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!