All automobile manufacturing plants were closed to tourists this time of year because they were changing their machines' configurations to build the 1997 model cars. I realized this was necessary, but how unfortunate! I would not be able to see the factories on this trip.
That left one other attraction.
It would have to wait.
I was still feeling unreasonably tired, and wanted to take another day off. At the same time, I did not want to stay at home all day either! Last night's rain had cleaned the air in the Motor City, and it was a beautiful day to go for a drive. So that's what I did.
I went to the AAA office in Dearborn to pick up some more city maps that I still did not have. I entered the office to see a long line stretching from the "Reception" desk almost to the entrance. I did not feel like standing in line, so I left immediately -- the maps were not too important; I could get them elsewhere. I went to a K-Mart and bought some more trip supplies, including a battery operated, hand-held fan...
A little explanation first...
On the day that I left home, my parents followed me for the first sixty miles. I did not have an air-conditioner in the car. All I had was a small, battery-operated, hand-held fan. As my parents were following me, I picked up the fan and tested using it while driving. Holding on to the fan while driving did not offer the comfort of an air conditioner in the car, but it worked beautifully as a substitute air conditioner. I rolled down the window and held the fan out the window to show it to my parents in the van behind. Then I gave a "Thumbs Up" -- "The fan works!". When I rolled up the window, I turned the fan's switch "ON" again. Something had just happened when I had held the fan out the window. The blades on the fan had fallen off!!! No more fan. Ever since then, I had been looking for a replacement, and I finally found one in the K-Mart in Dearborn.
Good ol' K-Mart! A life-saver!!!
I went back to the AAA office, hoping the line had become shorter by now. It had become shorter, but not by much. I decided to wait anyway. Got a few city maps, but not all that I wanted.
One of the Michigan postcards I had sent to Parixit had a picture of a 30-foot tall "Uniroyal" tire. This tire is on I-94 at the Detroit city limits as a greeting to all those who enter the city and a reminder of which city they are entering. I wanted to take a picture of this tire, it being a Detroit landmark and everything! Ya know?
4:10 PM Entered Detroit city limits for the first time. Saw and photographed the Uniroyal tire while driving. It did not appear as large as in the postcard, but it is an appropriate landmark for visitors to Detroit to see. After all, Detroit is a very special city in this country!
Another Michigan postcard had a picture of the Ford Motor Company's world headquarters building. I thought it was be fun to go there as well, since Ford Motor Company was what made Detroit what it is today.
After getting lost in the one-way roads in downtown Detroit (I had to -- how could I not?), I got back on the freeway and left Detroit city limits, never to return again on this trip.
5:00 PM Parked at Ford World Headquarters building in Dearborn, MI. In front of the building are the flags of all countries where Ford cars are sold. I noticed the flags in the postcard picture were not the same as the flags in front of the building on that day. I also noticed that India's flag was not in the postcard, but was flying in front of the building on that day. I wanted to take a photograph of the building the same as it appeared in the postcard. After taking that identical picture, I wrote and mailed the postcard. The Indian flag shows in my picture. Surprisingly, the American flag does not!!!
6:05 PM Back to the house.
Expenses:
| $59.95 | CB | Miscellaneous supplies -- K-Mart | Dearborn, MI |
| $12.57 | CB | Coke & Sprite -- Kroger | Dearborn, MI |
| $2 | Cash | Michigan/Detroit postcards -- Fairlane Mall | Dearborn, MI |
| $3 | Cash | Lunch -- Burger King inside Fairlane Mall | Dearborn, MI |
On July 6, 1995, a twenty-two year old named Ishaan had been on the road for exactly three months and driven almost exactly sixteen thousand miles from Los Angeles to Detroit -- via Florida and Maine -- and everything in between[42].
This was a ten-year anniversary of "one of those days" and a three-month anniversary of another "one of those days".
12:15 PM Left house to go to the Henry Ford museum in Dearborn. The sun was shining. There was not a single cloud in the sky.
12:45 PM Parked at Greenfield Village. The sun was nowhere to be seen. It started raining heavily immediately after I parked the car and turned off the engine.
12:50 PM I stepped out of the car. The sun was shining. There was not a single cloud in the sky. The ground under my car was wet, and some of the lower areas of that parking lot were flooded.
It happened within five minutes.
1:00 PM Entered Henry Ford Museum, after walking through a flooded area of the parking lot. My socks inside my shoes were wet.
IT HAPPENED WITHIN FIVE MINUTES!!!
"Never, NEVER underestimate ANYTHING!"
Henry Ford Museum is very nice. 
. It contains exhibits on the impact of the automobile on American culture and, more importantly from my point-of-view, the impact of the automobile on the tourism industry. It also contained historic Ford automobiles (Model A, Model T, etc...), the "Oscar Mayer Wienermobile", a Ford Tri-motor plane, and a train engine. It also houses the Presidential Limousines of all presidents from John F. Kennedy[43] to Ronald Reagan. There is also a replica of an old McDonalds drive-thru restaurant -- this particular restaurant is so old that it advertises hamburgers that cost 15 cents and has a neon sign that says, "Over 200 Million Served". HA, HA, HA!!! Back when McDonalds only had 200 Million customers!!! It was difficult to imagine that there really was a time when McDonalds had served only 200,000,000!
I left the museum at 4:00 PM, after a stop at the gift shop to buy a postcard.
The postcard that I bought here was an unusual one. It was a jigsaw puzzle postcard with a picture of a Ford Motel T in the front. I came back to my Japanese-made Toyota Tercel and wrote that puzzle postcard. I had learned a lot about the history of the automobile from that museum, and I decided to stump the master with this postcard. I asked him a question about a particular car. Since I had recently seen the movie "Batman Forever", I phrased my question in the form of a now-famous line from that movie:
"Riddle Me This -- Did you ever think you would get a puzzle postcard? After the wooden postcard I sent from Cape Cod, did you suspect you MIGHT get another unusual postcard? Riddle Me That! ... Now Riddle Me This, Mr. Car Encyclopedia... What was the first car mass-produced and sold in the United States? Riddle Me This, Riddle Me That, how long before my car gets a flat???"
I also wrote to Parixit that I will provide the answer to that main question in a future postcard... if he did not know himself.
After writing the card, I disassembled the puzzle and put the pieces inside the pouch that was provided with the card. The pouch had a special section for writing the address and sticking the required two stamps. This was the only postcard that was not a postcard that I sent to Mr. Car Encyclopedia on this trip.
5:00 PM Came back to the house.
License Plates:
| DKNIGHT | MI | Camaro |
| $11 | CB | Gas | Dearborn, MI |
| $12.50 | CB | Admission -- Henry Ford Museum | Dearborn, MI |
| $5 | Cash | Miserable lunch at cafeteria in Henry Ford Museum [Unfortunately, the McDonalds that offered 15-cent burgers was just a display item and not a real restaurant!] | Dearborn, MI |
| $3 | Cash | Puzzle postcard -- Henry Ford Museum | Dearborn, MI |
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Go to start of this section
12:00 PM Left Dearborn, MI.
I was driving Eastbound on I-94, towards Chicago. After leaving the Detroit metropolitan area, the freeway is a 2-lane freeway (your typical, average, run-of-the-mill, rural Interstate freeway). There was a lot of construction work being done in the center divider, and the left lane was closed for twelve miles. That created an interesting situation, with a little humor mixed in...
12:55 PM Stopped on freeway. 146501 miles.
1:10 PM Stopped. 146504 miles.
1:15 PM Moving very slowly. 146506 miles.
1:20 PM Moving very, very slowly. 146508 miles.
1:25 PM Moving, faster now -- actually shifted into third gear!!! 146509 miles.
1:27 PM Saw this sign next to the road:
 ROAD CONSTRUCTION 3 MORE MILES |
I had been irritated because I was not moving anywhere, but after I saw that sign, I laughed out loud! The construction crews may be delaying travelers, but they certainly had a good sense of humor about it!!! After passing the sign, I realized I should have taken a picture. I let it go. One mile later, I saw this sign:
 ONLY 2 MORE MILES |
I laughed aloud again, and took a picture of this sign, still laughing while I snapped the picture. Two miles later:
 END ROAD CONSTRUCTION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. DRIVE SAFELY. |
Now why don't we have signs like these here in California???
1:30 PM Back to freeway speed (65 miles per hour). 146513 Miles.
2:45 PM Checked in at Budgetel Inn in Kalamazoo, MI.
I had intended to go to the Aviation History Museum in Kalamazoo, but after checking into the motel, I decided to put it off until the next morning. Went to sleep almost immediately and woke up after nightfall. Went to McDonalds and Burger King for dinner (they charged six bucks, not fifteen cents). After coming back to the motel, I fell asleep again. Woke up. Went to sleep. Woke up. Went to sleep. The routine was familiar, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I kept wondering why I was feeling so exhausted all of a sudden. It had started after I left Niagara Falls.
One time when I woke up, I suddenly remembered something. The night I had driven down from Niagara Falls, I had stopped at a rest area in Pennsylvania, where I had some donuts and coffee. I had them because they were offered free by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. But they did not taste "normal" to me. Could something have been mixed in with the donuts or coffee that was causing all this???
Too late to change that now. Went back to sleep.
Then woke up again.
... you know the rest.
License Plates:
| AZ RICE | MI | Plymouth Voyager |
| CHI | MI | Chevrolet truck |
| $6 | Cash | Dinner -- McDonalds and Burger King | Kalamazoo, MI |
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Go to start of this section
I ate the motel's free breakfast, then checked out at 10:45 AM.
11:00 AM Entered Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum. .
12:00 PM [Eastern Time] Left Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum. Nice, but not worth the admission price of five dollars.
I drove for 1 1/2 hours.
12:25 PM [Central Time] Entered India...na. 146676 miles.
12:50 PM Marquette Mall in Michigan City, IN -- wrote and mailed Indiana postcard. Had lunch at Burger King.
2:20 PM - 2:21 PM Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. 
. Not good.
3:15 PM Checked in at Knights Inn in Merillville, IN. Drove to a mall across the street and bought a dozen donuts from the Dunkin' place. Came back to the motel and watched television while stuffing myself with a whole lotta junk food. I wasn't even hungry -- I had just had lunch a couple of hours ago.
There wasn't anything interesting on the tube, and I felt like doing somethin' different than watching a box. A drive would be a good idea. One problem -- I couldn't make up my mind where to go. Indianapolis was a possibility. So was Cincinnati, OH, but I quickly dismissed that. Another choice was Chicago. "Nah, I'll be goin' there tomorrow anyway!". Milwaukee.
"Milwaukee."
"Three hours one-way."
"Good points. Three hours one-way. A new state. A major city that was not intended as part of my route. A scenic drive along Lake Michigan."
"Bad points. Three hours one-way. A new state. A major city. Possibility of getting lost. Driving through Chicago rush hour."
"Good Point. Driving through Chicago."
"I'm thinking too much. I'll just get in the car and go."
7:05 PM Left motel in Merillville, IN, bound for Milwaukee, WI. Took the remaining donuts with me.
I filled up on gas and noted the mileage. 146728. The sun was setting, but it was still broad daylight. I went for a 250-mile long round trip drive through three states... no reason... I just felt like driving...
7:35 PM Entered Illinois; 146746 miles.
7:45 PM Entered Chicago city limits. 146753 miles.
7:49 PM First sight of the tallest building in the world. 146760 miles. It did not look as impressive as the Empire State Building, but the setting sun shining on its black windows made it sparkle, and that looked nice. As I got nearer, I could not see the top of the building anymore.
Stuck in traffic.
Paid a toll.
Stuck in traffic. Wanted my money back.
After I left the Chicago city limits, the sky became dark and I saw some more fireworks while driving. These were at the "Six Flags" theme park in Gurnee, IL. I did not see the entire show, but the part that I did see was nothing compared to the Canada Day fireworks at Niagara Falls.
8:55 PM Entered Wisconsin; 146820 miles. Took a picture of the words "Wisconsin Welcomes You".
"Thank you, Wisconsin."
9:25 PM Entered Milwaukee city limits. 146850 Miles. It had taken two and half hours to drive up here. 122 miles one-way from Merillville.
I exited from the freeway and stopped at a shopping center. Had to buy another piece of cardboard to mail to Parixit.
Milwaukee is a very large city. The largest city in Wisconsin. Population of more than one million. Don't any of those one million people send postcards to anyone?
Apparently they don't. Too busy making cheese, I suppose.
10:00 PM "This is ridiculous. I gotta get back to Indiana, it's already getting late."
10:15 PM Stopped in Racine, WI -- I had been drinking several cans of Coke to keep awake.
Racine is a very small village. One of the smallest villages in Wisconsin. Population of less than five thousand.
I got a postcard in Racine.
I found a mailbox in Racine.
Again taught me never to underestimate anything from now on!
10:35 PM Got back on freeway, going South towards Chicago -- this time at night.
10:55 PM Entered Illinois; 146890 miles.
Paid a toll.
Just before entering Chicago, I pulled over at a rest area. This was not a "conventional" rest area. The "rest area" was actually above the road, with a Wendys restaurant in a corridor above the freeway. I had seen it while driving up, and wanted to stop there on my way down. So I stopped.
Unfortunately, by the time I got there, the Wendys restaurant had closed. But I sat down and enjoyed the view of the Chicago skyline at night. Then left a little while later.
Chicago looks very beautiful at night. The lights were magnificent! Picture-perfect. Did not take picture.
12:30 AM Back to Indiana; 146964 miles.
12:45 AM Back to my motel room; 146982 miles.
I saw several license plates during this 5 3/4-hour round trip drive...
License Plates:
| SNTK 94 | IL | Plymouth Voyager |
| BERN | IL | Ford Escort |
| BREED | DC | Jeep Cherokee |
| VENTRL 6 | IL | ? |
| ELIHU 2 | IL | Cadillac |
| DECA 7 | IL | Dodge Ram |
| BAR RAR 1 | IL | Mercedes 320 SEL |
| BIRDRU 5 | IL | Chevrolet Blazer -- "No, I AM NOT A BIRD! R U?" |
| HONEYZ | IL | Mitsubishi |
| LOY MOM | WI | Ford Tempo |
| RIC DOT 3 | IL | Ford van |
| PO REDD 1 | WI | AMC Stationwagon |
| VMPYRZ 1 | IL | Ford Escort -- first a bird, now a vampire! Sheesh!!! |
| PRESMAN | IN | Ford truck -- A bird, a vampire, and a reporter. Hmmm... |
| M PAIGE 1 | IL | Nissan Maxima |
| WE CRUZ 2 | IL | Transam -- "U 2? ME CRUZ 2!" |
| $43.95 | Chase | Budgetel Inn | Kalamazoo, MI |
| $5 | CB | Admission -- Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum | Kalamazoo, MI |
| $4 | Cash | Dozen donuts -- Dunkin' Donuts | Merillville, IN |
| $11 | CB | Gas -- AMOCO | Merillville, IN |
| $1 | Cash | Toll -- I-94 Westbound, going North | Russell, IL |
| $1 | Cash | Toll -- I-94 Eastbound, going South | Russell, IL |
Go to start of this date
Go to start of this section
After yesterday's side trip, the concept of time had no meaning to me anymore...
After checking out of the motel, I drove towards Chicago. This time, I took a different route than yesterday. That was a mistake. Almost immediately after entering Illinois [147009 miles], I got lost in the slums of Southern Chicago. I did not know where I was for more than half an hour. When I had been lost in other places, I would sometimes use the position of the sun to guide my way back in the right direction. This time, the sun was directly overhead! I could not see the Sears Tower either -- if I had seen it, I would have found my way back a lot faster[44]! I was not in a decent neighborhood, and wanted to leave as soon as possible, but had lost all sense of direction. I was looking for one of two streets: "Jeffery Blvd." or "South Chicago Avenue". I kept turning randomly on any road, and kept going in circles. The circles got larger and larger, and eventually, I ended up where I wanted to go! That's how I found my way back -- by sheer luck!!!
I entered Jackson Park, which is next to the University of Chicago on the shore of Lake Michigan. I parked in front of the Henry Crown Space Center & Omnimax Theater. This was the first of two attractions planned in the Chicago area. Planned.
As I was walking from my car to the museum, I saw several cars with personalized license plates. My car was parked about fifty feet from the entrance to the museum, but it took me fifty minutes to write all the license plates in my notebook!!!
The Space Center was very, very nice! The movie at Omnimax Theater was even better. I saw the movie-documentary "To Fly" again[45]. Although I had seen this movie several times before, this was the first time in an "OMNIMAX" theater.
At the Space Center, I also saw the "APOLLO 8" command module. This was the second Apollo ship on this trip -- first was APOLLO 11 in Washington. Historically, the two ships have a lot in common. Apollo 8 was the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon. Apollo 11 was the first manned spacecraft to land on the moon. The first photographs of an "Earthrise" were taken by the astronauts on board Apollo 8. I also learned another interesting trivia tidbit: The pilot of Apollo 8 was also the commander of Apollo 13 -- NASA's first "Successful Failure".
Combined rating for Henry Crown Space Center & Omnimax Theater = .
Strongly recommended for anyone who has even the slightest interest in the history of space exploration.
My next planned stop was the Sears Tower.
The building is in the heart of the downtown area, so I did not want to drive there. I decided to take the "L" [subway]. My AAA Chicago map showed the exact location of the nearest L stop. This was close to the University of Chicago. I had driven by the University area while looking for Jackson Park, and that had looked like a very respectable neighborhood -- safe enough to park my car and leave it for a few hours.
I started driving towards the L station. Passed through a section of the University. Turned left.
The road came to an end, which was not supposed to happen, according to the map! Fortunately, I could see the train tracks above, so I followed the tracks, looking for the station. The map was no use anymore, since I had no idea where I was!
I reached the end of the train tracks without finding any station! There were just tracks above the street, without any platform anywhere!
My first reaction was that I may have missed the station, so I turned around and followed the tracks in the direction I had just come. Again, I did not find any station! I pulled over in a parking lot in a hospital to look at the map again.
A man in a uniform came out and told me I couldn't park in that lot unless I had an emergency. I asked him for directions to the "SUBWAY", and he told me how to get to the nearest "Subway" restaurant! You have already read that conversation, so I will not repeat it here[46]. Eventually, I left the hospital parking lot and tried to look for the station again.
I never did find it.
I stopped at another parking lot -- in front of a Subway restaurant -- and read the AAA Illinois tour book for the Chicago area. I read the description for "SEARS TOWER" again, wondering whether it was really worth all the trouble. The tour book said that the observation deck in the Sears Tower is on the 102nd floor (although the building has 110 floors).
"102???? I'VE ALREADY BEEN TO A 102ND FLOOR IN ANOTHER BUILDING! I'VE ALSO BEEN TO THE 107TH FLOOR!!! THIS IS CRAZY! I DON'T LIKE CHICAGO! I'M GETTIN' OUTTA HERE!!!"
After driving along the lakeshore for a while, I entered I-55 at its starting point. The next stop was Saint Louis.
The drive from Chicago to Saint Louis takes five hours (going at the speed limit). That is exactly how long it took me. I stopped once in the middle to fill gas in the car.
After filling gas, I entered the freeway at the same point where I had left it. This was not significant then -- just a coincidence, but it would be VERY significant a few days later...
It was dark by the time I arrived in the Saint Louis metropolitan area. I checked in at a Best Western Inn near the town of Collinsville, IL. This was a fifteen minute drive to the Gateway Arch.
Later at night, I drove into Collinsville for dinner. I thought about driving to Saint Louis, see the arch while driving, and coming back to the motel without stopping anywhere. Based on my recent experiences in Chicago, I quickly dismissed that idea!
I saw more license plates today than on any other single day on this trip:
License Plates:
| MA MURF1 | IL | Pontiac Grand Am |
| I GUARD U | IL | Chevrolet Beretta |
| ELM ST 13 | IL | Jeep -- Couldn't make up mind about which horror movie to choose! |
| BIELEC 4 | IL | Chevrolet |
| IMKING1 | IL | Ford Taurus -- "That's some ego!" |
| CUBS 811 | IL | Volvo -- Apparently a big fan of the Chicago Cubs baseball team! |
| CUBSS 23 | IL | Chevrolet Cavalier -- Another fan! Maybe even a player! |
| BLZ NUT 2 | IL | Mitsubishi Eclipse |
| BIG Z 3 | IL | Plymouth Reliant |
| DAWNNIE | WI | Toyota Corolla |
| OOPSEE 7 | IL | Oldsmobile -- What did you do NOW? |
| MAISHE | IL | Nissan Maxima |
| IL ALUM 2 | IL | Mazda MPV |
| MORON 92 | IL | Mazda Protégé -- No. I won't make any comment here. |
| CUBIE | WI | Toyota truck -- Yet another fan -- notice plate is from Wisconsin |
| HONEY 4 | IL | Cadillac |
| ROLL 5 | IL | Geo Prizm |
| SOOZ AM 1 | IL | Pontiac Grand Am |
| HI NRG 3 | IL | Chevrolet Astro |
| JAMN 55 | IL | Cadillac??? |
| YO DREX | IL | Chevrolet Astro -- "YO, Drex. Yo-Ish." |
| NU SHUZ 2 | IL | Buick -- The shoes may have been new, but the car wasn't! |
| LV STNKS | IL | Ford Probe |
| TEE 12 | IL | Plymouth Voyager |
| WILZ 50 | IL | Mazda Protégé |
| LMP RS 92 | IL | Chaveler |
| TRTLS 1 | IL | Plymouth Voyager |
| COT 13 | IL | Acura |
| BIGPOK | IL | Buick |
| SHORES 3 | IL | Ford Explorer |
| GRAMI 6 | IL | Chevrolet Beretta |
| DOVE H 62 | IL | Plymouth Voyager |
| HRS LUV R | IL | Ford Mustang |
| 6 HMBGR | IL | Chevrolet Truck -- See next plate |
| CHILI | IL | Honda -- "Six hamburgers and chili. Interesting Combo." |
| RO FOX 2 | IL | Buick |
| WOODY 63 | IL | Ford Thunderbird |
| $42.52 | Chase | Knights Inn | Merillville, IN |
| $10 | Discover | Admission -- Henry Crown Space Center | Chicago, IL |
| $1 | Cash | IL Postcard -- Henry Crown Space Center | Chicago, IL |
| $14.80 | Discover | Gas & "Hostess' Twinkies" @ Amoco | Pontiac, IL |
| $5 | Cash | Dinner -- Wendys & McDonalds | Collinsville, IL |
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Go to start of this section
Some time later, I saw the Gateway Arch rising high above the Saint Louis city skyline.
I entered Missouri [147332 miles], then continued driving West towards the center of the city. I wanted to see two things today.
The first was called "Saint Louis Science Center". . I saw "To Fly" again at the OMNIMAX theater there. It is a terrific movie!
The Science Center had exhibits on everything ranging from airplanes to the mechanics of constructing the tallest manmade free-standing arch in the world. The museum is separated into two buildings: one is to the North of I-64; the other is to the South of I-64. The two buildings are connected by a walkway that goes over the freeway. There are several radar guns inside the walkway that are aimed directly at the lanes on the road -- so we could see who was speeding! The fastest car I saw was not going too fast -- only 60 miles per hour.
After leaving the Science Center, I drove to the tallest manmade free-standing arch in the world.
It is 630 feet tall, which also makes it the tallest man-made monument of any kind in America (the second-tallest monument, Washington Monument, is only 555 feet tall). The arch is also the tallest structure in Saint Louis.
Before going to the top, I saw a movie on how and why the arch was built, and the practical problems encountered by the construction crew that the architects had never realized!
It is called the "Gateway Arch" because throughout the history of this country, Saint Louis has been the "Gateway to the West". After several architects submitted their designs for a monument to symbolize this gateway, a very simple design was chosen -- that of a gate. The design was very basic, but building a 630-foot freestanding arch provided many unexpected problems. How do you build a self-supporting, looping structure?
The distance on the ground from one "leg" to the other is exactly 630 feet. The height of the arch is also exactly 630 feet. That was the only way it could be done -- to have the two "legs" of the arch support each other by pushing against each other using equal force.
The arch was completed in 1968.
The film was very interesting to watch!
There is also a museum next to the theater (all this is under the ground). The museum is dedicated to Thomas Jefferson, since he was primarily responsible for the initial steps toward Westward Expansion in 1803. There is a statue of Jefferson at the entrance to the museum, and he is facing directly West. This was symbolic to me as well. I was going West. Back home. Saint Louis was the "beginning of the end"... or so I thought...
I took the tram to the top. The tram to the top of the Gateway Arch is the only one of its kind anywhere in the World. How do you make an elevator that revolves as it goes up, while everyone inside stay in the same position?
A room inside a room.
The outside is a sphere. The inside is a cube.
I got in the cube, and the sphere started to roll up. As the sphere was rotating in one direction, the cube was rotating in the opposite direction -- this way, my legs were always pointed towards the ground.
Nothing of this kind had ever been built before, or since.
The view from the top was nice, but the highlight of this attraction is certainly the "elevator" to the top. Rating for Gateway Arch/Jefferson National Expansion Memorial = .
After coming down, I walked away from the arch to take some pictures. There are some excellent "Kodak Picture Spots" nearby, where the arch forms a frame around some building -- a picture seen in many postcards.
After walking around, I went to the OTHER arches (the twin golden arches[47]) for dinner.
Then I started driving South.
When I had left home, I had not intended to go to all states on this trip. My plan was such that both my trips COMBINED would cover all 48 contiguous states. On this trip, it was not my original intention to go to Texas, Louisiana, or Mississippi. I had already been to those states on the last trip. On this trip, I did go to Mississippi when I was staying in Memphis, so for the last few weeks I had been pondering the idea of driving to Texas and Louisiana. Doing so would cover all 48 contiguous states on this ONE TRIP alone. Of course, it did have its disadvantages as well -- it would put me further behind schedule.
After my trip to Milwaukee, that disadvantage was no longer relevant -- I stopped caring about such things.
There was nothing stopping me.
So I drove to Louisiana and Texas on this trip as well!
To get there, I had to drive South from Saint Louis.
So that's what I did.
I drove to the town of "Perryville", Missouri. Checked in at Budget Host motel in Perryville. Called Perry and told him I was in his town.
That night, I had an excellent idea...
I opened the map to see if what I wanted to do was feasible...
It was possible, provided that...
License Plates:
| PTUNIA | IL | Toyota Celica |
| ICE 53 | IL | Chevrolet Caprice |
| ME FOR 3 | IL | Volkswagon |
| IMACSR 4 | IL | Toyota Corolla |
| $37.28 | Chase | Best Western Inn | Collinsville, IL |
| $6.50 | CB | Admission -- Saint Louis Science Theater & OMNIMAX theater | Saint Louis, MO |
| $12 | Cash | Admission -- Gateway Arch Tram ticket & movie | Saint Louis, MO |
| $1 | Cash | "Gateway Arch" postcard -- Gateway Arch gift shop | Saint Louis, MO |
| $6 | Cash | Parking fee -- Gateway Arch | Saint Louis, MO |
| $4 | Cash | Dinner -- McDonalds | Saint Louis, MO |
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Go to start of this section
Continue on to July 11
[42]This distance is greater than the distance from Bombay International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport.
[43]The same car in which he was shot.
[44]For some strange reason, I had sincerely believed that the tallest building in the world would be more easily visible!
[45]This was the third time on this trip and fourth time total. I had seen it on my first trip in Houston Space Center; then again on my second trip at Huntsville Space Center in Alabama, Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and the National Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC.
[46]See May 5, 1995 -- Washington, DC.
[47]McDonalds