St. Louis, Missouri

 The Arch in St. Louis, gateway to the West is amazing and quite a trip on small cable car to the top, 630 ft. The views are amazing. We then went on a riverboat cruise on the Tom Sawyer down the Mississippi. I never realized the barge traffic on the Mississippi today, fuel barges of over 400ft long carry oil, propane or grain. The oldest (and still in good shape I may add) and first all steel bridge (Eads) in the USA opened in 1874 seen above.

The Meramec Caverns are really a must see. They say it was the hide out of Jesse James and gang because of it's extensive miles (4.6 miles) of continuous caverns. The formations are unique to this area and rival the world in type and size. In it's hayday; summer dance/concert parties were held in the large entry cavern with a level flooring. It can still be rented for events and private parties today.