Yesterday in Alton, IL we went to see "Riddick". Oh yeah! Now I want the trilogy on DVD. Really enjoyed it! From there we went to Fast Eddies for dinner. The main room was way too loud for us (music) so we opted for inside. The beer was good, the menu choices were limited. Stu got a brat and enjoyed it, I got a hot dog but it was so spicy I couldn't eat it (and it made Stu's head sweat so I know it was hot). LOL! Told Stu he still owes me a birthday dinner. ;)
We loved having a cooler morning to head out and we dug our sweatshirts out to layer underneath our mesh jackets. Last night we had zipped the panels back on our mesh pants but we still wore our stretch shorts underneath and were comfortable.
 |
| If you look real close, we are red-lining as we travel the route. |
We left Alton, IL around 11am and headed into St. Louis. Now, St. Louis can be tough anytime but trying to locate Rt 66, even with our mapping software, can be a challenge. Stu said he had the same issues last time he was here and we trying to ride some of the route.
We finally jumped on the Interstate and headed to the west side of town. Then we regrouped and got directions in to Spencer's Grill for lunch. They're been operating at their Route 66 location since 1947. Stu had the grilled ham and cheese with onion rings and I had a bacon cheeseburger with apple sauce. DELICIOUS!!! We chatted with the staff and they even gave us two pairs of souvenir sunglasses!
From there we headed over to Ted Drewes where Stu got a chocolate dipped cone and I watched, still too full from lunch. LOL!
We changed layers, perfect riding temps in the upper 70's and sunny. The rest of the afternoon went by quickly, not a lot to see. Too many closed businesses and tourist attractions to count. Sad.
We had hoped to camp in Waynesville but by the time we found the campground, we were both exhausted (especially me) AND it was closed! We headed back 6 miles to a Best Western for the night where we treated ourselves to chips and PB&J on flat bread. ;)
Tomorrow we'll be well layered up when we head out in the morning, temps are due to drop into the mid-upper 40's. Not sure where we'll end up tomorrow...time will tell! Oh yeah, we're still having fun!!!
Stu and Donna
My two Route 66 experiences of note were getting stuck in the outskirts of Chicago during their big blizzard in January 1967 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Blizzard_of_1967) when I was forced off the interstate and ended up in a motel after finding every road blocked by 10 foot snow drifts. Everything was closed, so my supper was cheese crackers out of the vending machine. The next morning I headed down Route 66 to get south of the snow and ice so I could then backtrack across Illinois to Indiana to see my grandparents. Later, I visited my parents in Tampa and then headed to Albuquerque where I found an apartment in Tijeras (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tijeras_Canyon) that was directly on Route 66. I worked for CDC at Kirkland AFB. Five months later, I got a call from CDC asking "How would you like to work in France for a year?" I accepted. And found a french wife. So now you know why I'm back in Paris for a 3 week vacation. LOL
ReplyDelete