Day 100 - St. Louis

I'd thought, three months ago, that hitting triple digits would be a big deal. A landmark.

Instead, it was a good run, but a great day.

The boys and I traveled to St. Louis for a Spring Break mini vacation.

I won't bore you with my vacation slides and stories, mostly because we just got home and we're all semi-conscious and in need of some serious sleep.

Instead, the run. A 15 minute tour of the Gateway Arch and other bits and pieces of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial 

The sun was just peaking up over Illinois. It was cool. The air was still.

This is the view from behind the fountain at the Old Courthouse.

This is the view form inside the fountain.

This is my first fountain under the jurisdiction of the national parks. I'd been eyeing it since we arrived. It was right across from the hotel.

I wasn't nearly as terrified as I appear to be in the photo, but I was cautious. There are a lot of older gentleman who serve as park rangers. They look as though they had expected to be retired by now. I didn't want to end up in federal prison for defiling a national monument fountain, the the bitter crotchety ranger could version of "Get off my lawn!".

This was also the deepest fountain to date. Hit me mid-thigh. Good morning!

Note the runner dude sculpture. That's probably not the official name of the sculpture. Still cool. Wish the fountain had been on.

Busch Stadium... where the Cardinals play... baseball.

Geez I look like a doof. Long arming with an iPhone is not easy.

The Arch from the Millennium Hotel

This is not the hotel we stayed in.

Huh? Oh yeah, it's a very nice fountain.  What? Here?!? Now!?! What happens if someone... 

An unexpected two-fer.

This was one of the most slippery fountain bottoms I've ever nearly dropped my iPhone into.

Sunrise

I rounded the corner, still dripping from the Millennium fountain, and saw this striking image of the sun rising between the legs of the arch.

As I ran on, I couldn't take my eyes off of the gorgeous view, and nearly ran over a priest who himself was reading his bible while walking instead of watching where he was going. After dodging him, I decided not to try to figure out the volume of bad karma I'd just narrowly avoided. Instead I ran on, reminding myself to keep half and eye forward.

Aside from the priest, and a guy meditating while sitting under a tree watching the sunrise, I had the monument grounds to myself.

I moved to the south end of the park and came to a point where the path forked. I wondered how people decided which path to take, as I took to the grass, right up the middle.

The run was over too quick, but I'd been away too long. The boys and I had an arch to ascend and adventures to undertake.

It was a good run. It was a great day.

Good running,

Doug

Numbers: 1.7 miles, most of which was spent gazing at the beautiful arc of the arch.