Spring Break baby!

So, kind of last minute, although we'd talked about it some, we decided to go to the Midwest for spring break.  We chose the Midwest because Tyler grew up out there some, and I've always wanted to see it.  His family talks about the different places they've lived so much, it was neat to see what they're talking about! We did go other places though to see some sites and just to say we've been to those states.  On Saturday night, we decided we were going to fly out there and then rent a car.  We had to pick Mom and Dad C. up at the airport Sunday (previous post), and we wanted to spend Easter Sunday with the family.  So, we chose to leave Monday morning.  We booked through Priceline and got a great deal on the flights and the car! 

 

So, we flew into St. Louis, Missouri on Monday morning.  Our flight left Roanoke at 6:35 AM.  Our neighbor, Rusty, was kind enough to take us to the airport, at an hour I believe should not be seen by anyone.  We landed in St. Louis at 11:30 AM, their time, 12:30 PM our time.  We got our rental car, a Toyota Prius Hybrid, and headed for the Metro.  We took the Metro downtown and grabbed a bite to eat before heading to the Arch.

A view of the Arch on a beautiful day

 For those of you who don't know, you can ride a little "car" up to the top of the Arch. There are 8 doors, one for each car.  You watch a short video about the Arch before getting in and riding to the top.

 

 This is what the inside of the car looked like.  There were 5 seats and when they closed the doors, you could see out, but not much.  If you are claustrophobic, it might not be for you. 

 At any rate, once you get to the top, it's amazing!  On one side is Missouri, and on the other is Illinois.  This is the Missouri side.

 The next few pictures are views from the top of the Arch on the Missouri side.  You could stay at the top as long as you wanted.

 This is a view straight down from the top of the Arch on the Missouri side.  You can see the cars on the road are so tiny.  There are specks (people) on the grass too.

 

 To the right of this picture, you can see the bridge that connects Missouri to Illinois.

 This is the Illinois side.  You are looking at the Mighty, Mighty, Mississippi.  That's what separates the two states.

 A panoramic view of Illinois

 

 Inside the Arch, at the bottom, they have a small museum.  We walked around for a bit.  This longhorn caught my attention and I just had to get a picture of it.

This cute guy also got my attention, so I thought I'd snap a picture of him as well.  He obliged. :)

 Tyler got some great pictures of the Arch from different angles.  He is such a great photographer!

 I just love these!

 My main squeeze standing on that grass you saw quite a few pictures up.

 It's hard to get the whole arch in and see who you're taking a picture of!

 Ta da!  That one's Tyler. 

It is really a cool thing to see if you ever get the opportunity!