First week is complete

As the wicked witch said, "Help me, I am melting".  The extreme heat wave is starting to take its toll.  This was at least the 3rd day in a row of heat indexes in the 90s.  The upcoming weather reports indicate it is going to get worse for the next week of my trip.  Even when I get to Denver in 10 days, the projection is for 96 degrees on June 23.  Stops along the way are expected to have air temps over 100.  Even with the car ac on, this is going to present a challenge.  Obviously, some of the things I had hoped to do are changing.  Yesterday was an excellent example. 

  First stop was a local card store Aaron told me about, where I picked up a few 1914 B-18 Blankets.  Then met up for brunch with Aaron Shirley at the "Corner Café".  Renown for being the place everyone goes to in Centralia (about a dozen other patrons knew Aaron there).  The entire restaurant is decked out in Cardinals memorabilia.  There are 2 Cubs items outside the bathroom, to give you an idea what they think of them in this part of IL.  Aaron did comment that  only I would need Blankets (B-18s) on a 90+ degree day.

I then went into St. Louis with the expectation of going to the Arch, Memories Museum and Memorial Plaza.  I ended up finding street parking for 2 hours maximum, near the Memorial Plaza.  This is on the same street name as the Arch (Market Street), and only a block from memories Museum.  I can do 1 or 2 things, and reload the parking meter.  I head first to Memorial Plaza, figuring to get the outside item done first, while I was freshest, and then go inside for ac. 

Memorial Plaza is supposed to be 3 or so blocks long.  A couple of the blocks were fenced off for remodeling/reconstruction.  Strike one. 

  There were still some areas open.  This was a nice tribute to Firemen.

  As I mentioned the heat caused me to change my plans and I had to look at things from a different perspective.  Fortunately, the heat did not give me a splitting headache.

  I made it down to the courthouse where the Dred Scot case was heard, and where tickets to the Arch are sold.  Unfortunately, when I got there, fire alarms had gone off, and they had evacuated the building and I could not buy a ticket to the Arch.  By the time they re-opened a short time later, there would not have been enough time to do the Arch and get back to my car before the meter expired.  I toured the Court House and read up on the case.  Impressive view of the Arch from the back of the Court House.  Strike 2.

I then hoofed it back the mile towards Memories Museum, trying to stay in the shade as much as possible.  About a 15 degree temp difference between the sun and the shade.  I get to Union Station, where Memories Museum was, and Hard Rock Café nearby.  I find out Union Station is almost completely deserted.  Except for a Subway's and 1 other establishment, everything has moved out/closed down.  This includes Memories Museum.  AAA Tour Guide got this one wrong!  Strike 3. 

I had only been in the area for a couple hours, and was dripping from the heat, and had not accomplished much from my list.  The AAA Tour Guide also listed the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis as a Gem to see.  I do find the stained glass windows in old churches fascinating.  I had tried to go to the Basilica in Dyersville, IA a few days earlier, but there was a Saturday afternoon mass in progress, so I did not go in. 

  This Church had intricate domes, but very little in stain glass.  They also had organ music being played.  I enjoy organ music, especially at the Redford Theatre, but this was the eeriest music I have heard.  I kept looking around for Edgar Allen Poe or Alfred Hitchcock.  Just a few other tourists with fingers in their ears. 

Called it a day and headed back in Aaron's house, where we went for burgers and then to an ice cream/ice shavings store.