This is what we left behind:
The kids were well prepared for the 12-hour car ride to our first destination, St. Louis. It was a grueling drive, but they were absolute troopers. Not a single complaint. Of course, the calisthenics we did at each break seemed to help take the edge off their restlessness. ("Ok, let's do some jumping jacks! Now stand up on your tippy toes and reach high while you turn in circles! Now run to the car!")
We got to St. Louis a couple hours before dinnertime. We knew we wanted to visit the City Museum, which is a crazy madhouse of fun for kids and adults alike. We also knew that last night was probably our only chance to go, so Laura and Karl spent the evening climbing through tunnels, watching acrobats, playing on a huge outdoor sculpture of a playground, and walking 10-flights of spiral staircases through a cave in order to slide down a 10-story slide (I chickened out about halfway down and made my way back down).
By the end, Karl's energy had plum worn out and he crashed. Hard. Unfortunately our visit ended on a bad note with exhausted kids, so I'm not sure how they'll remember the visit to the City Museum. They'll either remember the super fun they had playing, or the scary cave excursion and playground mishaps. Either way, it was a very interesting place to visit. And both kids overcame their fear of heights and conquered the huge slide!
After a great night's sleep (those kids fell asleep FAST) and a maple syrup-filled breakfast, we were ready for the highlight: the Gateway Arch.
The kids were very excited to actually TOUCH the arch.
We took a tram inside the arch to the very top. Matt was not so sure (we all have this fear of heights issue), but we made him go. He and Laura closed their eyes all the way to the top (even though the little pods just had tiny windows that looked out into the inside of the arch so you couldn't even tell how high you were). At the top, we got out of the tram and got to look out the small windows that overlook St. Louis. Laura and Karl would like to inform you that they were higher than the Statue of Liberty and the Washington Monument!
Here are some views from the top of the Arch:
Matt didn't actually see any of these views, because he refused to look out the windows. In fact, he said just seeing those pictures made him sick. He sure looked sick while we were up there...
After our ride, we went back outside into the beautiful spring weather. Laura had had enough running by then, and decided to take a break in the arch's shadow.
We continued our journey by driving on to Memphis, where we are right now. Tomorrow promises to be another exciting day, so stay tuned for updates!
2 comments:
Looks like the Griswold's have started a great family trip. Can't wait to see what Clark, Ellen, Audrey and Rusty have next in there adventures.
What a lot you have accomplished in such a short time. Looks like Grandpa was next to Karl at the top of the Arch. The pictures are great and will love seeing the next adventure of your trip.
Love, Mom and Dad
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