18 September - Woke in Mt Vernon Missouri to sunshine but it didn't last long. On the road early but the gloom and intermittent rain soon became the order of the day. In Australia winter slides in slowly but it seems to us that summer just up and snapped shut and winter started. Of course it is only autumn here but it feels like an Aussie winter...makes the USA winter seem ominous.
The road into St Louis was incredible and I admit to being a speed hound albeit a scared speed hound. This highway is up to 5 lanes wide. The top speed limit is 70 mph (112 kph) but if I didn't sit on 80 mph (130 kph) I would have been crushed by the tsunami of semi trailers that flooded the highway - and this was a Sunday. Add pouring rain into the equation and all I can say is that it was an exhilarating ride. These semis line up three abreast and it almost looked like a truck drag race and woe betide the poor motorist that gets in the way. Despite this we arrived safely into St Louis and were immediately impressed by all we saw. It was quite humid by now and foggy but we went to straight to the Gateway Arch. See below. It is an amazing structure and I threw my claustrophobia aside and climbed into the Mork type Egg that travels on rails up to the top - 630 ft (192 mts) - with 4 other people. Was very snuggly.
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| Gateway Arch - I went right to the top - incredible views |
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| The view from the top of the Arch |
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| Where to go first? lol |
After the Arch we went to the Budweiser Brewery - it was too wet to do the tour but we hit the gift shop.....Yes Terry!! I bought you a present! :) Then it was back on the road and on to Hannibal Missouri. Tomorrow we will explore Mark Twain's boyhood home and museum and then head for Milwaukee. Miles 369.1 (594 kms) Bugs # 634
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