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...

Day Nineteen

6,773 miles, and we're drawing to a close on new states. We've learned that there are more Dollar Stores than churches in this country--and there are a lot of churches! Dollar Saver, Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar to name a few, and we've even seen them across the street from one another. People love their dollar stores. Other than a couple of rude drivers and one apathetic attraction worker, we've run into very nice people on our journey. We've also run into a lot of trains! (Well, not run into, but seen and been held up by them!) As I expected, the first part of our trip was more about adventure, and since New Mexico, has been mostly about sightseeing. The doing was more exciting, but the seeing is fun, too. We've passed through 21 states so far, including a very short trip through Kansas today. Not bad!

After an antique store detour in Claremore, OK, we reached The JM Davis Arms & Historical Museum. John Monroe Davis got his first gun at seven as a bribe to get him to take his medicine. He went on to amass the world's largest private firearms collection, along with steins, Indian artifacts, musical instruments, saddles and other unique items. Even Peter was a bit overwhelmed.

After the museum, we decided to check out another out-of-the-way place that Peter saw while we were at the antique store. Another collection, it turns out, this time a large collection of authentic log homes and artifacts--one of the biggest outdoor antique museums in the US, called Har-Ber Village on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Harvey and Bernice Jones combined their names to name the village and how it came to be is a story for another day. Who knew antiques weren't only in existence for me to buy? Not one of these was for sale, which is a good thing, because while there was plenty that didn't tempt me, there was plenty more that did! Again, it was an awful lot to take in--over 100 buildings--so we used up the camera battery and called it good!

Our next mission was to find some lunch and a cold beer--not as easy as it might seem on the backroads of Oklahoma. We knew we had only a few miles to cover in Kansas and thought it would be good to eat there, but the best we did was a Bud and a Coors draft at The Hideaway Shack on Rt. 66. Peanuts, but no food. We then stopped at, but did not go into, the famous (to 66 travelers) Hogs and Hotrods Saloon on the state line. In the end, we ate at a Billy Simms BBQ, the closest we've come to fast food since we left.

Before leaving Kansas, we ran into a truck that claims to be the inspiration for Mater in Cars. I can't deny the resemblance!

We also passed through Joplin, MO, today, where more than 100 people were killed and hundreds more injured last May in a tornado. We heard it's been rebuilt quickly, but there were signs of the destruction, including relief tents and this building.

Tonight, the famous Wagon Wheel Hotel. Billed as the oldest continuously operating tourist court on Rt. 66, it's been talked up to us since Tehachapi. We'll see if it lives up to it's reputation!

As for our Blue Highways mission, we figure we've done pretty well, with about 70-80 percent of our time on backroads like the ones we followed today. Definitely the right way to go.

Day Eighteen

The hotel we stayed at last night, The Blue Swallow, had garages for some of the rooms. A couple of them were painted with "Cars" characters that kids would love. I actually have to watch the movie now as it is based on so much of what we've seen on 66.

Our first stop today was the Midpoint restaurant, exactly 1,139 miles between Los Angeles and Chicago. A good breakfast and a chance to send another postcard to the boy in basic.

After breakfast, we eagerly headed for the highlight of our day, Cadillac Ranch, outside of Amarillo, Texas. It's exactly what you expect it to be, and a little more. We walked through the creaking, painted gate and across 100 yards of windswept sand to arrive at the row of very colorful old wrecks. We left our mark on a couple of the cars and added our paint can to the many that were there (actually, we handed it to the guy who took our picture, but I'm confident it's still out there).

Shortly after that, we drove by the Leaning Water Tower in Groom, Texas. It really is leaning, and it really looks weird. I'm happy to report that it no longer holds water!

We pulled off the road a couple of hours later to see a courthouse that was featured in the movie, The Grapes of Wrath. We weren't overwhelmed by the courthouse, but were happy with the coconut/chocolate and coffee milkshakes we got down the road at an attractive coffee shop.

Back on the road, we passed into Oklahoma and we finally saw some longhorns. Sure, I used to see them all the time when I lived in Texas, but they're still a great sight, and I'd been hoping to catch them in Texas this time.

Between the ranch and our next stop, we didn't see much else. Route 66 through Oklahoma is a good, fast road, but there isn't much to keep you there. Then, we reached Pop's, known for having 500 different sodas for sale (and featuring a rather large soda bottle out front). Pete was ready to find Moxie (he even had on his Moxie hat, which I failed to record!). He was not disappointed, as they did have regular Moxie. (They also featured Blue Cream Moxie, but didn't have any for sale. I'm going to bet they don't even make it anymore.) We're including all these pictured to show you the impressive array of soft drinks they did have for sale (and this isn't even all of them!).

A mile down the road we saw another Route 66 icon, the Round Barn, but we don't know what's inside as it was closed (though I'll wager a second bet that it was more Rt. 66 memorabilia).

We've stopped in Tulsa, where we were going to tent, but felt more comfortable going the budget hotel route. We do hope to find something exciting to report on tomorrow...perhaps some caverns? Goodnight!