Day of the meat fest

We woke early this morning after a quiet night in the Harrah's parking lot, and after a breakfast of pancakes I got the van off the trailer, cleaned the road grime off the windows and got it ready to go into downtown St. Louis.

We loaded up Ben, and hit the I70 towards the Gateway Arch. After finding parking, we walked along the riverfront, where we saw loaded barges making their way down the Mississippi, and saw a monument to Lewis and Clark, who began and ended their 2 1/2 year exploration to the west here in St. Louis.

As we approached the Arch we were stunned by the size of the monument. Built in 1963, 64 and 65, it towers over 600 ft. high, and is made of huge panels of stainless steel flawlessly welded together. It's a true engineering marvel. There is a tram that goes to the top, but we decided not to brave the line-ups and the heavy security checks to see it. Also, Ben would not be allowed.

After admiring the arch, and the neighboring old courthouse, we checked out the riverboats that take cruises along the river. Then, hunger getting the best of us we got back to the car and went in search of BBQ.

We'd done our research, and found out that one of the best BBQ shacks in town was Roper's Ribs, a Mom and Pop shop that has received numerous awards for its food. Our trusty GPS got us there, and we found ourselves in a somewhat rundown neighborhood. We were the only white faces in sight. Inside the little joint we were greeted by Denise Roper who made us welcome. She asked where we were from, and when we told her, and explained what we are doing, she said she was jealous. We ordered the traveler's special sampler, with baby back ribs, beef ribs, a pound of pulled pork, homemade beans and coleslaw, fries, buns, bread and soft drinks. Total price $34 plus tax. We waited about 30 minutes for the food to be prepared, then rushed back to our motorhome to feast. And what a feast it was... too much to eat in one sitting, and just fabulous flavors. We highly recommend Roper's Ribs if you're in St. Louis.

After stuffing ourselves (and Ben) we loaded the van on the trailer and vegged out. Tomorrow we head south towards Memphis. The pictures above are the arch, the welds on the arch, the barges, the Lewis and Clark monument, the old courthouse, the riverboat pier, Denise Roper at work, and Marlene in front of Roper's memory wall, and of course, the food.