630

Six hundred and thirty--the number of feet the pinnacle of the Arch rises from the ground. It took about 5 minutes of our family sitting in a space-aged pod to reach the top. Scott and Seth were a little nervous about the height before they got up there, but it's quite secure of course. My favorite part is that they angled and carpeted the walls up to the windows, so you can basically lean your body flat against the angle and stare out for as long as you want to--very comfortable and kid-friendly. We saw the beautiful fall colors of the trees in the city, Union Station farther up the Gateway Mall and, turning to our east, Old Man River. We saw the barges pushing their freight around, the currents of the river, and Illinois on the other side (we'd been warned not to end up in East St. Louis, of "Honkie Lips" fame).

Funny thing, we only stayed up there about 5 minutes. Once you've seen the view, you've seen it, and there isn't much else you can do up there (it's an arch, after all). So down we went in our space pod, this time with a little less trepidation, because we had done that before.

After reaching the ground, we went to the Museum of Westward Expansion. This is a beautiful museum organized in the shape of a spiral (though it was a little confusing knowing where to start. It told the story of America's growth from the viewpoint of the white men and the natives, following the route of the Corps of Discovery until they reached the Pacific as well as more general expansion westward in the years following Lewis and Clark's trip. Since I was following Seth and Blane around, I'm not sure I got the most cohesive view of the whole thing. But the artifacts and displays were beautiful, and I loved seeing the pictures of all the different camps, especially those in Idaho, of course. It made me nostalgic. I suppose it's easy to romanticize the trip now, seeing how it wasn't me struggling through the snow, eating roots and toting a papoose on my back. But it was truly THE adventure of a lifetime for Lewis, Clark, Sacajawea and the men with them.

After going out to gaze at the Mississippi for a few minutes and watching the helicopter tours take off, we started back for the hotel. We had to cross several busy streets. A couple who was ahead of us started crossing after the "walk" sign came up when a car careened through a red light, narrowly missing the woman. We were all in shock, but the lady was thankfully unharmed. It served as an opportunity to remind the boys to always look before crossing, even when you think it is safe.