MISSOURI - ILLINOIS

The journey through Missouri and Illinois was more of the same, although Route 66 did not seem so desolate anymore. It follows the course of the Interstate (now I-44, we had left the I-40 at Oklahoma City) for much of the journey, so many of the towns along the way did not seem to be so affected by the bypassing.

We stayed one night at a town called Joplin - and I use the term 'town' pretty loosely here. It's actually the biggest truckstop in the World - or at least it seemed that way. There was a bit of a town, and then a long road leading from the town to the Interstate. This road was crammed on both sides with motels, fast food chains, a variety of other eating establishments and petrol stations - and of course large parking areas.

Just up the road was Carthage, which had yet another diner dedicated to the memory of Route 66, although this one is more recently established. The owner was quite impressed that a carful of Aussies (ok - almost a carful), had decided to have breakfast at his establishment. The food was excellent and didn't cost an arm and a leg like some other places, and he had some great memoribilia in the place:

Carthage also has a fabulous Drive-In Theatre, not only still operational but recently refurbished

Further along Route 66 we came upon a small town called Paris Springs, which according to the guide books had the "Gay Parita Service Station". With a name like that, it needed a closer look.

A guy (not a gay) called Gary has restored the old gas station to its former glory, although it no longer operates, other than as a tourist attraction, with one major exception, there's no entry fee!

Gary was mowing his lawn when we stopped, and he called out to us, stopped his mower and came over to give us a guided tour, and some local knowledge. One of those crusty old country people you sometimes meet up, he was one of the friendliest characters we met on the entire route.

My only regret was that we didn't have too much time on our hands, as I'm sure we could have settled down over a few drinks and had a great day. He told of us the legendary "Red Oak", a town on Route 66 which has been completely relocated to the middle of a corn field.

Apparently a local landowner donated a paddock or two to have the town buildings moved to this new location after the demise following the Route 66 bypassing. Gary gave us explicit directions on how to get there, as apparently there are no signposts.

We ventured forth, fearing more of the Blessed Mary syndrome - a town in the middle of a cornfield with no signposts! With banjos playing in my head, I felt we HAD to go take a look.

What we found was a very pleasant, albeit it strange, community exactly as described. No signposts, and in the middle of the cornfield. There were no tourist buses, and I think we were the only visitors, other than a group of housemovers who were in the process of dropping off another old building.

When Karen asked one older gentleman if there were any toilets, he invited her to use the one in his house, and she did say she was pleasantly surprised by the interior, which had been decorated and furnished beautifully in an old style.

He explained to her that there were actually only two couples who live on the place. What I couldn't understand is why they were not charging the earth for admission, as the village has been beautifully recreated, with some restored and some not-restored vehicles adding more character to the place

Resuming our trip, another great motel sign at Springfield

and at Lebanon (that's Missouri, not Middle East!)



By the time we reached Lebanon, where we decided to stay overnight, Karen and I had re-appraised the Route 66 plan. The girls had been getting restless with a number of days on the road, and try as you can, when you're doing Route 66 even over a couple of weeks, there's many hours sitting on your bum in the truck. After the highlights of San Francisco, LA, Hollywood, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon, town after town of virtual nothingness was wearing them out.

Also, we knew of the impending bad weather (read tornados) which were cutting across the mid-west all around us. The weather forecast for the last stretch up to Chicago was not good, so we decided we would bail out at St Louis, and leave the last bit of Route 66, some 300 miles for another time.

Tornado clouds gathering over Missouri

On arrival in St Louis, we got lost trying to find the old Route 66 bridge across the Mississippi River and ended up in the almost derelict and crime-ridden riverside areas of the city

Finally, we crossed over the Mississippi into Illinois, which marked the end of our Route 66 adventure, and although we still had several days before we were expected in New York City, from hereon it would be much easier going on the Interstate.