A beautiful day! The Irishmen on Harleys leave at 7:00 am. They are covering 340 miles today. We are planning 110 miles to St. Louis. We find a Starbucks near the hotel where we have oatmeal, coffee, and a piece of pumpkin bread. In the parking lot we are surprised to find a heretical, anti-Bush bumper sticker. It seems that there are some sane people in Illinois after all.
We decide to take the 1926-1930 alignment of Route 66 from Springfield to Staunton, about 80-miles-distant to the south. This road is now labeled Illinois Highway 4. It is all two-lane and runs through many small towns and villages. Not far out of Springfield, we find a rare section of red-brick Mother Road near Auburn. It is in great shape for its age (1926). The EZ Guide is turning out to be a perfect companion. We take many of the recommended “dog legs” that leave the main highway, follow the zig-zag of the old road, and join Highway 4 again. All of these dog-leg sections are in current use by locals and all are in rough shape. They remind us of the many lousy roads in Sonoma County.
Carlinville has a town square that is completely paved in red bricks. It is so well-kept, it looks new. The courthouse, constructed from pale yellow limestone, is just off the square. It is stately and beautiful. Farther down the road, we turn at Gillespie to traverse eastward to the post-1930 alignment and to see the towns of Litchfield and Mt. Olive. Litchfield is the home of the Ariston Café (since 1931) and The SkyView Drive-In movie. We have lunch at The Ariston, which is full of locals and lots of Route 66 memorabilia. The food is good. The SkyView drive-in is still standing, but out of commission. The gate is open, so we drive in and park as if we are going to watch a movie.
We continue south through Staunton toward St. Louis and a rendezvous with the legendary Chain of Rocks Bridge. This bridge was the official Route 66 crossing of the Mississippi River from 1929 to 1968. It is 5353 ft. long and has a 22 degree bend at about 1500 ft. from the western bank of the river. We walk about half way across until we are over the middle of the Big Muddy. We can see St. Louis and the Gateway arch in the distance.
We set the Garmin GPS to take us along surface streets into St. Louis. We cross the river via the M.L.King bridge. After checking into the Hampton Inn, we walk the lovely park along the Mississippi to the Gateway Arch. The security at the entrance to the Arch is airport-style, except that we do not have to remove our shoes. The basement contains an enormous and well-assembled display of the westward expansion begun by the Lewis & Clark expedition, which began in St. Louis. We take the ride to the top and enjoy the view east and west. The windows are small and the floor is curved, but I take some photos anyway.
We decide to take the 1926-1930 alignment of Route 66 from Springfield to Staunton, about 80-miles-distant to the south. This road is now labeled Illinois Highway 4. It is all two-lane and runs through many small towns and villages. Not far out of Springfield, we find a rare section of red-brick Mother Road near Auburn. It is in great shape for its age (1926). The EZ Guide is turning out to be a perfect companion. We take many of the recommended “dog legs” that leave the main highway, follow the zig-zag of the old road, and join Highway 4 again. All of these dog-leg sections are in current use by locals and all are in rough shape. They remind us of the many lousy roads in Sonoma County.
Carlinville has a town square that is completely paved in red bricks. It is so well-kept, it looks new. The courthouse, constructed from pale yellow limestone, is just off the square. It is stately and beautiful. Farther down the road, we turn at Gillespie to traverse eastward to the post-1930 alignment and to see the towns of Litchfield and Mt. Olive. Litchfield is the home of the Ariston Café (since 1931) and The SkyView Drive-In movie. We have lunch at The Ariston, which is full of locals and lots of Route 66 memorabilia. The food is good. The SkyView drive-in is still standing, but out of commission. The gate is open, so we drive in and park as if we are going to watch a movie.
We continue south through Staunton toward St. Louis and a rendezvous with the legendary Chain of Rocks Bridge. This bridge was the official Route 66 crossing of the Mississippi River from 1929 to 1968. It is 5353 ft. long and has a 22 degree bend at about 1500 ft. from the western bank of the river. We walk about half way across until we are over the middle of the Big Muddy. We can see St. Louis and the Gateway arch in the distance.
We set the Garmin GPS to take us along surface streets into St. Louis. We cross the river via the M.L.King bridge. After checking into the Hampton Inn, we walk the lovely park along the Mississippi to the Gateway Arch. The security at the entrance to the Arch is airport-style, except that we do not have to remove our shoes. The basement contains an enormous and well-assembled display of the westward expansion begun by the Lewis & Clark expedition, which began in St. Louis. We take the ride to the top and enjoy the view east and west. The windows are small and the floor is curved, but I take some photos anyway.
1 comment:
They need to install a jumbo-tron at that drive-in cinema.
Amazing brick road!
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