Riding NOT so rapidly through MO

Monday, September 16, 2013

Yup, we made it to Miami Oklahoma! It's been a busy two days - not so much in miles, but in views! Here is a pretty sunset shot from the Best Western parking lot in St. Robert, MO.

We left the Best Western mid-morning, after Stu tightened up some loose bolts and added some missing ones to my bike. Hopefully this will fix my left directional that has been malfunctioning. Sweatshirts under our mesh and panels on our pants, we were quite comfortable. As the day wore on the sweatshirts were shed but we never got too warm. Perfect riding day! First stop was to see W.H.Croaker....LOL!

Then 30 miles to the Munger Moss Motel where we visited the gift shop and chatted with the owner for a bit before snapping a photo of the other landmark, Wrinks Market.

We stopped for lunch in Lebanon, MO and afterwards visited the local Route 66 Museum inside the library. What a treat! Stu remembers the canvas bags on the front of cars when he took the trip with his parents as a kid. [many more photos in our SmugMug album]

We signed the guest book, made a donation and then stopped in the gift shop. One of the museum displays was of a logo that was designed in 1934 but retired in 1935 when Will Rogers became the theme for Route 66. The logo has been licensed and is now available in a metal sign, on shirts and patches/pins. We got one of each...love the retro but new look of this rare logo.

Perfect afternoon of riding, we rode about thirty miles behind two 1920's era cars and loved every minute of the back roads we shared. When they finally took a different Rt 66 road, we all waved and tooted.

We stopped for the night at the Best Western Rail Haven in Springfield, MO. They've done a great job of mixing in the new while retaining the old.

By the way, the name Rail Haven came from the old split rail fence that was on the property.

We were lightly layered when we left Springfield, knowing the day was due to head up into the upper 80's to low 90's. I snapped a nice mural photo as well as some shots of the old Whitehall Mercantile. Most places we passed were closed since it was Sunday.

Our next stop was the highlight of our trip - but the first thing on our agenda was to lose the panels on our pants as well as take off the long-sleeved layers under our jackets. Definitely warming up! We spent over an hour in Paris Springs, MO at Gay Parita Sinclair [Facebook Page] where we met Gary Turner, the owner. Amazing gentleman with a wealth of knowledge about Route 66. Can't say enough good about him and our time chatting. Thank you, Gary!!! [learn more about the history of this stop HERE]