Summer Days...Vacation- part 1

Today is Friday and we are home again, at least my husband, our dog, and I have settled. The children will return on Monday evening with my mom and dad. We left on vacation last Friday and returned yesterday. It was a good week. We began by driving to St. Louis. We were there for two days after driving the first day. These two days were about family time before mom and dad would pick the children up on Sunday evening and spend a week with them in Arkansas where they live.
On Saturday, we set out for the Arch of St. Louis which is pretty much an all day activity after you stand in two lines. The first was a security check line which took about an hour because of all the people ahead of us and the limited space within the premises. The second line was about a thirty minute wait in order to purchase tickets. We chose the option of seeing an IMAX showing of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and of course to take the tram to the top of the Arch.
This event was truly a treat. I had my reservations of trekking 650 feet into the sky into a structure that seem to be suspended by very little. It is truly an engineering marvel and they taut it’s endurance capacity of at least 1000 years. (So they think!) Accidents do happen and in my mind I couldn’t help imagining that I might actually be there the day the Arch fell. Okay! I didn’t let my mind dwell long on such thoughts. Otherwise, I may have talked myself out of a thrilling experience, gotten sick, or my biggest concern impacted my children’s braveness. They seem much less concerned or maybe we were all subconsciously working through our fears. In short, I am glad we did it!
Prior to journeying to the top, we spent time in the Museum of Westward Expansion. For this is what it was all about. The Arch, the Gateway to the West, was to remember the bravery of those who along with Meriwether Lewis and William Clark explored the western territory and to encourage others to pioneer the newly purchased lands of the United States. The museum encompassed our American History from the 1800’s up until the 1900’s. Impressive exhibits whet the appetite of any who sought to gain perspective of those foundational years in our heritage. The IMAX movie, too, was a powerful retelling of the feat these people accomplished with the help of Native American Tribes spread throughout this great body of land. I was intrigued by the sheer number of tribes who populated this area. As many as 170 nations or 10 million Native Americans lived in these parts and many sacrificed incredibly to expedite the journey.
We completed our day by dining at a local downtown barbecue hang-out. Great food! It brought back fun memories from my southern childhood.