Across the Big Muddy

Left Springfield mid-morning. Took a short section of Route 66 "The Brickroad" at Auburn. Lunch at the Sister's Cafe in Staunton, Illinois - another top notch family restaurant, we're avoiding the chains. Across the Big Muddy at St Louis with a quick view of the Gateway Arch - hair raising driving in the rain with no time to change lanes and rigs coming from all directions. To the famous Ted Drewe's Frozen Custard for a "concrete" and fudge sundae in the 'burbs - not so crowded in drizzle, more Q&A sessions with the locals. On to the Black Madonna Shrine in the Ozark Mountains in the pouring rain - when it rains in the Ozark Mountains it rains. Meramec Caverns Tour - pure kitsch Americana - geology, what's that?
All you can eat steak buffet at Sirloin Stockade - we stick to seafood - and Best Western overnight in Rolla, Missouri, where a group of Brit/Euro Bikers were staying on their Route 66 Harley Tour. Back-up bikes on a trailer make us feel superior - we pull out before them and leave them far behind.
243 miles covered.