California 2021:
Day 3 - Route 66: Missouri

	Tuesday, November 2, 2021: We were on the road at 6:30 AM, and quickly made our way back to Route 66 where we stopped for a quick photo of the sign for the Luna Cafe.
	Twenty minutes later, we were across the Mississippi River headed toward the St. Louis Arch. We'll see more of that on our way back, but we got a nice view as we drove right by it.
	We were very excited to see the Historic Route signs in Missouri. This was the only brown one that we saw in the entire state. After this one, the Route 66 signs were blue.
	We were off to a quick start with neon signs, and this fresh donuts sign was like a siren song to us, but we successfully resisted it and drove on by.
	Thankfully it was also too early for Ted Drewes to be open, although it might have been nice to see their signature frozen custard served upside down.
	Thank you, Shrewsbury, Missouri. We feel very welcome.
	Here's a blue Missouri Route 66 sign. The blue color actually made them easier to spot, which was unexpected.
	We wondered if all of the cities along the route got together and put in a combined order for the Route 66 banners.
	Near Eureka, Missouri, we stopped at the Route 66 State Park Visitor Center. We didn't intentionally go there. There might have been a sign that was misinterpreted, but we were very glad that we went.
	They had a section of the original roadway for Route 66 that was part of the bridge over the Meramec River. It was very cool to walk on the road and to look out where it would have traveled over the river from 1931 until the bridge was closed to traffic in 2009.
	This way to the Gardenway Motel! The motel itself was a little further up the road, but has been closed since 2014.
	Seeing the teepees of the Indian Harvest Trading Post near Union, MO, made us eagerly anticipate staying at Wigwam Motel later in the trip.
	St. Clair, Missouri, has iconic twin water towers labeled with hot and cold, which was very amusing.
	Debbie's navigational skills were at maximum performance during the drive. She had no fewer than three apps going to make sure we stayed on the route, in addition to the paper map from Roadtrippers.
	There were ads for Meramec Caverns long before we were near it, ...
	... but our favorite was this one. Short and to the point.
	This mural was on a building in Sullivan, MO.
	One of the things we look for while we are driving is the Adopt-a-Highway signs from each state. They are all different, and some states even have several designs. This one caught our attention because we had seen an adopt-a-highway sign near Key West, FL, that was also sponsored by the Parrot Head Club. Awesome!
	Cuba, Missouri, is the mural city of Route 66. That's quite a claim since almost every town we've been through has at least one mural depicting Route 66. Let's see what ya got, Cuba.
	But first, let's contemplate a barbeque restaurant that named itself "Missouri Hick."
	And then have a look at this place. This is the Wagon Wheel Motel. Doesn't it look charming? We definitely made a note to come back here someday and stay.
	There was another sign at the other end of the property, but this was the best picture we got. Both signs probably look great after dark.
	Back to the murals in Cuba. This one depicts a visit to the town by Bette Davis. Strong opening.
	This one pays tribute to Al West Sr., the mayor of Cuba from 1946 to 1958.
	Okay. We've just gotten to the first stop light in town and we can see two more. This one for a gas station that used to be here, ...
	... and this one depicting the time Amelia Earhart made a forced landing here in 1928.
	We circled around the back of a buildind to see a sculpture of a train coming out of a tunnel. The cowcatcher on the front has been turned into a bench.
	Heading back to Route 66, there was a mural depicting scenes from the Civil War, ...
	... one of a local banker's Model-T, ...
	... and this one commemorating Harry S. Truman's campaign stop when he was running for the US Senate in 1940. We think that the title of Mural City is well deserved.
	In Fanning, Missouri, we encountered the world's second largest rocking chair. This made us very eager to see the largest one in Casey, Illinois, later in the trip, considering that this one is taller than the building it is next to.
	If you have some extra cash laying around, and you want to restore a gas station on Route 66, this one is available.
	We laugh like twelve year olds every time we see this sign. This was the first time we'd realize that it was on Route 66 and that we'd be driving right by it.
	We'd like to solve the puzzle. Mule Trading Post.
	We stopped at Lee's Famous Recipe Country Chicken for lunch. Debbie had a three-piece with biscuit and macaroni and cheese, and Tom had a three chicken strips meal with potato wedges and a biscuit. It was very delicious, and we ended up saving the mac and cheese for dinner later that night.
	We really enjoyed this mini Stonehenge display at the Missouri University of Science and Technology outside V.H. McNutt Hall.
	This one is a working half-scale replica of the original outside of London, England.
	Rolla's Route 66 banner featured a 1953 Chevy Corvette. In color! Wow.
	The signs for Route 66 took us on part of the 1926 alignment over the Devil's Elbow Bridge, which was really cool. Luckily, there wasn't any other traffic, because we probably both wouldn't have fit on the bridge at the same time.
	Just on the other side of the bridge was the Devil's Elbow post office.
	There was a turnout on the drive away from the bridge, and we took a minute to look at the beautiful scenery.
	It turns out that if you mount a normally diamond shape deer crossing sign as a square, the deer looks like it is running really fast downhill.
	We arrived at the Uranus Fudge Factory, still giggling at the name.
	Our daughter Jill and her family had been here several months ago and took an adorable picture of all four grandkids with their faces in this display. Tom did his best to hold up our end. Heh heh. End.
	It is unusual to see airconditioners mounted on a rocket, but that's why you visit air and space museums. We're pretty sure this counted as one.
	This was the only banner we'd seen so far with hashtags on it.
	The side of the building had a map of Route 66 showing several points of interest, including Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, which we had seen earlier today in St. Louis.
	Across the street in the overflow parking area, this Muffler Man stood facing nearby I-44, hoping to attract people with its patriot outfit. Not sure about the golf ball, though.
	We admired the way the Alpine Haus Motel and Apartments in St. Robert, Missouri, grabbed our attention. Should that house be up that high?
	We also liked the examples of the work that could be completed by this body shop.
	This rock on a hill in Waynesville overlooking Route 66 caught our attention. It is painted like a giant frog. We looked it up and learned that a local sculptor turned an ugly rock into this amazing frog, and the town embraced it so much that they now celebrate Frog Fest every year in October.
	This historical marker told us that we were in Pulaski County which is famous for many things, and one of them is for being the location of Fort Leonard Wood, which is a US Army base and training center. One of Tom's close friends in high school enlisted in the Army after graduation and came here for basic training.
	This sign pointed us to a Civil War battle site, but since the Civil War is not Tom's war, we didn't visit it.
	There was more evidence of the frog theme in the local business names, like Hopper's Pub.
	This beautiful replica Route 66 shield was outside of the county courthouse.
	As we drove through the towns on Route 66, we were always curious about how the town named the street that we were on. Here, it was Historic 66 Street.
	Jared, this one is for you.
	The stonework on the abandoned Gascosark Cafe was beautiful.
	This was another example of a sign from a business that was long gone, the Satellite Cafe in Lebanon, Missouri. It was next door to ...
	... the Phillips 66 Space Station, which was a gas station with a space theme. This 20-foot rocket is all that is left, but it still caught our attention.
	The Munger Moss Motel was built in 1946 as an addition to the service station and restaurant, but the motel is all that now remains.
	The ubiquitous mileage posts showed distances to Route 66 attractions, ...
	... as well as international destinations. We realized that we've been to every one of the international locations on this sign.
	This abandoned building promised a Route 66 Strip Mall coming soon.
	Wrink's Market wants you to get your Kicks on Route 66. Instead, we wondered why "Kicks" was capitalized.
	There is a Route 66 museum inside this library, and thanks to a sign outside, we also realized that it was Election Day back in the real world.
	There was a park in Lebanon, Missouri, that had three big block walls with nostalgic Route 66 themed paintings on them. The idea was to park your car in front of them and take a picture of your car and the painting.
	We made a quick drive-by of the World's Largest Gift Store in Philipsburg, Missouri. There were far too many people there for us to feel comfortable enough to go inside.
	Marshfield, Missouri, was home to Edwin Hubble, and this replica of the Hubble Space Telescope was erected outside of the Webster County government offices in his honor.
	Tom read the plaque beneath the replica which explains how Hubble's research into the expansion of the universe led to what is now referred to as the Big Bang Theory. All from a boy who grew up in Marshfield, MO.
	There were two buildings on a side street near the replica, and both had murals on them. This one was in honor of the 130th anniversary of the founding of the town, ...
	... and this one showed the iconic 50s Corvette on Route 66.
	The banner in Springfield, Missouri, proudly proclaimed that it was the birthplace of Route 66. The designers of the road, Cyrus Avery and John Woodruff, wanted the route to end in a "0" to mark it as a major highway, but after some objections, they proposed that it be named Route 66. The official request to name it Route 66 was sent from the Colonial Hotel in Springfield, which is why it is called the birthplace of Route 66.
	It must have been a rarity for there to be TV in these hotels along the route, enough that it was decided to incorporate it into this motel sign.
	Here's the Glenstone Court Motel.
	And here's the Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven Motel. Whew. That's a mouthful. And in case you forgot, the sign behind the classic car lets you know that Springfield is the birthplace of Route 66.
	That sign must be a beauty when it is lit up.
	We drove around the motel and saw this sign on the side of one of the buildings. It was used for the motel from 1965 to 1995.
	This Muffler Man statue advertises the nearby Route 66 Food Truck Park.
	There are lots and lots of businesses that use the Route 66 logo in their names, and this strip mall was no exception.
	Part of Route 66 overlaps with the Trail of Tears, the route that Native Americans took when they were forcefully relocated to reservations in the West.
	This Steak 'n Shake restaurant was built in 1962 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
	The signs on the building are original, and like so many of the neon signs on Route 66, they must look fabulous after dark.
	We love a good bike rack, and this fish-shaped one outside of the Springfield Route 66 Visitors Center certainly qualifies.
	Bud's Tire and Wheel has several murals with classic car themes.
	Part of Springfield's Sculpture Walk featured this piece named Hubcaps on Route 66.
	We stopped at Route 66 Roadside Park to get a look at ...
	... the replica of the Red's Giant Hamburg sign.  Sheldon "Red" Chaney started what is believed to be the very first drive-through restaurant in 1947. The restaurant started as Red's Giant Hamburger, but when the sign arrived, he realized that it was too tall due to some overhead power lines and had to chop off the E-R to make it fit.
	Here's another cool bike rack in the park.
	This mural is across the street from park.
	On our way out of town, we passed the Rockwood Motor Court, which is undergoing renovation. Check out the vintage Shell station sign on the front of the building.
	If your lifelong dream has been to own a hotel on Route 66, the Shamrock Court is for sale.
	Next up in vintage gas stations: Sinclair. This is the Gay Parita Filling Station and Garage in Ash Grove, MO.
	Just down the road is another vintage section of roadway, including this old bridge.
	We were pretty sure the original road had been covered with more modern asphalt, but the width of the road seemed right. It was far too narrow for two modern cars to pass each other without one having to run into the grass.
	Around the corner was this replica of a Phillips 66 gas station. It was immaculate, and included the original gas prices, which was just cruel.
	This section appeared to be the original cement roadway. We tried to imagine driving for more than two thousand miles on this narrow road, especially if it was congested.
	Avilla, Missouri, offers this mural for your amusement.
	We decided to stop at Red Oak II, a replica village built on a farm in Carthage, Missouri.
	The owner of the farm was a local artist who bought buildings from his hometown and other rural ghost towns and moved them to his farm and restored them. We cruised by and took a few photos, but didn't venture in.
	This sculpture, named Crapduster, is mounted outside a gas station in Carthage. The creator of the sculpture is the same artist responsible for Red Oak II.
	Just before 4 PM, we arrived at our hotel, the Best Budget Inn in Carthage, Missouri. The room was immaculate and had vintage decor, including a refrigerator with a separate freezer, microwave, and coffee maker.
	Here's the bathroom with lovely vintage tile.
	Kellogg Lake Park was right next to the motel parking lot.
	We had dinner of sandwiches and Halloween candy in our room, where we relaxed and planned the next day's drive before heading to bed. Day 4 >