Wednesday morning the arctic air that swept down over the Mid-west brought the temperatures in the single digits as we drove through St. Louis and crossed the mighty Mississippi.

Linda took this picture of the famous "Gateway to the West" that stands on the bank of the river, welcoming travelers to St. Louis and the great western expanse of the American continent.

Here is where so many early settlers, explorers, adventurers and pioneers came to get outfitted and ready for their western journey across the plains.

We didn't stop but kept on heading east, changing from I-70 to I-64 as we crossed onto the Illinois shore and continued on through southern Illinois, then on through southern Indiana, finally stopping for the night in Frankfort, Kentucky.