We have traveled the last few days from Kansas to Kentucky, where we are spending our last night in Louisville. We stopped off in Norton, Ks., Don's hometown to look around and show Bubs the house Grandpa Don grew up in, where he went to school, and other interesting things about the town, including the wheat silos. Then we headed to Beloit, Ks to visit with Don's mother who is in a nursing home because of alzhiemers. On our way we got a call that Grandma was showing signs of an infection, so while we were in Beloit ,she had to be admitted to the hospital. The nurses and doctors think it will take about a week for her to recover. We were glad we were able to see her, just wish she had not been sick while we were there.
Today we stopped at the Gateway Arch in St Louis to look at the museum and ride to the top of the Arch. Here are some interesting facts about the Arch:
It was built as a monument to the pioneers who traveled westward
It is 630 feet tall
It is the tallest man made monument in the US
Luther Smith, a civic leader of St Louis, invisioned the Arch
In 1945, a design contest was announced and 172 people submitted designs
A Finnish American, Eero Saarinen, won the contests and designed the Arch
It cost 2.49 million to build
Bubs and I rode up to the top today where it felt like we could see all of St Louis. The shuttles are small with 5 seats, and it takes 4 minutes to get to the top. The visitors center had a museum, gift shop and bakery/ novelty store.
Tomorrow we head out early for home. The past 3 weeks have gone really fast, but we have been able to see some amazing sites. We have some new ideas and plans for our next trip out west, but it will be good to be home.
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