gateway arch. It is impressive. Our record is still unchanged; the home team lost. We’re starting to think we are bad luck….
