St Louis

After narrowly escaping an avalanche by a day and with a dangerous storm approaching, we managed to fly out of snowy Colorado just in time. We arrived in St Louis and that night an ice storm hit the area freezing the rain to trees, telephone wires and roads. As a result, hundreds of trees fell onto electricity cables leaving thousands of houses in the dark and cold.

Met up with Taryn's friends, David and Brigitte, who showed us around the city. St Louis is situated on the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. It was the gateway to the West where travellers met and prepared for their adventures. It was a trading port and has now grown into a 3 million plus city. We were pleasantly surprised at how interesting the city was and that it had so much culture.

We got to visit the Gateway Arch which is over 200m high and is made of stainless steel. Can you believe that there is a tram inside the arch which takes you right to the top where you can see for miles. Ryan braved the tiny egg-shaped capsules that rotated every few metres to ensure the passengers remained vertical as they ascend. We both kept looking up at this incredible structure and marvelled at the video showing how it was constructed.

We were also very fortunate to have the opportunity to see Chuck Berry performing live at the Blueberry Hill bar with his son and daughter. He is 80 years old and lives in St Louis. Despite his years, he still put on an incredible show, jumping around on stage with his electric guitar.