TWA Museum, Kansas City

Another museum in the Kansas City area is the TWA Museum; we took my father there as he's interested in aviation.

It was interesting with lots of mementos from the airline, including these old log books.

It's worth a visit if you're in the area and enjoy seeing these types of things.

Our World Tuesday

KC WWI Museum

I'm going to break my usual rule of no more than a couple of photos per post as I walk you through the Liberty Memorial and the National World War I Museum, in Kansas City, Missouri. It's one of the region's must-visit attractions, and I give it a very high recommendation. As you approach, the Liberty Memorial, dedicated to the men and women who served in World War I, stands out.

It's an impressive tower, and you can go to the top. On the day we were there it was cold and windy, but the photos I posted last week of Union Station and the Kansas City skyline were taken from it.

On either side of this tower are a couple of large halls with various artwork and displays.

The core of the museum is underground, with various tanks...

... and artillery on display.

There are also many educational displays, and even a couple of life-size recreations of the trenches in which so many people perished.

Our World Tuesday

Kansas City & Union Station

The Kansas City metropolitan area is split between the states of Kansas and Missouri, and when you're visiting you will switch back many times, often without noticing. Here's the downtown Kansas City skyline, taken from the Missouri side.

And some photos of the well-known Union Station; again this is on the Missouri side.

Our World Tuesday

Branson Hills

I'm still blogging about our trip to Missouri. The last post was from a trail just outside Branson. Near that trail was a fun little tower which I climbed - I took the first photo for Skywatch Friday, and the rest of the shots are from the tower's top.

Branson is a tourist town which has a lot of entertainment options, including this roller-coaster.

Here's a shot of the town. There are a lot of theaters with live entertainment.

I believe this tower has zip lines and bungee jumping, but as neither interest me I didn't explore more closely.

Old Courthouse Rotunda

I liked the rotunda in the St. Louis old courthouse so much I'm dedicating a whole post to it.

Our World Tuesday

Henning Creek Trail, Missouri

While we were in Missouri we visited Branson. Of course the most interesting part for me was a little hike outside the town, on the Henning Creek trail.

It was a pretty walk though a forest after the leaves had all fallen.

There was one spot with an overlook.

There were a couple of slightly rough spots, but nothing challenging for a Colorado hiker.

And most of the trail was easy and attractive.

All in all it was a nice way to spend an hour or two!

Scenic Weekends

Shadow Shot Sunday

Old Courthouse (St. Louis)

Across from the famous Arch in St. Louis is the old courthouse.

It is most well known for the infamous Dred Scott case, in which the Supreme Court decided that no person of African ancestry could claim citizenship in the United States.

Some of the courts have been preserved.

And here's one last view on a cloudy day.

Our World Tuesday

Arch Views & Museum

My last couple of Monday posts have been about the famous St. Louis Arch. The reward for getting to the top is spectacular views - on one side is the mighty Mississippi River.

On the other side you can see the city, including the ball park.

And the famous Old Courthouse is nearby - I'll blog more about this soon.

Underneath the Arch (literally - it's below ground level) was the Museum of Westward Expansion, although it closed shortly after our visit. It included some good exhibits, and its replacement is expected to open in the spring of 2017.

And that's all I've got from the Arch.

Our World Tuesday

Inside Arch

So, you ask, can you go to the top of the famous St. Louis Arch? Yes, and it's a very unusual tram system that takes you up, not for the claustrophobic or acrophobic. You climb into a small capsule with five tiny seats and not enough room to stand up.

It's a very unique system with several of these small capsules chained together; as they climb up the arch each capsule rotates to stay level, and the inside of the arch is visible through each capsule's small window. It takes about four minutes to get to the top, at which point you get out and climb the last few stairs.

The inside of the top of the arch isn't very big and looking through those windows you realize how high up you really are (630-foot or 192 m), with nothing between you and the ground. It was swaying noticeably when we were up there - it's designed to sway up to 9 inches in either direction while withstanding winds up to 150 miles per hour (240 km/h). But it's still an unsettling experience to feel it!

Our World Tuesday
Signs, Signs

More Arch Shots

Here are a couple more shots of the famous St. Louis Arch, looking straight up. Next week I'll show you how to get to the top!

Skywatch Friday

St. Louis Arch

Here are some shots of the famous Arch from when we were in St. Louis late last year.

I wanted to get slightly different perspectives from the usual.

Here's a close-up of the windows at the top - more to come from there later.

Our World Tuesday

Merry Christmas

Photos taken at Union Station, Kansas City, Missouri.