Route 66 Day 3 October 24, 2019

Everyone was up for an early start to the day. The night porter told members of our touring party not to take their suitcases out to their cars because the last time the Route 66 tour had come through, some young guys had car jacked a couple of the cars and stolen all the luggage. Norrie had warned us last night, that although St Louis looks like a beautifully civilised town by day, at night it becomes an unruly jungle. We were saddened by the thought that such criminal behaviour had been allowed to proliferate, and even sadder when we learned that a group of young men had been involved in a fight not far from our hotel and that one of them had been murdered.

As we ate our breakfast, we talked about our adventures the previous evening. Apparently no one had been able to get to the top of the arch, and some felt the exercise had been a waste of precious time, effort and money. Alan and Sharon had gone to Forest Park (and must have been there at a similar time to us) and had taken some beautiful shots. Jenny and I had seen more of St Louis than anyone else and we felt very blessed. Before leaving on our adventures for the day I took a few last shots of our beautiful hotel surrounds

  

  

And then it was time to hit the road again.
First stop was the MotoMart/McDonalds which had the most diverse range of snacks I have ever seen.  Here are just a few of them:
   
   

While all the men were standing around chatting, I decided to wander over to a school bus that was parked nearby and take a good shot ... not realising that the students who had come on the bus were making their way back to it. They had noticed all the Australian flags on our cars and were loudly wondering what was going on. I piped up and said "We're doing Route 66", to which one of the kids asked me "Do you like the name of our school?" I looked at the bus, and realised it said " Licking". So I said "Yeah! it's great!" I guess you could have lots of fun with that name!!!!

It was a cold morning. I noticed the birds gathering to migrate - swirling and wheeling in the sky - and when they weren't they were sitting on the electric wires. 

After coming from a place that threatens to rain and rarely does, I don't think it actually will! As we drove to our next destination, there were a few spits of rain, which turned into a steady drizzle,  accompanied by bitterly cold winds. I was feeling tired from the big day the day before, and the cold was making me feel miserable. The next stop was Walmart so we could pick up some supplies because tonight we would be supplying ingredients for our dinner as there were no eating places nearby. Walmart is amazing - it's like Big W or Target on steroids. It would be hard to name something you can't buy there!

Back in the car again, and when I realised the next place we were visiting was the Gateway Classic Mustang Workshop for a look at what happens behind the scenes of a car restoration, I thought I would have a better time staying in the car. But as an act of goodwill, I decided to stop being a wet blanket and go in anyway. 

Jason and Lonny, former monster truck drivers and the creative force behind the establishment of the workshop were so passionate about what they were doing. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and they definitely walked their talk ...

 

(This sign was the highlight of this tour for me!!
Every job is a self portrait of the person who did it ... 
Autograph your work with excellence!)

.... as they turned $6000 rust buckets into cars worth several hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

The skeleton of a monster truck that is being restored

These guys are quiet achievers, also helping people who need electric wheelchairs realise their dreams. I was glad I went into their factory. Incidentally, this is the polish they use to achieve their final product.

The rain was steadily falling now. The temperature was hovering around 40 degrees F (about 5 degrees C). Nevertheless we continued west for a quick stop at the Wagon Wheel Motel which was built of Ozark mountain stone in 1934. It once also featured a Standard Oil Station and a cafe. I bought myself a fabulously bright windcheater here to try and fight off the cold.

 

Unfortunately we couldn't stop to have a close look at the murals in Cuba, Missouri because it was just too wet and cold.

We continued past a multitude of self-storage facilities, the occasional cemetery which was usually unfenced and came right up to the road's edge, the localities of Bourbon and Knob View, until we reached our destination for lunch - Bob's Gasoline Alley. The rain was still falling, and the wind was still slicing and it was such a relief to walk into Bob's warm establishment and see a sumptuous feast that his wife Darlene had prepared for our group.









Darlene and her offsider Sherrie .... who did a magnificent job of providing us with a warm and filling lunch.








It was eat first then play - or at least peruse his magnificent private collection of memorabilia.
   
  
 

This is Bob who collects all this stuff

By the time we had a good look over Bob's collection the rain had stopped, the temperature rose ... a little.  Darlene and Sherrie had packed up all the leftover food and put it into the back of our car for consumption at this evening's informal meal. Hitting the road again, we made a beeline to the Fanning Outpost where the world's second largest rocking chair is located.

The lady who ran this little site which included another souvenir shop was a personal friend of Dale's, and I was beginning to get the feeling that he was doing all he could to keep these little establishments going, and thus keep Route 66 alive in these areas.

Elbow Inn Bar and BBQ established in 1929 was the next stop in the middle of nowhere... well actually there's a quaint little bridge there ...It's one of the oldest sites along the historic route that is conducting the same business today as it was in it's beginning days.
  

 

Back in the cars with some of the fellas revving up their muscle cars before making a skid as they took off, we headed to Uranus (pronounced Yoor-anus) where they proudly proclaim "the best fudge comes from Uranus".
  
I was expecting this stop to be particularly crass, but when I went inside the shops the workers were really friendly and they were playing on the words of their slogan with great skill.  I ended up buying some of the fudge which I will probably share with family and friends when I get back home.
There were many excellent signs at Uranus (there were also plenty of crappy ones too, but I ignored those!)

Jenny and I were the last to get back into our car, but we were fortunate that everyone was watching out for us and we were soon back into the pack of cars heading to our final destination for the day ... the Munger Moss Motel. Compared to some of the hotels we have stayed in so far, this wasn't flash, but it was homely and comfortable.

While we unloaded all the food and took it to an open air rotunda, and unloaded our bags into our rooms, Dale and Dan got a couple of fuel soaked logs on fire. They provided enough warmth to take the icy edge off the air. I was wearing a long sleeved t shirt, a jumper, a windcheater, my coat, a scarf,my gloves and a beanie ... and I was still cold! A nip of scotch helped to get my blood pumping and before I knew it we were all talking and getting to know a bit about each other. Dale had organised some hot pizzas which were gratefully consumed. It was a really pleasant, but cold, evening. Noone stayed out late, preferring instead to get to the warmth of the rooms. When we all got back our clothes smelled smokey. Oh well here's hoping there'll be a washing machine at one of the hotels soon.

Until the next instalment ... have a blessed day!