Days Twenty and Twenty One--Heading Home

We managed to fit in a few activities today and make headway, but we're having trouble with Picasa, so I can't upload any pictures. Hope to figure it out at some point and complete the blog!

The Wagon Wheel Hotel on Wednesday night was as described, though not better than the Blue Swallow. Quaint stone buildings and a nice courtyard. We had a decent dinner at Frisco's, except that Peter's pasta was so thick with cheese it's a wonder I didn't have to call the paramedics in the night! It tasted great, but literally glued your mouth together with each bite. Yum, right??

Our morning started with a stop at a bakery that had no baked goods. We ordered coffee and left when the couple at the next table (who had more annoying phone calls and ring tones than it ought to be legal to have) lit up. We are SO lucky there's no smoking in Maine restaurants!! We also tried to find coffee at an interesting little store/taxidermist that had out front the largest rocking chair in the world. We weren't allowed to climb on it, but it was really, really big. Having no luck with a quick breakfast, we made do with some of the candy we'd bought at--wait for it--the world's largest gift shop and candy store the day before.

We then visited the Meramec Caverns in Stanton, MO, which I had some dread about, but they turned out to be not nearly as claustrophobia-inducing as I expected. While not a place I'd want to stay for long, the formations and history of these 365-feet-below-ground caverns were pretty cool. Jesse James and his gang holed up there after a train robbery and after three days, escaped with the cash out the backside using a water route. The gang left their heavy equipment and their horses stumbling around in the dark. Our guide informed us that if we were to become lost in the caverns (26 miles all told) we would be colorblind in 3 months, completely blind in 6 months, and completely nuts in a year. Even if it's true, I assure you I'd be crazy way before that! Pics are pretty cool, so we hope to share soon.

Later, we visited the mounded remains of a prehistoric Indian village, the largest north of Mexico, called Cohokia Mounds, Collinsville, Illinois. We climbed the 150 or so steps up the (circa AD900-1350) largest mound and could see the St. Louis arch from the top. We took a few shots of the arch from the highway as we passed, too (this is what's known as a whirlwind tour of a city) but seeing the city from the top of this mound was fun. The mounds were created by carrying dirt in baskets and took years to complete. Some were for burial but others were for important occasions. There wasn't a lot to see outside of the visitor's center, which had elaborate setups of huts and village life, but we were glad to have stopped.

Happily, we found ourselves in the same town as--all together now--the world's largest ketchup bottle! They say catsup, but, tomato/tomahto, it was still big. The best part about it is that it's one of Collinsville's water towers. I still don't know why they did it, but someone in the area must really like the stuff. : )

Wanting to do Rt. 66 right, we then wasted all kinds of time looking for the Luna Cafe (once again one of the oldest cafes on the route). We found it and finally accepted our lesson that just because a Rt. 66 establishment has diner, restaurant or cafe in the name, one should not expect to be fed there. We asked one of the smoking gentlemen on the front porch where we might find food, and he sent us up the road a few miles to the In Between. A cinderblock building with no windows, it actually didn't smell smoky and we ordered up a couple of fried apps to go with our Buds to hold us until dinner. Dinner came much later, at the Cornerstone Pub in Stilesville, IN, plucked from the Internet by Peter. It was a good find with good drafts and tasty steaks (and the smoke level was at a minimum!) We think we may have seen Peter's uncles in there, too! (no, not really...but it could have happened!)

Last night, we opted not to camp in the rain and ended our cheap hotel string with a bang at a rather scuzzy Americas Best Value Inn. With rates around $50, you get what you pay for, but we had stayed at a very nice one in Winslow, AZ, and were expecting the same. We didn't walk around barefoot and I didn't even take a shower!

This morning we got out of there quick and headed for New York and the dog (who is no doubt spoiled by her aunt Cathy and won't even be interested in climbing into the even-more-cramped-than-before car to come home with us!)

Looking for breakfast landed us in Lewisburg, Ohio, an extremely old and fascinating little town. The old, brick buildings were fantastic and we learned it was incorporated in 1818, and later merged with another village to become what it is today. I wished we could have hung around, but we didn't find the restarant we were looking for. In the end, we opted for the ubiquitous Cracker Barrel where we got a free breakfast (thanks to a gift card in last year's stocking--thanks Mom!).

We had thought about a detour to the YES! largest Amish village, but instead used our play time up in the--you got it--largest antique mall. It really was amazingly large, but well-run and organized. I got a little Christmas shopping done and Pete won all kinds of best boyfriend points.

All things must come to an end, and as our vacation draws to a close, we continue to be amazed at what we've done and where we've been in the last 20 days. It's been a true adventure and we're already talking about where else we can go--to see what we missed or to see more of what we loved. Thanks for sticking with us...and we promise to provide pictures for this last blog soon!

Looking forward to putting our heads on our own pillows tomorrow night.
Yours,
Thomasin & Pete

Postscript: September 10
A happy dog and back in Maine again!
8,200 miles later...