Day 53: Ark Encounter, Saying Good-bye,Gateway Arch

 This morning we said good-bye to part of the Hulshult family, but half the family was coming with us to the Ark!  We had such an incredible time staying with our friends.  Late night games reminiscent of when we were younger!
 We went with Jessica, Seth, and Nathan to the Ark Encounter in Kentucky.  It was very interesting to see the magnitude of the ark, and to see ways in which feeding could have taken place in such a massive floating zoo.
 We said good-bye to the rest of the Hulshult family, and headed on the next really long drive to Columbia, Missouri. Part way there we realized we would be heading right through St. Louis, and so we needed to go to the Gateway Arch.  We were super excited to be able to go through their brand new museum!  Apparently, it just opened in July.  The kids were able to do the Junior Ranger program as well.  We were hoping to get to go up into the arch, but the actual experience takes over an hour, and we needed to get back on to the road.  The architecture of the arch is amazing.  If you stand with your face to the arch on the inside angle of the triangle, and look up, you truly feel as though you should fall over backwards!  I'm so glad we stopped and explored here for a bit, but wish we could have spend more time.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 2: Flagstaff to Santa Fe, New Mexico

Image
We got up early to get on the road.  The kids were great, even dealing with minimal sleep.  Free hotel breakfasts always help!  We left Flagstaff with our destination being Santa Fe.  We have decided that peanut butter and crackers or cheese and crackers will be our go-to meal. It's so easy to eat on the road!  We got in to Santa Fe around three.  We went to the Georgia O'Keefe museum and the New Mexico capitol building before meeting our host Dorothy for dinner at Los Amigos.  The kids got to experience sopapillas.  Although hesitant at first, they mostly all gave in and ate them with honey, which is the traditional way.  Santa Fe is so different from other cities we've seen.  It's amazing how the housing truly blends in with the environment.  The capitol building was far different from others we have seen.  It is shaped in a "zia," and far less ornate than others. This bull head was made from a myriad of recycled "junk."
Read more

Day 32: Lower Manhattan, Empire State Building

Image
  Subway ride!!!   We kind of bribed Joey.  Told him he could go on the Sea Glass Carasole if he didn't complain the rest of the day.  It worked for most of it!   We walked down to the end of Battery Park.  The kids found vents that blew ocean air up from the ground.  They thought it was hilarious.   Letting the boys run through the fountains before the real walking begins.   Castle Clinton used to be a fort on an island.  At some point, land was added to the area and the fort was joined with the Battery Park area.  It has been everything from a fort, to an entertainment center, to an aquariuam over the centuries.  They have now returned it to what it was like as a fort.   New York Stock Exchange   Federal Hall.  This is the sight of Washington's first inauguration. The building is not the same, but they saved the stone that he was standing on when inaugurated.  They also hold the Bible that was used at his inauguration.
Read more

Day 5: Springfield, Illinois to Roscoe, Illinois

Image
  We visited the Lincoln National Park site.  I loved seeing the decor of the Lincoln home.  These contrasting patterns were apparently the height of fashion.  As we waited outside for a tour of the Lincoln neighborhood, the skies opened up and we were drenched.  I didn't mind the mascara running down my face, as long as the camera was protected!  Thankfully, I was able to put it in my purse and hunch over it to keep it dry, but we were all thoroughly soaked.   I loved hearing at the beginning of our ill-fated tour that another home on Lincoln's street was a stop along the underground railroad.  It is highly likely that Lincoln at least had some knowledge of what was happening down the street.  The owner of that home was the man who drove him to the railroad station when he left Springfield for the White House.   We then went on to the historic state capitol building.  This is where Lincoln served and would have done much of his work as a lawmaker.  This
Read more