Today we stopped by Abraham Lincoln's home in Springfield, Illinois for a quick tour.
Old-fashioned doorbell!
Reproduction of wallpaper that would have been used at that time
The upstairs has been restored since 1985, when I visited the first time.
Somehow I missed getting a picture of Mr. Lincoln's bedroom, but have a picture of a child's bedroom instead:
The hired girl's bedroom, down the hall
A few hours later, we were at the famous Gateway Arch. It was a HOT visit to the arch. We had tickets reserved to go to the top and for a river boat cruise on the Mississippi, so I was expecting that we'd park nearby (I had scoped out a lot on Google Maps prior to leaving on the trip), walk right up to the Arch, and get right in. Wrong!!! The whole area is being revamped, so the parking situation was complicated with several streets closed off (also, we were pulling the camper). We finally found a lot within walking distance and felt pretty sure we wouldn't get a ticket or get towed, although it was somewhat isolated and we were a little nervous walking back to the car in the evening.
There was a long line to go through security due to the fact that it's a national monument, and probably exacerbated by the fact that it was Memorial Day weekend. Most of that time the line was in the hot sun and when we did get inside, there were so many people in the building that the air conditioning couldn't keep up. I kept wondering if we would be this hot during our entire trip. It was worth the wait though, and we got some great pictures.
Under the Arch
Inside the little tram car that took us to the top
A long way up!
View from the top
These were the little windows we looked out of at the top of the Arch.
See those black dots at the very top of the Arch? Those are the little windows!
The Mississippi River was muddier than we all imagined.
Old courthouse where the Dred Scott decision was handed down
After the trip to the top of the Arch, we took a one-hour cruise on the mighty Mississippi. We couldn't believe how many large branches and tree trunks were floating down river. It made me wonder what the Mississippi Delta looks like.
Lewis and Clark statue with the "Mighty Mississippi" in the background
Here's our boat; the other boat was the Becky Thatcher.
It was thrilling to know that we were there on the Mississippi, where so many pioneers had crossed on their journey west.
What an amazing day! We arrived at our campground much later than planned, but it was worth the long day to be able to see the Arch all the way to the top. When we finally arrived at the campground, it was definitely not the idyllic setting we imagined. There were dozens of dead armadillos along the road (yes, in Missouri), and the campground, being set along a river in a thick patch of trees, had more flying insects than we would ever like to see. We were all glad to get out the next morning!
