Archway to the West

I headed off to Midtown St. Louis to visit the Archway to the West (St Louis Gateway Arch) . It was a short ride from the Retreat Center. It is right on the banks of the Mississippi River where there is a lot of boat and barge traffic.  Since it is the first National Park area that I visited, I decided to pick up my Senior Pass which is good for life at all of the National Parks in the U.S. It was really hot, so I was pleased when I saw that all of the exhibits and films are underground and air-conditioned. I decided to see the I-Max film of the Lewis and Clarke Expedition tracing a path to the sea from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean. It was really interesting and very moving.

There are lots of exhibits and displays throughout the underground area. I took some photos, but my flash does not seem to be strong enough to get good indoor pictures. Anyway, here are some of the shots I thought were worth sharing:

After that I decided to try a lunch spot that my brother Mike had recommended: Pappy’s Smokehouse (Pappy's Smokehouse) . It was fabulous. The food was good and generous, lots of parking, and quick service. If you ever get to St. Louis, you need to stop here.

While I was in the restaurant we had a tremendous thunderstorm with about 60 mile an hour winds, hail, etc. The temperature dropped about 20 degrees, but it is still very muggy.