Wild, Wild, West

We are traveling west from our home. We are on our way to visit friends and family. Our journey takes us through the city of St. Louis. With temperatures over 100, we might describe the weather as the hot, hot west. 
In spite of such brutal temperatures, one encouraging sight today, strangers helping a man with a stalled car in the middle of an intersection. 

St. Louis has been described as the "Gateway to the West"

 If you click on the picture, you may see the brown banks of the Mississippi River. Currently, there are nearly 700 barges not able to carry their cargo because of the river's water level.  Last year, I traveled this same route. What a difference a year makes... then, we were experiencing a records floods.  City and county governments are encouraging citizens to conserve energy.  St. Louis temperatures may reach 108 by this Friday.