Days 9 & 10 Route 66 in St. Louis

Our Adventure Caravans Route 66 guided RV tour has been such fun, thus far, and our days are filled with such a variety of activities.  Our days in St. Louis were no exception.  

Sandy is happy to board our motor coach bus for a full day of exploration of the city that is the Gateway to the West.  

The Museum of Transportation was an outstanding museum that featured many modes of transportation.  We spent much of our time with our knowledgeable guide, Stan, who spoke about the trains that he loves so much.  We also enjoyed a ride on a train, and the cars that we might have seen on Route 66 in its heyday.  

This 1939 GM engine proved the efficiency of diesel power
over the previously dominant steam engine power. 

Proof that you don't have to be a child to love trains!

True to its roots on Route 66, the Museum of Transportation had lots of cool cars, including Bobby Darin's 1960 DiDia 150.  This car is so cool that the headlights and tail lights are hidden and swivel as the car turns.  Darin bought the car in 1961 at a cost of $150,000.  

The Coral Court Motel was a 1941 Route 66 Missouri motel that offered a special service:  a garage for cars.  All part of its No Tell Motel privacy policy!  This 1965 corvette convertible, though, is ready to be seen!  Corvettes were built in St. Louis from 1954 - 1981.    

After a wonderful morning at the Museum of Transportation, our motor coach drove us to downtown St. Louis for lunch and some exploring.  

St. Louis native, Chuck Berry, was right there on Delmar Blvd to greet us!  The 8 foot tall bronze statue features Berry, frozen in a semi-duck-walk, circa 1955, playing his big electric-acoustic guitar.  Just across the street is Berry's nightclub, Blueberry Hill --- a great place to see the memorabilia of Rock 'n Roll and stars past and present, but, in our experience, not such a great place to eat.  

But, just across Delmar Blvd., some of our group found a great BBQ lunch experience at Salt and Smoke!   After lunch, a walk down Delmar Blvd. led us to the St. Louis Walk of Fame with sidewalk stars for such greats as Chuck Berry, Maya Angelou, Tina Turner, Redd Fox, John Goodman, Josephine Baker and many more!  All inductees into this Walk of Fame were either born in the greater St. Louis area or spent their formative or creative years in St. Louis. 

In our downtown visit, we learned of the role of St. Louis in the years preceding the Civil War.  Today the Old Courthouse remains one of the most prominent architectural landmarks in the city but in 1847 and 1850 it was the site of the first two trials of the pivotal Dred Scott case  in which Scott and his wife Harriet were granted their freedom. After many appeals, the United States Supreme Court determined that slaves were, in fact, property and had no right to sue.  These decisions plunged the nation into Civil War, even as slaves were being auctioned in estate sales from the Old Courthouse steps. 

Today the Old Courthouse is where one goes to purchase tickets for The Arch, while it is undergoing renovation. 

View of the Arch from the Old Courthouse steps 

Since our tour focusses on Route 66, our motor coach drove the historic Route 66 through St. Louis.  Though we had driven much of it in our RVs, this time we could really appreciate the neighborhoods through which we traveled.  We made one stop to a Route 66 icon ---- Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, a family owned business started in 1929 and still very popular today! 

No unhappy travelers here!  

As we ended this day in St. Louis with great food, we began our next day with a staff-prepared breakfast of sausage biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, and fruit.  

The Harvey's gifted us with some of the famous Route 66 
donuts.  Thank you!  

After a travel brief to prepare us for our next day's drive, we headed over to Route 66 State Park where we found a great little museum and gift shop.  Terry found a great tri-fold laminated map of Route 66 that will give us all "the big picture" as we drive the Mother Road day by day.  

After a visit to the state park, the rest of the day was a free day….to explore more of St. Louis on our own.

While some of us used the afternoon to catch up on rest or laundry, MO, our caravan monkey mascot did some exploring with his "parents".  Pictures to follow:  

Mo loved going all the way to the top of the Arch in St. Louis!  

And here Mo is sipping some brewskies at the Budweiser plant …wait a minute!
Just how old ARE you, Mo, and what were your "parents" thinking?!

Mo prays…for forgiveness?  for the wisdom of his "parents"?  Only God knows.
Mo loved St. Louis, and is ready to get more kicks on Route 66 --- tomorrow -- Cuba, MO!  

Day 8 En route Springfield, IL to St. Louis, MO

Our daily driving distances are not large, but today's 150 miles was a challenging drive. Remember, we're driving as much as possible on historic Route 66 --- often narrow and curvy, and right through the center of numerous small towns and large cities.  A challenge for big RVs. But Route 66 is where the action is, so whatever the challenge --- we're getting our kicks on Route 66! 

Today's drive began with agricultural Illinois countryside during harvest time, and we were gifted with a glimpse of this roadside barn. 

In the county seat town of Carlinville (population 5,800), we parked along the town's square, and walked to the Macoupin County Courthouse, nicknamed the Million Dollar Courthouse. In 1870, upon its completion, this courthouse was the largest courthouse in the country and its cost exceeded one million dollars.  Of course, any good story involves rumor of scandal and in this story it seems that a certain county clerk boarded a train and disappeared.  Nevertheless, the town supported the construction of the courthouse and continues to take pride in it.  

Across from the courthouse stands the now-closed Macoupin County Jail. At the time of its construction, it was haled as impossible for potential escapees because of its stone blocks and embedded cannon balls.  The jail closed in 1988, and is now the fundraising focus of Historic Old Jail Renovation fund. 

As we traveled on, we noticed this mural in the tiny village of Hamel, IL (population 816).

The Welcome Center in Litchfield, IL welcomed us, and displayed much local history, and Route 66 memorabilia, as well as this beautiful historic car. 






Litchfield was a great town for a lunch stop and Rubelt's Bakery and Restaurant was just across the street.  The tail gunners found half of the caravan enjoying lunch soups, salads and sandwiches. Owned by various members of the Rubelt family since 1822, this route 66 restaurant was welcoming, and also offered fresh baked breads, desserts, and our favorites--- Route 66 cookies! 

Back on the road, we found the Soulsby Service Station in Mount Olive to be in a state of renovation and preservation.  It stopped pumping gas in 1991 and closed in 1993. Now, the exterior painted with Shell stripes, the inside of the station is filled with the artifacts of another era. 




Many of us have crossed the Mississippi River on interstates, but today one of our optional stops was at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge.  The bridge is now closed to vehicles, but we were able to drive our RVs to a parking lot on Chocteau Island, and then walk on the historic bridge. The bridge is a mile long with a 30 degree turn in the middle.  It's 60 feet above the Mississippi River in an area where there are rapids.  Standing on the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, we looked upriver to see the fast-moving interstate traffic on the New Chain of Rocks Bridge.  Quite a contrast! The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge was listed on the National Record of Historic Places in 2006 and is part of the Route 66 Bikeway.  

             

After crossing the Mississippi on a modern bridge, we found ourselves, and our Big Rigs, in St. Louis in the midst of city traffic. 
Interestingly, we have no pictures of this part of the journey --- the navigators were just too busy navigating fast moving lane changes to take any pictures!  But the pressure was off, because we knew that Adventure Caravans had arranged for a bus tour which would allow us to really SEE the history and the changes on Route 66 in St. Louis!  


Everyone arrived safely at the St. Louis KOA West, ready to relax after the day's drive.  Wagonmasters Barry and Terry prepared a wonderful dinner of pasta, marinara with meatballs, garlic bread and tiramisu.  Thanks, Barry and Terry!  

Day 7 Route 66 in Springfield, IL … Land of Lincoln

Some days turn out just a bit different than planned.  Such was the case when our "bus" arrived.  It turned out not to be a bus at all, but rather a party limo with a bar that wasn't stocked, and not quite enough room for the "cheeks in the seats."  But our Adventure Caravan travelers know all about the "F" word --- FLEXIBLE!  We headed into the city of Springfield, IL.  

We visited the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, which is managed by the National Park Service.  We divided into two groups for a tour of the only home that Abraham Lincoln ever owned, living there with his wife and children from 1844 until they moved to the White House in 1861.  The home is in a nicely preserved historic neighborhood.  Streets are closed to traffic, so it was easy to walk along the streets where Lincoln walked.  

Lincoln slept here, while his wife and sons slept in an adjacent bedroom.  Check out the wild wallpaper and the mix of patterns that was common for the time period.  And if you've ever wondered what was under Lincoln's bed, now you know!  

In the corner of his bedroom is this small desk.  We were told that it was at this desk that Lincoln worked late into the night, working on legal briefs and speeches.  

After the Lincoln Home and Historic Site, we went downtown to the Illinois Capitol building where an employee from the Secretary of State's office gave us a tour.  Taking 20 years to build, the current capitol is the sixth capitol in Illinois. Ground was broken in 1869. The Renaissance Revival structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.  With a total height of 361 feet, the Illinois capitol is the tallest non-skyscraper capitol, even exceeding the height of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC.  A city law forbids buildings to be taller than the capitol. 

The interior of the capitol dome features a plaster frieze painted to resemble bronze, which illustrates scenes from Illinois history, and stained glass windows.  The seal featured at the top of the dome is the seal used by Illinois prior to the civil War. Today, the words "National Union" appear above the the words "State Sovereignty" on the state seal.  

Bronze statues surround the interior of the lower portion of the dome.  Among them are the presidents who hale from Illinois, including Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Barrack Obama. 

In 2011, the capitol underwent a $50 million renovation, primarily focussed on the mechanical, electrical and plumbing infrastructure as well as architectural improvements to bring the capitol closer to its original 1870s appearance.  Layers of ceiling paint are being removed to discover paintings that have been covered.  The preservation process is ongoing.  




After a morning of learning about Lincoln and Illinois history, it was time to return to Route 66 with a lunch stop at Cozy Dog, home of the original corn dog on a stick. Owned by Ed Waldmire, father of Route 66 artist and preservationist, Bob Waldmire, Cozy Dog is still open for lunch and still serves those famous Cozy Dogs, french fries, onion rings, hamburgers and chili.  They also served egg sandwiches and other breakfast items all day, very much as they did in 1950.  

Surrounded by route 66 memorabilia, we enjoyed our 1950's diner fare!  

Cozy Dog welcomes tourists, as that really was part of their original purpose.  They keep the 3 ring binders that are their guest books…..and they have quite a bunch of them from years back.  If you've ever visited Cozy Dog, you might just find your name in the archives!

We've seen signs such as these at all the Illinois Route 66 attractions.  Each sign gives  a bit of information about the businesses and attractions that have been part of the historic road. 





After our lunch, we piled back in the party limo for a ride to the Lincoln burial site in Oak Ridge Cemetery.  At the wishes of Lincoln's wife, his remains were returned to his hometown of Springfield.  It is also the final resting place of his wife, Mary, and three of their four sons.  The eldest son was buried in Arlington National cemetery at the request of his wife. The 117-foot tall Tomb is made of Quincy granite and features four bronze sculptures, each representing one of the our Civil War military services---infantry, artillery, cavalry, and navy.  Within the marble interior, a period-costumed guide guards the tomb and gives a presentation to all who enter.  






In front of the tomb, stands a bronze head of Lincoln, created by Butzon Borglum (who also sculpted Mount Rushmore). One cannot help but to notice the shiny bronze nose.  Apparently, it is the custom of visitors to rub the nose of Lincoln for luck. Some of us might have done so, too! 




Our final stop in our tour of Springfield was the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.  The museum documents and presents the life of our 16th president in multimedia presentations and exhibits.  We spent two hours there, and still we might have stayed longer, so interesting was this presidential museum!  

Photos were not permitted in much of the Lincoln Presidential Museum, but we were able to capture First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln in her inaugural gown through the open door to the Whitehouse exhibit.  She made beautiful fashion statement in her day. 

The permissiveness of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln in their parenting was a theme from our visit to the Lincoln house that was echoed in this exhibit in the Lincoln Presidential Museum.  Apparently after the death of one son, the Lincoln's permitted the younger boys to all sorts of activity within the home…including running on the tables and creating chaos. 

Many of the exhibits in the museum focussed on Lincoln's efforts for freedom for all people in these United States.  His life's work included advocacy for the liberty of slaves.  In a new temporary visit, we learned of his relationship with Jews, and his concern for the value of all persons.  






Abraham Lincoln's Springfield, IL has been a wonderful stop on Route 66, but as the early travelers on Route 66, we were eager to move on --- St.  Louis is waiting for us!

Since Mo, our monkey mascot, has enjoyed Springfield and the Land of Lincoln so much, Jim made sure that Mo had his very own Abraham Lincoln top hat before presenting Mo to Richard and Joyce!