Then we went to Staunton and the Old Route 66 Emporium. We got to visit with Linda Henry. They plan a museum here. They have a Route 66 motorcycle, pretty cool. They also have a Snortin’ Norton truck out front. We then went on to Williamson, Hamel and Edwardsville. Rush hour traffic was starting to pick up so we got on the Interstate and went back to camp.

Time for a new camp, this time it was the KOA in Sullivan. We waited until the next day to go cruising. We will now use the Missouri Tour Book. Our first stop was Ted Drewes in St Louis. We had been looking forward to this day for quite some time. I had a concrete (extra thick shake) and Earl splurged and got a banana split. They were very yummy, our lunch for the day. We attempted to check out Times Beach, but the government has it blocked off. There is supposed to be a State park being built here. There’s a great old bridge there. Maybe next time. We went on through Eureka, Allenton, Pacific and Gray Summit. We checked out the old and new Diamonds restaurant. We went on to St Clair and Stanton. We have been to the Meramec Caverns before. Back to base. Using the Missouri Tour Book really makes things interesting, you can see what used to be in spots that have been replaced by other things or razed completely.

Missouri has so many old motels, some still in operation, it’ll be hard to pass any of them up. Our destination today is Devil’s Elbow. We pass through Sullivan, St Cloud, Bourbon, Cuba, Fanning, and St James. We decided to check out the Classic Car showroom, believe it or not, there is at least one rip-off tourist trap alive on the mother road. Of course we couldn’t pass up the Route 66 Motors and Nostalgia Shop. Luckily, they had not gotten much new stuff for me to spend my money on. We ate lunch in Rolla. On through Doolittle and into the Hookers cut. Again, the fall colors add to the beauty of this area. The last time we had been in Devil’s Elbow the old Munger Moss/Elbow Inn was apartments, now it’s called the Elbow Inn again and is a biker bar. Happy to see it is in business again. We cruised around town and then headed home.

Devil’s Elbow Café, Devil’s Elbow, Missouri

(No longer in existence)

New camp at RV Park Strafford, right on old 66. In the morning we will return to Devil’s Elbow and follow the mother road back to Strafford. Things will take on an old look today as it is cloudy and dreary. The fall colors look dull. We passed through St Robert and Waynesville. There is a floral shop in an old Sinclair filling station, great use of an old building, it looked great. Next was Buckhom and Laquey. We blinked and missed Dadtown. Into Gascozark. I just had to take a picture with that name on it, it’s so weird sounding. Next was Hazelgreen and a beautiful old steel truss bridge that crosses the Gasconade River. We really like the sections that are not right next to the freeway, they’re so peaceful. And free of crazy drivers most of the time.

Old Gascozark Café Gascozark, Missouri

Steel truss bridge (1922) over Gasconade River - Near Hazelgreen, Missouri

Heading into Lebanon, we had to take a picture of the old Satellite Café; we just purchased a postcard of this old relic. I had wanted to stop at Hall Moore Stuff, but it appears to no longer be in existence. The old stone barn is lovely though. Of course we had to stop at the Munger Moss Motel, it’s legendary. We had lunch at the Country Kitchen, not bad. On through Caffeyville, where there are two old Meramec Cavern advertising barns right next to each other. We also stopped and checked out the location of the old Underpass Café, you can see all the writing on the outside of the building. Cool. Next was Phillipsburg where the remains of the old school and gymnasium are gentle reminders of happier times. Through Conway, Sampson and the near extinct Niangua. There’s a great old service station building here, looks pretty solid for its age. Nice pony bridge also. For a town of only 4300, Marshfield was really busy; the whole town must quit work at the same time. What remains of Holman is now the Exotic Animal Paradise. Back to Strafford.

Our RV park is right on old Route 66. We’re lucky to be able to stay on our beloved road every once in awhile. We started our day on the outskirts of Springfield. There are quite a few of the old motels left in one form or another, some have become unrecognizable, others still have all the charm that they once held for weary travelers.

My main objective here was to find the old Campbell Express Headquarters building. After two trips up and down Chestnut, the building that “you can’t miss” evaded us. Hopefully the next time we are here the lovable Snortin Norton will still be visible. My disappointment was somewhat levied by a visit with Julia Chaney of the Giant Hamburger fame. She’s a lovable, cheery lady. And was very happy for a couple of “tell me about the past” visitors. When she spoke of Red you could just see the love in her eyes. It was a really nice visit. Wish we could’ve gotten to eat a Sooper.

We stopped in the remains of Plano, nice rock buildings. Just east of Halltown we ran across a great abandoned stretch of the old road. There’s still a building from the old Camp Rose there. Great for photos. Halltown was a sleepy little town when we went through, no activity at all. Some great old buildings. Then it was through Paris Springs Junction. There’s a nice old bridge over Turnback Creek just past here. Then there is another steel thru truss bridge just before Spencer. More great old buildings. Through Heatonville, Albatross, Phelps, Rescue and Plew. There are lots of old stations along this stretch. We never did see Log City or Stone City. The end of our journey today is in Avilla.

We moved our camp to a KOA in Joplin. Took the freeway back to Avilla and began our trek. Not a whole lot to see in Avilla. There’s a beautiful stretch of the mother road heading into Carthage. Seemed like a step back in time. Just loved the Boots Motel in Carthage, it’s so cute. We couldn’t wait for our next stop, the 66 Drive-In. We’re so happy that such a wonderful piece of Americana was saved. We found ourselves wishing that it was still the season so we could go. We also wished that there were more of them so we could take the grandkids. We both remember having fun at the old Drive-In.

Carthage, Missouri - Oh to be young again!