Visiting Barb and Bob in St. Louis

After driving all day in close to 100 degree weather, I arrived at my friends' home around 5:20.  I'm in St. Louis for a few days; it's good to be still for awhile before driving the rest of the route.  It's been three years since I've seen my friends, so I'm glad I'm not just breezing in and out for a quick visit.

The rest of Illinois was fun--I stopped at a maple sirup (yes, that's how they spell it) grove, saw the Nestle factory, a church and a tiny chapel, Burma Shave signs, a Bunyon man, an old drive-in theatre, old gas stations turned museums, defunct motels, and more.

I am finding my way and deciding what to see through the use of a set of Rt. 66 maps and two guide books. I got an Illinois pamphlet that also described sights to see, although a lot of them are simply old architecture, museums, or more current businesses that are a tribute to the road, ie a new 50's style diner. 

Even though I started out around 7:30 yesterday morning, I only drove 107 miles, and still decided to bypass some of the things that weren't directly on 66.

So, here are some photos from Illinois' piece of the Mother Road--they are from both days.

An example of a newer 66 business--two old railroad cars stacked together.

Many original Rt. 66 gas stations have been restored and turned into museums, some to promote the nostagia associated with 66, and/or others to raise money neede to preserve more icons of the road.

Used to be more common to put ads on sides of barns--this is an original that's been restored--one of the more famous sights on the road.

Rt. 66, as is true with many roads, had several alignments over the years.  Sometimes I had to chose between two alignments, each going through several towns.  More commonly, a newer version was close to the original.  Here's the original with the grass going, closed to traffic, and a newer alignment to the right.  Way over to the left, on the other side of the grass and trees, is I-55.

I'll post more photos later--I'm not sure if there's a limit per posting, but the computer was behaving  strangely, so I'm not taking chances.  Until later...