Day 1 of our Journey West - Gateway Arch

 This trip was a dream, a plan, and now became an action.  After much planning and details by our Leader, the day has now come...

To the West.

Tuesday, June 13, 2023 marked our departure for 4 weeks.

We start in Ohio, of course, ➡️ passing through Indiana, ➡️ Illinois, and ➡️ into Missouri, where we end for a our first night.  We gain an hour this day as we cross into another time zone, the first of three by the time we reach the west coast.

We stopped at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis - Gateway to the West! Our first touring stop.

Leaving - dark and early 🥱😊

all ready to go west, bleary-eyed and all

It ended up being 4:57 till we actually pulled out of our driveway. 

day is dawning

skylines - have a beauty all their own

leaving our home state for our

journey westward

- stopping for lunch -
I packed a cooler with lunch meat 

for sandwiches
and other lunch goodies

Gateway Arch in the distance
This is our first stop - Gateway to the West!

stopping for a photo op 

as we walk to the arch

(much to the boys' dismay)

I warned them is only the beginning 😜

Lewis and Clark and the exploration

westward

Influential Chief shirt etc.

This is our car number for the 

ride to the top

our 'capsule' ride to the top

Ride back down

 looking at the mechanisms as

we descend

Our first place to setup our 'home'

grilling steak

enjoying a campfire when we have

the chance

these carvings were scattered

throughout the campground and

were very neat

evening sunset while on a stroll

and then.... the bathrooms...

what fun details!! 

We are grateful for safety as we had one really close call.  And a nice place for our first night away.  It was a good beginning.