Day 9 Home at last

We woke up early in St. Louis to get our last two sites in before heading home. We also woke up early because of all the hotels we stayed at -this one was simply the grungiest, scariest most awful place in the three years we have been traveling for family vacations. I could write a lot more about it but I will not let it overshadow the great time we had in St. Louis.

Our first stop was the St. Louis Zoo. We got a tip from the hotel clerk (see silver lining) to park on the street to avoid the parking fee. We found a spot about two blocks from the entrance and made our way through the gate and into the park.

We made it early enough to feed and pet the sting rays. It was a fantastic experience! The rays are in a shallow pool and you can gently pet their backs or feed them shrimp, fish or squid. The kids had the chance to feed them and it was great watching their faces when the rays took the food from their  hands. The outside of a stingray feels like slippery leather as they pass gently under your hand.

We walked the zoo and visited the insect house (of course Kalli's favorite) the Herpitarium (snakes and reptiles Logan's favorite) and other indoor and outdoor exhibits. I had the chance to see my favorite animal, the okapi in the Red Rock exhibit. 

We had lunch at the zoo and then drove over to the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (The St. Louis Arch). We purchased tickets online the night before and this guaranteed we would have a spot. This was through the recommendation of my friend Doug Harding who is a park ranger at the Arch. I had a chance to chat with Doug as we waited in line to go to the top.

We took the north tram up to the top. Four of us in a round pod straight out of the 60's with swivel plastic chairs and a clear door to view the superstructure as we made the four minute journey to the top. Cool to me, a bit disconcerting to Kalli and Logan. 

The top was crowded, but we had a chance to take some photos from the apex 630 feet up. We made a selfie and transmitted it through Facebook while at the top. The technology we have is amazing btw, to capture images and trainsmit instantly. We returned on the south tram on a three minute trip to the bottom. 

We walked to Arch visitor center which is also the Old Courthouse. A beautiful building which started construction in 1816 and was completed in 1864. Can you imagine what this building would say if it could talk after viewing all the change in downtown St. Louis?

The Courthouse was decorated in bunting and 33 star flags in the rotunda and it was an amazing site to see. A perfect ending to our family vacation.

We were so close to the 4000 mile mark we drove a bit past our house to get the even number on the odometer. The car pulled in the driveway with 4000.1 miles. We visited eight different states  from the plains to the mountains, arid desert and back to the Midwest. Hiked three national parks (Arches, Canyonland and The Grand Canyon). Visited three National sites - Petroglyph National Monument, The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and the Oklahoma City Memorial. Changed and replaced one tire in Utah. Rode some original parts of Route 66. Visited Mark Twain's home. Ate  picnic lunches in amazing places and overall had moments together that will last a lifetime. It was a fantastic family vacation. I am sad to see it end......