July 5, Missouri

 July 5th

 We went up to the top of the arch and it made my palms sweat, but I had to play it cool for the children. I was giving Mr. B the white-knuckled leg grab the entire time up.  Yikes, it is waaay up there. 

Mile 539- Leaving St. Louis for Springfield, Illinois.  I had been saving this riveting book about president Lincoln that I couldn’t wait to read aloud to the children and by page 15, everyone was asleep. Part of my plan? You’ll never know.

Mile  637  - Our first stop was a planned trip to Bill Shea’s Route 66 gas station museum. Bill has compiled a diverse collection of gas station memorabilia. Signs, gas pumps, advertisements, you name it, Ol’ Bill has it.  Also, what Bill has are lots of birthdays.  He was recently moved to a nursing home and it appears that his children haven’t quite kept the home fires burning. We stare longingly through the chain link fence at said memorabilia.  I kept playing the Sanford and Son theme song in my head because it was a tad “unkempt”

Mile  640  - Largest statue of Young Lincoln wielding enormous ax IN THE WORLD!  I am such a sucker for giant statues.  This one was creepy and not so sturdy. It yielded to touch. I just don’t think you should be fashioning a likeness of one of our country’s finest leaders from chicken wire,  Decoupage, and Tempera paint.  But, who am I to judge?

Mile 648    - Cozy Dog Drive In-
This stop is dedicated to my sweet corn-dog loving husband.  Now, you might think you favor corndogs over plain-in-the-bun dogs. But, no one can rival sweet Mr. B’s affinity for the hand-dipped corny processed pig part tube steak on a stick.  Like, for his 30^th birthday, my parents got him 30 corndogs. Not because they are cheap, but because that was the perfect gift.  And here we were, about to pass over the threshold of the eatery that made it all happen. There were tears (from whiney child #2) There were onion rings.  There were grease stained cardboard food containers.  There was memorabilia (which I like almost as much as big hokey statues). There was Pepsi (boo-hiss).  Then there was heart-burn. 

Mile  664   - Route 66 Twin Drive-In- Now Playing Despicable Me 2.  It was late, but we didn’t care.
I had never been to a drive in!  So we pull out into this roadside corn field and watch a movie from the back of our car. With the sound coming through on the radio!  Next thing you know we’ll be putting a man on the moon!  Viva La Drive Inn!