DECEMBER 1992

 

Well, here we are, finally, on Route 66! We arrived in Springfield, IL on December 18, 1992. We are traveling in a 35’ Motorhorne towing a S10 Blazer, so we stayed at Mr. Lincoln’s Campground. It’s a really nice campground and the owners are very friendly and helpful. The great thing about this campground is that it is OPEN, something rare to find when traveling this time of year. We will hit the Route tomorrow.

We head up the four-lane and exit at Funk’s Grove (actually at McLean). Stopping at Funk’s Grove for “sirup” we are greeted with a “Sold Out” sign. We had anticipated this, as Tom Snyder had mentioned that it was a hazard of traveling late in the year. We visited the old depot station and drove through Funk’s Grove. We went to the Funk’s Grove Church and cemetery. My father is a Funk, and therefore the interest.

Our next stop was McLean and the Dixie Truckers. The Hall of Fame is here. We were a bit disappointed to see that it is just that, a hall. The food was good, not at all what we expected. There were not many souvenirs to buy, a big letdown for someone looking to spend money.

On we went to Atlanta, Lawndale and Lincoln. We never did find the City Hall building with the phone booth on top, for spotting tornadoes. Pretty interesting little town, there are a lot of the old brick roads scattered about. From there it was on to Broadwell and the now closed Pig Hip. Once again we are late seeing a Route 66 landmark. We missed the Distillery in Kingman, Arizona and will miss the Club Café in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. It really is sad to see businesses that survived the Interstate have to buckle under, especially when there is so much renewed interest in the old road.

We followed the frontage road through Elkhart and Williamsville, we then got on the four-lane until Sherman. We followed Business 55 through Springfield to the Cozy Dog Drive-In where we, of course, had a dog. They were pretty tasty! The museum there is quite informative for its size. Run by the Waldmire family, there are plenty of Bob Waldmire souvenirs. Finally, I can spend some money. This was our first day. One thing that surprised us was the lack of signs identifying the old road on this section.

Day two of our trek on the old road, we headed south on Business 55, then rode the four-lane to the Chatham exit. Through here and into Glenarm, where Mort’s Roadhouse is now BoJangles, specializing in oldies and country western. We met with a bit of confusion here trying to follow The Route 66 Traveler’s Guide (no offense to Tom), his directions called for going on the east side of the Interstate, yet his map showed it on the west side. We never found it, so when in doubt, take the four-lane. We exited at Farmersville, interesting little side trip. Stopped at Our Lady of the Highway and prayed for an uneventful trip west. Litchfield was next. Tried to get coffee at the Ariston Café, but it was full. We went down the road to the Rt 66 Café and had pie that was great! Nice atmosphere. Then on to Mt Olive and Russell Soulsby’s Shell station, he was at church. We were very impressed with both Litchfield and Mt Olive in that the route was well marked with signs identifying it.

From here, it was on to Staunton, another interesting old town. We drove through downtown. Then we hit Hamel and looked at St Paul’s Lutheran Church. Then it was Edwardsville; what a contrast. You’re back in time and then you are smack dab in the middle of progress, shopping centers, a university, condos, etc. Kind of like a time warp.

Next we followed the Chain of Rocks Road, which travels through some very old stuff, some of which is still thriving, of course there are modern facilities, but it’s a nice blend. Got to the end of the road and parked. We debated about taking the short walk out to the Chain of Rocks Bridge, after all, it was 28 degrees and windy! But we may never be here again, so it was out into the cold. The old road can be seen here, even though it is quite overgrown with vines. It is approximately an eighth of a mile to the gate, which was not locked. Approaching the bridge one is filled with a feeling of dread, and a bit of fear. It has the look of a dark and forbidding place, I’m sure one of Stephen King’s creations is hiding on the bridge. There are no signs prohibiting entry, so we went on in. We walked out to the high point of the bridge; the angle can be seen from here. I imagine it would look nicer with leaves on the trees, but you wouldn’t want to be there if you were claustrophobic at all, it is overgrown with trees. There is evidence that it is a favorite hang out of the local kids, they have left their mark, garbage and graffiti. It was well worth the trip, and IT was not on the bridge. Why was it called the Chain of Rocks Bridge? A little research project for later on. We must now return to the four-lane and our base camp. Tomorrow we will head for Missouri and establish a new camp, and continue with our exploring of the Mother Road.

 

 

Chain of Rocks Bridge - St. Louis, Missouri circa 1930
From our 1992 trip. The bridge was used in the movie “Escape from New York “with Kurt Russell.

 

 

We made our way around St Louis, we don’t care for big cities, but may return to explore here on another trip. We stayed on the four-lane all the way to Cuba, where we stayed at Eaglewood Park. It’s a wooded park and very quiet, the owners were friendly and very accommodating. We did stop at Meramec Caverns on the way. The price is up to $8 per person, but we thought it was worth it. If you have ever been to Carlsbad Caverns you will be surprised at the commercialization here. It was fun! We also stopped at Gray Summit at the Diamond’s Restaurant for lunch. The food was good and the staff was entertaining.

In the morning we hit the four-lane back to Sullivan. We went to the McDonald’s there to see their memorial to Route 66. We expected more, so were a bit disappointed. Was worth a look anyway. Stopped at the Shamrock Motel on the way out of town, it is still in business. What a great looking place, would make a great house. Then we followed the old road through Bourbon and Cuba, stopping at the Wagon Wheel Motel. We stopped at the Mt Pleasant Winery for a couple of sips. Through Fanning and St James.

 

 

Near Bourbon, Missouri. This is one of the only photos of Cheryl where she is not smiling. She always wanted to take my photo but didn’t want hers taken. Glad I insisted sometimes.