Riding NOT so rapidly through MO - Rt 66

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]

[many more photos in our SmugMug album]

Since traffic was extremely light, we got a chance to take our Route 66 road photos.

A few more scenes on the way westerly...

Next stop was Carthage, MO for Boots Court and lunch at the Pancake Hut.

A few more shots before we left Missouri and entered Kansas....

Gorgeous tree-lined drive....

Watch for a new blog post for the 16 mile ride through Kansas and our entry into Oklahoma!

Friday the 13th, Birthdays and Rt 66

Everyone knows it's Friday the 13th but it's also my birthday! Yup, turned 66 today on our Route 66 trip. Kinda cool, doncha think?That's not to say we didn't have a few Friday the 13th events - we did.

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!!!