Leaving St Louis we tried to follow the Route 66 signs and my homemade maps. We finally gave up and opened the turn by turn book I bought back in Chicago. When we stated this journey I didn’t think we wanted to do it turn by turn. I was wrong. It’s actually easier to follow that route which automatically brings you to most of the things we want to see. Plus, Dave has discovered that, for him, following the actual route is what it is all about.
Dave and I are not particularly interested in exploring caves. Been there; done that; I can’t really do it anymore, anyway. Yet we found ourselves turning at the road to Meramec Caverns. I guess all that advertising on barns and billboards does work. We didn’t tour the cave, though. We just had lunch in their restaurant and shopped in their gift shop.
For lunch I had a country fried steak sandwich. I love country fried steak partly because I love gravy which I don’t eat often anymore so it is a real treat when I do. However this was a steak on a bun–no gravy. It was so tasty I didn’t even mind it not having gravy.
In the gift shop I bought a toothpick holder. I have a gap in my teeth that nearly always manages to trap something at the end of a meal. I frequently need to use a toothpick to get it out. With this holder, I can store some toothpicks in my pocket without getting stabbed. A very handy thing for me.
Driving along we passed other “typical” tourist sites. A reptile museum with a trading post then a yard full of lawn ornaments for sale, for example. I remember reading once about a woman who collected those lawn ornaments for years. As a widow, she started selling them from her own yard to supplement her income. Interesting retirement program. Today she’d probably be selling them on eBay.
As we drove the hills of this part of Missouri, Dave commented, “Missouri sure has a lot of ups and downs.” I’m glad our days are mostly ups.
TTYL,
Linda