St. Louis (Oct. 24)
The route from Indianapolis was very flat and we thought that perhaps the Great Plains started east of the Mississippi. There were endless fields of corn and other crops, an very little livestock. The roadside is lined with trees, many of which were showing fall color.
We entered St. Louis from East St. Louis, which is the less interesting and more depressed side of town. As we approached the Mississippi, the huge Gateway Arch appeared. There is an excellent view of the Arch from both Highways 44 and 55 crossing the Mississippi.
Once over the river, we realized that we were once again in the mountains – the Ozarks.
Our campground was in Eureka, a few miles west of St. Louis and on Fox Creek. Eureka is a tourist destination primarily due to the Six Flags Amusement Park. Our KOA had a couple of unique features catering to families. For example, despite quite chilly weather, the outdoor pool was open. (Based on the steam rising from the water, I presume it is heated.) It also has a caboose fitted out as a camping cabin.
Another tourist attraction is the ribbon of highway that used to be Route 66 – the main road from Chicago to California, famous in part as the route taken by the family in Steinbeck’s Dust Bowl novel, The Grapes of Wrath. Route 66 was not built for today’s heavy trucking and high speeds. It has been replaced by Highway 44. However, in many places, including Eureka, Route 66 still runs parallel to the highway, and many restaurants and tourist attractions bill themselves as original Route 66 attractions. There is also a Route 66 museum, although we did not have time to visit.
On Wednesday we needed to work and Chuck needed to rest after our long drive. A chilly morning turned into a very nice day. We hung around at the campground. Another camper alerted me that one could hike along the Fox Creek riverbed, which was pretty dry, to a conservation area. Since I had seen lots of woodpeckers (4 varieties) in the area, I took Rumple for a 2 hour hike up the river bed. It was pretty, due to the limestone outcroppings, but tough walking, as the riverbed is composed of rather large loose stones. The conservation area had some nice hiking trails, but Rumple had had enough, so we turned back.
In the evening, Jonathan invited us to play a multiplayer computer game that he and a friend had programmed up. I am always quite slow to understand the logic and strategy of these games. Chuck is a stronger player, but also took a while to understand it. So, we were soundly beaten. However, we will try again soon. I was impressed by several of the technical features of the game, such the ability to hover over the board or game pieces and have an explanation come up in a window.
On Thursday we planned to go into St. Louis to see the Gateway Arch, and then go to some museums. However, as I was finishing the morning dog walk, I was approached by our neighbor George, who is also a birder. George was a teamster, and had a lot to say about the current state of drivers. I noted that poor driving might be due to the pay, which is by the mile. He noted that when he started driving about 35 years ago, his pay was 38 cents per mile and he was able to make a good living. He said that the starting pay is now half that. Later we saw advertisements for drivers with a starting salary of 40 cents per mile – a lot better than 19 cents, but still abysmal when you consider the rate of inflation over the past 35 years.
George is also interested in environmental issues, and had a lot to say about which areas of the country of more or less polluted. He is a big fan of Maine as a place that is still relatively pristine, and is very unhappy about how fracking is affecting the farmlands and wilderness.
George’s wife shows Rhodesian ridgebacks (a rather large dog) and among their activities is traveling to dog shows. They travel with 3 ridgebacks in an RV the same size as ours. Presumably they have a better procedure than we do for keeping the dogs out from underfoot.
The conversation delayed us a bit, so when we got to St. Louis it was time for lunch. We parked near the arch, and spent some time walking around its base as well as looking at the Mississippi. Several large barges were pushed by. We walked around the historic district for a while, and also found a post office where I could send off some rather overdue items. Then it was time for our tram trip to the top of the arch.
The Gateway Arch is a catenary curve. This is the shape a chain assumes when supported at the same height above the earth at both ends. The arch is 630 feet high. It is enormously impressive, whether viewed from a bridge, from the park at its base or from downtown. Because of its immense size and reflective surface, it looks different from every angle. 
From the side, it looks like one enormous pillar. From the base, it has a rather weird perspective. From directly below, all that can be seen is the thinnest part at the top and the viewing ports. And from the historic district, you can see the entire arch (although not as well as from the bridge over the Mississippi.
It was built in 1965, and I would sure like to see how it was done. Apparently, putting in a system for getting people to the top was also not easy due to the curvature.
We rode to the top of the arch on the solution to the transit problem. It is a tram with suspended cars, sort of like an enclosed Ferris wheel car. 
These little bubbles are really claustrophobic. They seat 5 – if at least 2 are really small – and they are only about 4 feet high. We rode up with 3 lovely but chubby women – one of whom had a very uncomfortable ride. The bubbles have a window into the interior of the arch, so we could see the emergency stairs all the way up. It is a rather bouncy ride, and I confess that I found it comforting to know that the stairs are available. Unfortunately, there was not enough time during loading and unloading to get a photo of the bubble.
At the top there are viewing port on both sides, and you get a great view of the city and the Mississippi.
Due to our late start, we did not have time for any museums. After a brief stop in pursuit of supplies for my latest knitting project, we returned to the RV.