Route66 Missouri – FOLLOW THE RED BRICK ROAD

14-15 June 2013: Days 31 & 32 of 43 – St Louis & Benson MISSOURI (State 17). 
Route66: Days 2 & 3 of 13. 
Overnights in St Louis & Benson MISSOURI. 
Period 768km, Route66: 637 for 961km, Total 12,402km. 

The Bubba Gump deep sleep was shattered by the sound of a loud train horn blowing several times at 6am right next to our room. We were in the movie “My Cousin Vinny”. Now I know how Vinny Gambini felt. No wonder our hotel was so cheap and empty! Despite this, today we struck Route 66 “gold” or should I say “red”! Yes we did it. 

We found the much sought after 150m strip of 1926 genuine original untouched Route 66 road just 40 miles outside Springfield. We got lost 3 times trying to stay on the Route 66 roads and if we had given up we would never have found it. There are no signs on non-Route 66 roads pointing you to Route 66 roads. All the signs are on the Route 66 roads themselves guiding you from one to the other. I used my Historical Society maps to actually get us on the closest Route 66 road once we leave the hotel.

The reason we knew we had found the original red brick Route 66 road is because Rose had showed it to us at the museum and specifically told us to watch out for it after we left Springfield. It also appeared on our Samson (TomTom) as “Historic Route 66”. We spent plenty of time there, filming and photographing. It was like visiting a holy place. Very satisfying to see it out there in the wild. We also stopped to take photos in front of an original Texaco gas station complete with 1950’s vintage Chevy out front.

 
Today our journey was peppered with small towns draped in American flags since it was “USA Flag Day” commemorating the star spangled banner! Just outside Benl we interviewed two “significant” people about the meaning that Route 66 has for them – they were walking along a Route 66 road and we simply could not resist. We also interviewed Rose and Christina who served us pie the day before – no giveaways here – look out for the movie! Finally St Louis MISSOURI loomed in the distance, easily identified by its famous arch called the “Gateway Arch” since St Louis (pop 2.9 million) is considered the official start of the west. Fur trapper Pierre Laclede first settled the area in 1764 since it was on the Mississippi and Missouri river junctions – very strategic as a port and for transporting goods. St Louis became famous from its 1904 World Fair and the first non-stop transatlantic flight which started here in 1927 by Charles Linbergh.

The arch itself is part of the “Jefferson National Expansion Memorial”. President Thomas Jefferson was instrumental in promoting the mass migration of European Americans to the West Coast including the construction of the east-west railroad which had a major hub in St Louis. The Arch therefore was dedicated in his honour and recognised St Louis as the gateway to the west. The arch is huge. Measures 630ft (192m) from one end of the arch to the other and stands 630ft (192m) high. It is made of concrete and steel and you can travel inside the arch to the top! It was built between Feb 1963 and Oct 1965 at a cost of $13million ($93.4m in 2012 dollars). To get to the top there are two trams running from other side of the arch. The tram is actually 8 circular buggies each with 5 people that hang and rotate as the trams is dragged up like a lift. It is an incredible piece of engineering. The ride up takes 4min and down 3min. The view from the tip is terrific. You can see the CBD in a single glance and up and down the Mississippi as far as 30 miles away.

Being the capital of Missouri, St Louis also has an impressive Capital Building and this one is surrounded by expansive gardens that look great from 192m up. After our arch visit we drove around the CBD which features a public amphitheatre surrounded by commercial towers and a focal point at lunchtime. In the distance you see the Capital Building with the arch perfectly over the top of it like a rainbow (by intent). We also drove a further 5 miles out to Forest Park which is like Sydney’s Centennial Park, Taronga Zoo and Botanical Gardens all combined into one.

Our hotel was 18 miles away at the airport so we decided to have our first Route 66 dinner with the gals at TGIs in the Ramada – great night sharing our respective stories of Route 66 today and yesterday… 15 June was a big drive, especially in the jigsaw world of Route 66 where you jump from one road to another. The Route 66 roads between St Louis and Springfield where in very good condition since they had been refurbished as minor arteries for local towns in the area. We sped along at 100km/h compared to 70km/h on our first day. We only took toilet and fuel stops except for the world’s largest rocking chair, outside Fanning MISSOURI. At Springfield MISSOURI we left Route 66 and travelled 40 miles (71km) south to Branson which is the Las Vegas of MISSOURI. It has its own “strip 76” which is a bunch of casinos and 50 theatres/venues on Highway 76 for comedy, cabaret shows and country music concerts. There are hotels everywhere. We drove down the strip and to the river where there was a huge water fountain show. If you love country music and gambling this is the place for you. Branson is only 15 miles (23km) from the state border with Arkansas so I decided to drive to the border, park my car to the side of the highway and run 10km from the border into Arkansas so I could clock up my 22^nd US State under ASICS!!! We then all met at the hotel and decided to order room service - Gump also spent the whole evening blogging the first 3 days of Route 66.