Clarksville, TN-Wednesday

Needless to say it was cold last night, we were fine in the trailer.  For the first time we kept the heater on low all night because we were concerned our pipes might freeze.  However, I think it was colder last night in Cookeville.  Anyway, up and on our way by 8:30 am as we want to make it to St. Louis, Missouri to stay tonight.  MO is a new state to tick off my list of states.  Kansas will be the next one and then the rest of the way home it will just be repeats.  I think I have just ONE more state left after this trip, which will be Michigan.  I am a little uncertain about Wisconsin, I need to check if we went there during our cross country trip in 2001. 

Anyway off we go on I-24 and in just a few miles we were over the border into Kentucky.  Lovely rolling farmland, if it was not cleared for farming it would look just like TN!  We saw several fields of horses and several horse trailers passed us as well.  We crossed over the Ohio River and into Illinois, then onto I-57, then I-64, and finally I-70.  We stopped for lunch at The Cracker Barrel, talk about a carb overload! However, the mac and cheese was delicious and I wish I had some for my dinner too, with maybe a biscuit to go with it! We also got gas at this stop and then journeyed through a detour from one of the many construction sites during this trip. I know the workers have to do this while the weather holds but with lane closures and mileage restrictions it does increase the travel time from point to point. We did travel 267 miles today, despite the delays and detours.

We crossed the Mississippi River and arrived in Missouri at 2:30.  We found the RV parking easily.  Right on the river is the Gateway to the West. The RV parking is free but it is about 1/2 mile from the Arch.  No problems there as the brisk walk warmed us up!  The sun was shining nicely on the Arch and I got some decent photos.  We rode the enclosed tram to the top of the arch and looked out the windows at the top.  We got some good views of the river, the freeway we came in on and the little white speck parked down the road by the river that we call our trailer!  I’m not a fan of heights so I was happy John wanted to do this as it motivated me to go as well.  After taking the tram ride up we perused the museum about the Expansion of the West, this type of museum is always thought-provoking.  A brief glimpse in the gift shop and we were on our way to our RV park for tonight.  The reviews were right, it is nothing but a black top parking lot with hook ups but it does have Wi-Fi and it is a safe place to stay.  We could have opted for Wal-Mart but when we called to check they said they didn’t care but “law enforcement didn’t like it much” if trailers parked there. 

We’re going to see if we can get the latest NCIS on the laptop tonight and head out in the morning for Kansas!

More information from Wikipedia 

THE ARCH: The Gateway Arch, or Gateway to the West, is an arch that is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri. It was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States. At 630 feet (192 m), it is the tallest man-made monument in the United States, Missouri's tallest accessible building, and the largest architectural structure designed as a weighted or flattened catenary arch.  The arch is located at the site of St. Louis' foundation, on the west bank of the Mississippi River where Pierre Laclède, just after noon on February 14, 1764, told his aide, Auguste Chouteau, to build a city. The Gateway Arch was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen and German-American structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel in 1947. Construction began on February 12, 1963, and ended on October 28, 1965, costing US$13 million at the time (approximately $95,900,000 in 2012). The monument opened to the public on June 10, 1967.

ST. LOUIS:  The city of St. Louis was founded in 1764 by Pierre Laclède and Auguste Chouteau, and after the Louisiana Purchase, it became a major port on the Mississippi River. Its population expanded after the American Civil War, and it became the fourth-largest city in the United States in the late 19th century. It seceded from St. Louis County in March 1877, allowing it to become an independent city and limiting its political boundaries. In 1904, it hosted the 1904 World's Fair and the 1904 Olympic Games. The city's population peaked in 1950, then began a long decline that continues in the 21st century.  The economy of St. Louis relies on service, manufacturing, trade, transportation of goods, and tourism. The region is home to several major corporations: Express Scripts, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Graybar Electric, Scottrade, Sigma-Aldrich, Anheuser-Busch, Edward Jones Investments, Emerson Electric, Energizer, and Monsanto. St. Louis is home to three professional sports teams: the St. Louis Cardinals, one of the most successful Major League Baseball clubs; the hockey St. Louis Blues, and the football St. Louis Rams. The city is commonly identified with the Gateway Arch, part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in downtown St. Louis.