Tourists in St Louis

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Our next stop after Cape Girardeau was to the St Louis area. The main reason for our stop here was to have our motorhome get its annual service. Ideally, we would have had it serviced in Gaffney South Carolina at the facility that built our Freightliner chassis but they were booked out into June even though we had called in November. As we were planning our route out to Colorado this year, we realized we would be near Troy Illinois and the place we had our rig serviced back in 2019. We were pleased with their work so we decided to use them again this year. Unfortunately they do not take reservations for service work but when we called several months ago they said they would “pencil us in” for this upcoming Monday.

We were coming in on a Sunday and wanted to be fairly close to the service facility so we could be there early Monday morning. The Elks lodge in Granite City Illinois is only 13 miles away. They have two sites with 30A electric and water. Chris had found on the lodge’s website, they were holding a benefit for a fallen law enforcement officer so we delayed our arrival in case the place was packed and we had nowhere to park. We arrived late afternoon and the event was still going strong but the area where the RV hookups are located was not impacted by all the cars. We went in and had a nice talk with several of the members while enjoying a beer at the bar. We told them we were heading nearby for service but hoped to come back for a few days in order to tour the sights in nearby St Louis.

We got up early Monday and drove separately over to the service facility. We got our rig checked in and then went to the driver’s lounge to wait. We expected that this year’s maintenance might take a bit longer than the last time we were here, but still figured we would get out by late afternoon and could head back to the Elks lodge. We sat for a couple hours and saw our rig was still sitting in the parking lot - not a good sign. Then the service manager came to tell us that our motorhome had a emissions related recall on it and it was unlikely to get both the maintenance and recall taken care of today. Even worse, the recall required a portion of the exhaust system to be taken apart to read a serial number to even determine if ours needed a replacement part. If a replacement was called for, it would need to be ordered. So not only was it not looking good to get out of there by closing time, we were unlikely to have our rig available at all!

By five o’clock, we spoke with the service manager and he said the annual service was not quite complete but would be finished early the following morning and then another technician could look into the emissions recall. With our all electric coach, we needed to plug it in to electric so the batteries could be recharged from sitting all day and keep our refrigerator running as well. There are at least 50 service bays but I managed to find our rig and talk to the technician that was still working on the annual service to explain I needed to plug the rig in. With that completed, we drove to the Best Western a half mile up the road. This wasn’t our first time in the last five plus years of full time travels that we haven’t slept in our rig, but the other times were of our own choosing.

I headed back to service the next morning wanting to check up on the rig and see what the scoop was. I went to the same stall as last night and it wasn’t there. The first technician said it had been moved outside for the next technician to look at. I drove around the back parking lot and couldn’t find our motorhome but I saw it thru one of the service bay door windows. It took me awhile to actually get to the rig and by that time the second technician had managed to get the emissions part serial and was heading to the front office to check if ours needed replacement. He said ours was assembled such that he didn’t need to completely remove the exhaust system to get to the serial number. I just waited the 10 minutes it took him to come back. Of course ours did need replacement and it was ordered with delivery expected by early tomorrow morning.  I was bummed since it looked like another night at the Best Western but then he told me I could just drive the rig back to one of their RV sites. We didn’t even realize they had outdoor electric sites. He told me where they were and I drove the rig over to one of them and hooked up to power.

With the rig in a safe spot with power, I headed back to the motel to checkout and get Chris. Since it was still early, we figured we could head into St Louis and visit some of the places we wanted to see. First stop would be the St Louis Gateway Arch. Chris had investigated parking options near the Arch and we made it thru the traffic without too much trouble. On our drive there, we also booked a tour at the Anheuser Busch Brewery for later in the day.

Morning Sun on Gateway Arch

I probably knew this fact but had simply forgotten that the Gateway Arch is actually a National Park instead of a National Monument or Historic Site which seems more appropriate. But I guess this will allow us to check another National Park off our list. Chris had already made it clear, she had no desire to ride up to the top of the Arch. She had done this as a kid and her fear of heights hasn’t gotten any better in the intervening years. I bought two tickets for the movie about the making of the Arch and one for the tram ride. Both were for specific times so we were on a bit of a schedule.

Our movie time was just a few minutes out so we headed to the theater. As engineers, we were rather impressed with the movie and just how complicated the design and construction process was. It gave us an even better appreciation for the skill and effort that went into building this thing back in the mid 1960’s. There are lots of displays in the visitor center and I wandered around them quickly while Chris stood in line to pick up some lunch. This was the first time in quite a while where I felt like we were in full tourist mode. We had limited time to see the Arch and then drive over to the brewery tour later in the afternoon.  It really did limit how many of the exhibits I could check out.

A Group Gathers for Earlier Tram Ride

Westward Ho!

When I saw Chris had food available, I quickly ate so I could get in line for my tram ride to the top. There was a line of roughly 20 people for my time slot. One of the workers walked past the line asking how many people were in each group and then she handed out tickets with a number 1 through 8 - I was seven. We were led to another area where we all stood on numbered circles on the floor when our guide told us some facts, show a couple brief movies and answer questions.

Waiting to Go "To The Top"

Groups at Introduction

As the last tour group came down, we were led over to the boarding area to enter our designated tram car. It felt a bit odd to have my own car. It wasn’t clear how much of the grouping was standard procedure or more likely COVID procedures? In theory each of the eight cars can hold 5 people although it would be a tight fit if there are more than three in the car.

Tram Entrance Doors

Looking in Tram Car ...

... and Looking Out

The several minute ride itself was fine although a bit odd. At times the car would be tilted but then come back to level. It is possible to look thru the glass door of the tram car but the view is not to the outside world but simply the inner guts of the Arch. Much of the time, all I see is a concrete wall a few inches away with some electrical conduit. But there are times where the view opens up a bit and I can see some of the is of the inner workings - emergency stairs (let’s hope I don’t experience them!) and what looked like a workbench.

The Long Way Down

Maintenance Bench

When we come to a stop, our doors open and the group before us is lined up to board. There isn’t a lot of room in the stairwell to have both groups of people, but when we get to the viewing area it doesn’t seem crowded at all. Each side of the Arch has 16 viewing windows - each 7 x 27 inches rectangles. Since the floor is curved to match the Arch itself, it seems a bit disorienting as I got from from one viewing window to the next.

Inside the Viewing Area Up Top

630 Feet Up

It was a relatively clear day so the views were rather impressive. Looking to the east is the mighty Mississippi River and Illinois. Since the windows don’t open, there is some glare in the photos but not too bad.

Looking Over to Illinois

Pretty High Up

To the west is downtown St Louis including Busch Stadium - home of the Cardinals. After 10 minutes or so, the guide called our group over to the stairway that leads back to the tram cars. As the next group exits, we enter our cars. Chris was waiting for me as I came out from the tour. She said we only had a few more minutes to explore here in order to get back to the parking garage and drive over to our brewery tour. We wandered outside the visitor center to get other views of the arch. Unfortunately the old courthouse is undergoing renovations so it wasn’t possible to tour the inside but I guess we wouldn’t have had time to see much of it anyway.

Downtown St Louis

A Look into Busch Stadium

Old Courthouse

Full Arch

It was only about a 5 mile drive from the Gateway Arch to the Anheuser-Busch (AB) Brewery on the south side of St Louis so we had no issues getting there on time for our 2 o’clock tour. They offer several different tours. The one that lets you meet one of the iconic Clydesdale horses sounded pretty good but we really wanted a beer-centric tour. We picked the 2 hour, $40 per person Beermaster Tour. It sounded like a good, in depth tour that should let us see a behind the scenes of how they make their beer. The tours start at the Biergarten. It’s a new looking building that is part gift shop, museum, bar and restaurant.

Approaching Biergarten

Large Entrance Hall

Neon Sign

Our tour started by going to one of the private rooms upstairs where our tour guide introduces himself and then asks our small group of ten to do the same. He was recently out of college with a theater degree. Coming out of school as a theater major in the middle of COVID was not very good timing on his part. He was instead working at AB as a tour guide so in a way, he still gets to perform in front of an audience. We were all given complimentary ball caps as well as safety glasses and wireless headsets so we could hear him as we wandered around the facility. Much of the tours consists of walking from one building to another. The first thing Chris and I both notice is just how much this St Louis AB facility reminds us of Kodak Park back in Rochester NY. Lots of old red brick buildings with overhead piping transporting liquids (probably predominantly water and beer) between buildings.

Well Stocked Bar at Start of Tour

Clydesdale Stables

Beautiful Brick and Stone Work

One of the first stops was at the Clydesdale stables. We only got a glimpse of one of the horses being led behind the building we entered. We thought we had seen some pretty fancy horse stables during a tour we did in Lexington Kentucky, but this one steps it up a notch. It’s a large circular building with a huge brass chandelier and stained glass all around the upper level. Even the individual horse stalls have stained glass windows which the horses likely don’t appreciate as much as the human visitors. There are several of the old wagons that the horses have pulled over the years. One side room has all the intricately made harnesses. The brass buckles and other hardware are all nicely polished ready for the next Budweiser commercial.

Beautiful Chandelier and Stained Glass

Mark, Duke and General Live Here

Old Budweiser Beer Wagon

The Clydesdale Gear

The next stop was in one of the beechwood aging cellars. The building is quite large and houses many tanks that holds immense amounts of beer. I believe the way our tour guide put it - if you drank a 12 ounce glass every hour for 24 hours a day, seven days a week, it would take something like 130 years to finish one tank off!

One of the Aging Tanks

Beechwood Used in AB Aging

Eagle Watches Over Us

The next stop was the brewhouse. This building has a rather fancy interior. There are several levels of large tanks with elaborate wrought iron railing and staircases. It looked more for show than actual beer making but it was in use given that the kettles were all quite warm.

Entering Brewhouse

Ornate Railings

Old Copper Sink

Fancy Tile Artwork

Back outside, we head over to the Old Lyon Schoolhouse - now a museum for everything AB. We got a bit of history from our guide, but then were let on our own to explore the numerous displays. There was a lot to check out in this museum. Lots of old memorabilia, cans, signs, steins and other advertising artwork from days gone by.

Logo in Stone

Old Beer Cans

Fancy Beer Steins

Carved Wood of AB Plant

The next stop was the Bevo packaging facility. Back in prohibition days, Bevo was the brand of non-alcoholic malt beverage, or near beer that AB produced. It featured a fox as the mascot for the products. The large building features large concrete versions of the fox on its corners. Inside the lobby of the building is a great deal of custom tile from Rookwood Pottery of Cincinnati Ohio. Hard to imagine how something so ornate is the entrance to a bottling plant.

Reynard the Fox

Elevators at Packaging Facility

Rookwood Pottery Tile

Closeup of Reynard Tile

We took the elevator to an upper floor that has a viewing area over the bottling lines. It’s a rather impressive facility and the bottles were whizzing by at high speed.

Overlooking Packaging

Beer Bottle Conveyor

We came back outside after this stop and were directed to a trolley car to drive us to our next destination - the finishing cellars. This building is another one with extremely large tanks filled with beer just waiting to be bottled. Each tank holds enough beer to fill 496,000 12 ounce bottles of beer! Our mission here was to do some quality control. Our tour guide selects one of the tanks and opens a valve that lets beer pour out at high velocity. He does this to show that we cannot simply fill our complimentary AB glasses with beer without some help. He has some stainless steel gizmo with a dozen or so loops of tubing that can attach to the valve and limit the flow. He now opens the tank valve and the beer comes out at a more reasonable speed. We each take our turn filling our glass but it doesn’t get turned on and off between each person so a large amount of beer just hits the ground and runs into the nearby drain. This will be the freshest beer any of us will ever drink. He explains more about the whole beer making process and tells us to fill our glasses again if we like. Nobody tried to simply drink from the stream of beer without the use of a glass, but I thought about it.

Another Beautiful Brick Building Across from Bevo

Our Trolley Ride

Entering Finishing Cellar

Chris Pours a Fresh One

Next we head to where we started at the Biergarten and upstairs to our small room. Now we are offered any of 40 plus varieties of beers and seltzers that fall under the AB family. We sit around and chat with the rest of the tour group. As we finished up our beers, we head back down to the bar to try an order of what is supposedly a St Louis specialty - toasted (or fried) ravioli. It was good but not necessarily better than regular ravioli.

Mini-Museum Near Biergarten

Old Budweiser Truck

We head back to the service facility to find our rig safely sitting next to the small pond with an island and gazebo. Other than we are only several hundred feet from Interstate 55, it isn’t a bad setup. We will need to get up early tomorrow so our technician can start to work on our exhaust recall. More on that and a visit to the zoo in the next post.

Looking Back from Gazebo

Island View