Home > Full Speed Ahead > Archives > 2008 > July > 04 > Entry
900 miles later, the fun begins, at least after some sleep
It’s 12:24 a.m. on Friday, Central Standard Time. Happy Fourth of July.
Twenty four hours ago, we were settling into a Howard Johnson in Biltmore Forest off I-40 near Asheville, N.C.
My 74-year-old mother, my daughters, 7 and 10, my wife and I tucked ourselves into a couple of double beds and a roll-out for a few hour’s sleep before hitting the road again.
Now I’m on the 18th floor of a hotel on the riverfront in St. Louis, Mo., with a view of the mighty flooded Mississippi, the Gateway Arch, the new Busch Stadium and the impressive dome of the Old Court House, where the Dred Scott case was heard.
We arrived here after driving 16 hours and 900 miles over two days, on the road from Greenville. We pulled in about 6 p.m. Thursday, then headed back out to visit a high school friend and her family, visit my sister-in-law and nephews and drop my mom off at the home of her best buddy.
We’ll get a good night’s sleep tonight because, one, we’re tired and, two, we will need it for tomorrow.
The Fourth is one of the city’s biggest days. Tens of thousands head downtown for the annual Veiled Profit Fair, which features free music, great food from St. Louis’ melting pot of German, Italian, African and Irish cultures, and, of course, one of the biggest fireworks shows around, with rounds shot from a river barge on the Illinois side of the Mississippi.
Drake Bell from one of my girls’ favorite Nickelodeon television shows, Drake and Josh, will be singing, and my nephews will be spending the day with us.
We might even swim in the pool on the top story of the hotel.
Obviously there’s a lot going on, and that’s just Friday.
Not as much detail is necessary for Saturday. Suffice it to say we’ll be climbing the 630-foot arch and watching the Cardinals take on the Cubs in sold-out Busch.
Of course we hope to catch up with a lot of friends along the way, and eat a lot food that they just don’t make back in the North Carolina.
Before you know it, we’ll be back on the road for another 16-hour trek back to Greenville.
But until then, we hope you have a great Fourth and keep checking back here for a lot more, including some photos, video and audio we’ve shot along the way.
I’ll post as soon as I can in the morning, but now, some much-needed shuteye.
Bobby Burns is associate editor of Internet news and information at The Daily Reflector. A native North Carolinian, he grew up in St. Louis, Mo.
Here is an image from the room of the Arch on Friday morning, after a good night’s rest. Fireworks will be shot from a barge on the far side of the river tonight.
Here is an image from the room of the Old Courthouse. Just behind it is the new Busch Stadium, some lights and red seats peak out between the dome and the building to its right. We’ll be watching the Cards play the rival Cubs there on Saturday. People are beginning to line the street for the 118th Veiled Profit parade.
Comments
By Brad Hufford
July 9, 2008 8:39 AM | Link to this
I really enjoyed reading your story about your trip. I am also a native North Carolinian, but I spent 5 years in St. Louis while I was in High School (Hazelwood West ‘95). My dad was in the military. I miss living in St. Louis, especially around the 4th of July. The City always puts on a great fireworks display. I even saw James Brown perform one year. I really miss going to Cardinal Games, and enjoying some (all-american) Anheuser Busch product, while sitting in the stands. It’s been about 2 years since I was there last, but I did get to go to a game in the new Busch Stadium. My buddy and his wife from St. Louis came down to NC in May. I really enjoyed your pictures, I took my prom date to the restaurant in the round building in your shot of the stadium from the arch. The whole thing rotated while you ate dinner. Anyway glad there are others with a NC-STL connection.