Monday, Oktober 22, 2007

Bob's Blah Blog:

Hold on tight to your dreams....

Here we are, just west of St. Louie, MO. Got here yesterday after a long day of travel. Staying at a beautiful MO state park named Dr. Edward Babler Memorial Park. Who is Dr. Babler? Heck if we know, but we sure like his hospitality. We are in a town or area called Wildwood, southwest of US 61 and US 40 intersection. Really purty and surrounded by trees with all colors of fall leaves. Lots of high dollar homes around here. One has its own lake, with a view of everything to the north. Gated as to keep me out. Now that's class.

We decided we spent enough time in Moccalocca, IA and probably wouldn't find anymore information of value to us. Besides, it was getting hot again...like 84 degrees. We pulled up stakes and got back on the road again. Get itchy for adventure if in one place for more than a couple of days. We did laundry on Saturday night at a 24 hours laundromat. Nothing of consequence to report other than I put money into someone else's dryer and started to dry their clothes, again. I had to open the dryer, move all their clothes to the next dryer only after emptying the other dryer of my clothes. The two ladies had 4 dryers together, but they were gone for all the time we were there, except for the last few minutes before we left. I don't think they ever caught on to my touching their unmentionables (pink and lacey).

I mistakenly called the Macarena, IA campground we were at as Horseshoe. The full name is Horseshoe Lake Park. It is operated by the Mochalatta, IA town.

Today, we went into St. Looey and toured the Jefferson Memorial Gateway Arch. Did you know it is 630 feet to the top and you can go to the top via a 5 person per car tram ride? The tram is based on a carnival ride, something like a ferris wheel and the cars pivot front to back as it goes up and down inside the arch. At a preordained degree, a catch releases and the car goes back to level. We were able to get our tram car rocking and almost got it to go clear around its pivot axis. It was pretty cool. The elderly passengers in the car with us didn't think it too much fun, but, hey, its St. Looney.

We also had a St. Screwy fireman in our car, but he didn't know Paul, my brother. Some brotherhood. Actually, there were about a dozen firefighters on the tram and at the top. When they rotate firehouses they come to the arch to get familiarized with the building and how to get in and out of it in case of a disaster or other emergency. I imagine its just another way for them to get something for free, right Pablo??


At the top, I was really surprised and excited that someone (and I mean Corinne) wasn't fearful of the height and would look out the windows. She is not fond of heights and I think she was trying to look brave, but hoping to faint and have all
those hunky fireman fussing over her. I noticed she tried to be near the cutest, most hunky one most of the time there. There was a really geeky one in the group. He looked really nerdy, wore black horn-rimmed glasses and was skinny and dorky. Why Corinne didn't sidle-up to this one I don't know, because he reminded my of myself when I was young and not as buff and hard-bodied.

It rained for most of the day today, beginning around 10 am, about the time we were getting to the Arch. What a fabulous view of St. Loose, the Mississip, and Illignore we had from the top. River boats, tugs, barges, trains, firetrucks, cars all could be seen from up there. If you ever get a chance to come here, do it and do the arch. Money well spent, and not much of it, at that.

After the tram ride, we watched a 35 minute film on the early 1960's construction of the arch and the men who built it. Nobody lost their life on the job, and they had estimated 13 men would die while it was being built. I noticed in the movie the workers did not wear safety harnesses and some did not have hard hats on. I guess OSHA wasn't around then. After the movie, we went to the museum and saw real artifacts of the old west, actual photographs of pioneers and "Indins" as my Native American friend, Pete (Nando, Pierre) Padilla calls them. It was interesting, had quotes from pioneers, their wives and soldiers. One wife was quouted as saying about the old homestead: "Sell it, give it away, leave it...I don't care. I don't even want to ride the railroad. That schooner ship looks good enough for me, right now." Hmmmm, doesn't sound like Little House on the Prarie was as much fun as it looked on TV.

Went to see a movie this evening since it was raining and St. Charles wasn't as much fun to be in as was Galena, IL. We saw "What we lost in the fire" with Halle Berry and some Benito Bean Burrito sounding name guy. It was good. I liked it. Had some unexpected twists and turns and kept me entertained.

Tomorrow we get our little wagon train hitched up, again, and will head for Kansas City. Don't know if its Kansas or Missouri side of the river we want to be on. Will know when the wagon gets there and the wagonmaster (and I mean Corinne) says, "Whoa there, pardner, that's fer nuf fer today."

Head 'em...move 'em out!

Bobo