Gateway to the West

After pushing our departure date back a few days, we decided it was time to get on the road regardless of if we were 100% ready (although this leads to stabbing yourself in the finger with a screw driver while trying to install hinges on the road). We packed the van up, made a few pit stops, said our goodbyes to friends and families, and we were off! We left Michigan around 7pm on May 9th with no real set plan and the open road ahead of us. Our route took us into Indiana, straight through to Illinois, and that was that for the day. We stopped at the first of many Walmarts along the trip that evening and spent the night.

Come morning, we decided we needed a “plan.” Colorado was our main beginning destination, and instead of going the normal route taking I80 through Iowa and Nebraska, we dropped down to I70 so we could go through Missouri and Kansas. This way Michael could check off a few more states and we could hit our first National Park! You’re probably thinking, “well what National Park is in Missouri?” The answer to that is Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Last year, the previously named Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, became the 60th National Park in the USA.

Before we left I had ordered National Park passports for Michael and I. Cancellation stamps are available at the visitors center of every park, recreation area, memorial, etc that is apart of the national system. The stamps are neat because they include the date you visited as well as additional stamps special to each location. I highly recommend getting one of these if you plan on hitting various parks because they serve as a type of memorabilia that will be fun to look back on in the future! Gateway Arch was an exciting stop since this was where we got our first stamp in our booklets.

Putting the weirdness of this structure being a National Park instead of a monument aside, it really is a cool place to visit. Sitting at 630 feet high, it lies right along the Mississippi River which might I add was extremely flooded when we arrived. We splurged a little and went up into the arch, only to be greeted with amazing views of fields to the east and the city to the west. Reaching the top is a short 3-4 minute ride in small tram capsule. There’s also an elaborate underground museum with loads of historical information including the building of the arch itself.

One of the best facts we learned was about the very last section of the arch as it was being completed. There were news reporters and broadcasters everywhere as they raised the final piece to the top of the arch to connect both sides, and then they realized it didn’t fit. This wasn’t because of any calculation errors, but it was hot enough to where the stainless steel expanded in the heat. Because of this, they brought in the fire department to hose the structure down and cool it off. The arch was completed in October of 1965.

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Our parking meter was ticking away while we wandered around the riverside and park under the arch and we realized it was time to go. With that, we left St. Louis and drove through the night into a beautifully flat Kansas. Stay tuned to find out what we got up to in Colorado!