My hotel is in Weldon Spring off Exit 11 of I64/US40/US61. This is approximately 28 miles due west of the St. Louis Arch and downtown. So I had mapped out clues along this route to look for letterboxes along the way to my main destination for the day - which was the Arch. The traffic wasn't too bad and before I knew it 'Nimrag' had successfully navigated me to Concordia Seminary to look for Back to the Beginning.
I parked and began my search. I needed to find a statue and two plaques to figure out the clues to the box. I found all three without any problems and I deciphered a couple of things that gave me all the clues I needed to find the box - at least this is what I thought. So I followed all the directions and got to the last part and it didn't make sense. I had found all the landmarks (at least what I thought were the landmarks) but the last thing I was looking for was no where around where I was. I am being a little vague here because it is a bit of a mystery and I don't want to give anything away. So needless to say I didn't find the box but I did have a nice walk around the beautiful campus and it was a peaceful way to start the day. So back in the car I consulted 'Nimrag' for the next destination and he kindly and without incident directed me to the spot. I followed the clues and crossed the street to the fountain. I instantly felt calm and peace. The clues took me first to the Humane Society and then across the street to the Carol Gates Throop Memorial Park. Near the street is a fountain with a wall and the sign and logo for the Humane Society. To the left of the wall begins a bricked paved path lined with columns leading to a covered sitting area with benches. As you approach the covered area the path goes to the left and there are Columbariums for the pets' ashes. The brick paved path has bricks engraved with pets' names and dates. From the Columbariums there is a gravel path that circles the park. Along the path are trees and plants placed in tribute of pets. There are also benches that you can sit on and take in all the love that is in this park. I talked with the grounds keeper and you could tell he enjoyed taking care of this little park. He also told me a little about the Humane Society. The building is huge and they can house up to 600 animals - that is amazing. I eventually looked for and found the letterbox BFF. I stamped in on one of the benches and I really was missing my dogs back home and I was having memories of Boudreaux - it is times like these that really get me missing him. After stamping in and rehiding the box I just sat for a little while and then decided it was time to move on if I wanted to get to the Arch. 
I didn't need any help getting to the next location because I had checked my maps and knew "The Hill" was just a few blocks down the road from the Humane Society. So I made my way to the intersection of Elizabeth Ave. and Sublette Ave. to begin my search for FSL: Kings of the Hill. I had to drive down Elizabeth Ave. and look for a couple of things at a couple of houses - (Baseball greats Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola, Sr. grew up on the Hill; their boyhood homes are across the street from each other on Elizabeth Avenue. This was taken from Wikipedia). I got the info I needed from these houses and made my way to the first location. I then did my math homework for both boxes and then went in search of the first box. With all the info I had from doing my homework the box was easy to find. I found a nice spot to sit and stamp in. Done with box one I headed to box two. Since I had all the info figured out I was able to find this box even faster than the first one. I kind of wished I hadn't eaten breakfast at the hotel because some of the Italian restaurants an bakeries in the are looked great. Even though I was having a lot of fun letterboxing in St. Louis it was time to head over to the Arch - this was a priority for me and I decided today would be the perfect day to go - I figured a week day would be better than the weekend. With the help of the GPS I arrived in the area and found a place to park. I walked into the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. The area is beautiful! It sits right on the Mississippi River and is green and filled with trees and walking paths. And in the middle of it is Eero Saarinen's magnificent design - The Gateway Arch. I walked around the area and took some pictures and admired the Arch. I picked the perfect day - it wasn't crowded (actually very few people and I never had to wait in any lines) and it was a little overcast and cloudy but no rain and no bright sun. I eventually made my way down to the Visitors Center and went through security - kind of like at the airport, only these people were much friendlier. *Another Note: Maybe we should let the National Park Service do security at the airports, just saying!* I then wandered around the center looking at exhibits, watched a couple of short movies, checked out the gift shop and got my National Passport Cancellation Stamps. After about 45 minutes of being in the Park I finally made my way to the tram to take my ride to the top. Now this is my first visit here and when I purchased my ticket it struck me funny that the woman at the counter would ask me if I had any problems with claustrophobia. Once the little door opened and I saw the tram car I knew why she asked. The tram car is about five feet in diameter with a flat floor and five seats. 
There is only the one opening and it is about four feet high. You are enclosed in the car with a small window to look out of for about four minutes for the ride to the top. I didn't seem to have any problem in the space but I have to say it is small. You can read more about the design and building of the arch at The Gateway Arch - Its History and Architecture. I got to the top and enjoyed the views out of the tiny windows, I also took some pictures before taking the tram back down to the bottom. From the Arch I crossed the street and visited the Old Courthouse which is part of the Park. I took a quick tour of this building which is beautiful and full of history. It was a very enjoyable visit.After my visit to the Park I decided to look for a letterbox in the area. The clues told you to "start directly west of our famous giant wire-hanger-stuck-in-the-ground and drive west on Market". This got you to your starting point. If you find the right spot and follow the rest of the clues the box is easy to find. The clues did warn of lots of security around but to be hoest none of them paid me any attention and two of the three security officers I say were all talking on cell phones and not really paying any attention to what was going on. So retrieving the box was easy. I took it to a nearby bench and stamped in. To put it back, I just faked taking pictures in the area and slipped it right back into place. Well this was the only box in the area that I had clues for so I decided to spend the rest of my time in downtown doing one of my 'Art Walks'.
I started west of the Old Courthouse and came across a large fountain with shooting water and a statue in the middle of it.
The statue is called Olympic Runner and I loved it - It is detailed and beautiful. A little further west brought me to a large cascading waterfall and fountain with steps leading down into a lower level which was also very beautiful. From here I crossed the street and entered Citygarden. I spent about an hour and a half enjoying this area. The garden takes up three acres and contains 23 sculptures as well as fountains and small pools. It is also planted to emphasize Missouri native trees, shrubs, grasses, groundcovers and wildflowers. You are encouraged to enjoy the art - that means that you can touch it, climb on it and you can get into the pools. Here is an excerpt from the brochure I picked up - "You won't find walls or fences, admissions fees or do not touch signs, because at Citygarden you are always free.I just loved that. So I did spend a little time reclining on a large rabbit while I read the brochure and I tried my feet at the Dance Chimes and climbed into Eros' head. I had a great time here but it was time to leave downtown and make my way west before the traffic got too bad.
FREE TO EXPLORE. FREE TO PLAY. FREE TO FEEL INSPIRED."
It was still early enough to do something but I wasn't sure what. Then I decided to drive and see where the park for the event tomorrow was and maybe look for a box or two. So I headed down MO94 and about 13 miles from my hotel was the park. I didn't stop here, I decided to drive out to Dutzow and look for a box and check out the Daniel Boone Monument.
I found the drive along MO94 very beautiful but the road is very curvy and the traffic moves fast. There were times I wanted to pull over and let someone pass me but there aren't any shoulders and not many turnoffs. I made it to the monument and took a few pictures and read the info on the stone. Then I looked for the Daniel Boone letterbox while I was there but was unable to find it. Not sure if it is missing or if I just didn't get the clues. Anyway, I enjoyed my drive and got to see where Daniel Boone 'is' buried or 'was' buried depending on which story you believe. To understand this you can read Boone's Bones Brouhaha to get a better picture. While on my trip I will be in Frankfort so I will visit the gravesite there as well and then I can be pretty sure that I will have been where he is buried. On the way back to Weldon Spring I stopped at the entrance to the park for the event tomorrow and the gate was open but the sign said the park closed at sunset. It wasn't quite sunset but it was getting close so I decided to forgo a visit tonight and head back to the hotel.It was a great day in St. Louis and I really enjoyed myself. I am looking forward to the event tomorrow and I will be back to tell you all about it.
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