Note: We had a really long day yesterday so today's report covers two days. We drive for 9 to 10 hours Friday too.
Wednesday, July, 28, 2020
Finally made it to the Arch. We had a short but pleasant bike ride from our hotel to the arch, the way a riverfront bike ride is supposed to be although it is very very short.
I learned I need to carry my Annual Park Pass with me at all times as I could have saved $6 on admission to the top of the Arch. Anyway, it was worth full price. The "elevators" to the top of the arch are a tram system which works like a ferris wheel keeping the cars upright as they travel along the curve of the arch.
These are the doors to the tram capsules
Inside, the capsule looks like a toilet but you will note that there is no hole in the seat so be careful. Tall riders need to sit in the middle as the ceiling is low. There are windows on the door so you can see the inside of the arch as you ride up. I took a video of the ride up but I got a rude error from Youtube that it was too boring so I will have to work on that. Now, keep in mind, we were alone in this capsule for four and a half minutes and could do absolutely anything in there and I chose to make a video. Of the trip. Some dim-witted rider left a good normal camera on the capsule seat which a kind rider on his way down returned.
Have you ever wondered what the top of the arch is like? We heard it is pretty cool when a lightning storm rolls in and lightning hits the arch (which is a giant lightning rod so it happens often). If there is a tornado coming, they ask everyone to leave. It's a good thing Southwest Airlines did not get the contract running the trams because the seats are one size and some riders are another size.
If you look closely you can see tourist noses pressed against the windows.
Here is the display operators use to monitor the tram capsules going up and down. The green dots represent capsules which travel in a group. I did not know the capsule was green on the outside.
Down under the Arch, they have a little museum with old-time stuff which is what museums specialize in. Here is an old-time capsule which is pretty similar to the Arch capsules other than the fact that they used to be red on the outside. You will note that the idea for a window in the capsule door is nothing new. This capsule has more windows so old-time riders needed to be discrete.Our next stop not on the way to Kansas City was Springfield, Illinois where they have a museum and library dedicated to Abraham Lincoln. Even though it was three hours out of our way we felt it was a worthwhile stop. Because they did not have digital cameras in the old time of President Lincoln, they have a camera-envy problem and they do not allow photos at all in the museum, except for a hokey set-up in the lobby, and in the gift shop.
I'm not sure why everybody else in not looking at the camera. I learned that being President of the United States is a no-win situation. Everybody hates you and says nasty things about you. After you get shot, you become a great guy. The museum was very interesting and we recommend you stop by whenever you are not in the area.Thursday, July 29, 2010
To round out our Presidential experience, we visited the Harry Truman Museum today (Thursday) in Independence, Missouri. They have no camera-envy problems there and you can take all the pictures you want as long as your flash is not working and you do not use a tripod. It is confirmed that everyone hates the President when he is President, but years later they realize he was not such a bad person.
We learned valuable tips of what to do if an atom bomb goes off near you. This too was an enjoyable stop and not nearly so far out of the way, plus they are open Thursday nights so we did not have to interrupt our daytime activities.We took a nice bike ride along the Brookline Trolley trail this morning (curtailed by threat of rain) and had two meals at vegetarian restaurants which were very good. Yesterday we dined at Red Robin which was a real treat for me.
Tomorrow we drive to Colorado Springs which is a long way from here.
Regards,
Steve & Laurie
No comments:
Post a Comment