Day 36

We were officially out of free days. The reason we had so many stacked on the end of the trip was so we could go make up a game if it got rained out. According to the weather report, we were supposed to have thunderstorms throughout the day and during prime game time for the Cardinals game. We have had such good luck, we were hopeful that we would be able to finish up the trip. 

  Joe let us sleep in a bit and treated us to cinnamon French toast while we figured out a game plan. Our friend Brian, from Marquette, met up with us and we drove over to the arch. We got a bit of a later start than we anticipated, but we were still able to get a good tour time. Instead of bumming around the Arch grounds for a few hours, we spent some time at the City Museum. It was so much fun. We went crawling through tunnels, climbed a million flights of stairs, and went down a couple of huge slides (one of them was 10 stories high). Joe said that we probably saw 7% of the whole thing while we were there, so naturally we have decided to come back and visit. 

  Our trip up to the top of the arch was fun. Everyone in our group had been up to the top except for Tim before this. He handled the height like a trooper. The view was pretty good, because the clouds were clearing up. We had yet to have any rain, and were keeping our fingers crossed. 

 We went to Pappy’s for a late lunch, which is known for their ribs. For the six of us, we ordered The Adam Bomb, a slab of ribs, a brisket sandwich, a pulled pork sandwich, a quarter of a chicken, a frito pie, an additional slab of ribs, a BBQ salad, six sides, and bread. And we ate the whole thing. Joe picked a good place. 
  When we were in Baltimore, we heard about a couple, Nestor and Jen, that would be doing a 30 games in 30 days trip for bone marrow. We weren’t really sure what that meant, but we thought it was cool. A few days ago, they reached out to us and told us we would be at the Cardinals game at the same time as them if we wanted to meet up! It turns out they are doing their 30 day tour, and in as many parks as possible, are setting up a booth where people can register for the bone marrow registry. It’s a great way for them to find new people. Jen was saved by a bone marrow transplant a year ago today, and they are determined to help anyone else that needs it. The four of us registered and swapped some stories. We will get to see them tomorrow too, because they will be in Milwaukee. 

We weren’t just at any Cardinals game tonight, we were at a Cubs-Cardinals game. Tim proudly walked around in his Cubs gear all day, and received a lot of attention from the St. Louis locals. 

  We got a few drops of rain, and that was it. The thunderstorms weren’t going to hit St. Louis, and we were golden. Overall it was a pretty good game. The Cardinals tied it up 2-2 in the 8th and won 3-2 in the 10th. 

  We got back to Joe’s place for our last night of the trip. We won’t be going to bed, we will be taking a nap. It’s hard to believe that in less than 24 hours the 4 of us won’t be together anymore. It’s even harder to believe that this trip is almost over.