Meet me in St. Louie, Louie!

            Tuesday, 17 July.  Today was a drive back in time.  The day began with rain.  I got some photos of a cut off section of Old Chatam Road.  A short while down the road I drove over a stretch of red brick road.  I slowly drove thru Auburn taking the old twists & turns.  Down the road was Thayer & a dogleg, not the last, thru cornfields.  Virden followed with its alternate alignments.  –  The stretch between Girard and Nilwood is as neat as Jerry says.  Almost no one on the road as it wends its way thru farmland.  –  The Harvest Road dogleg was cut for bridge repair.  –  Carlinville was a pretty some country town with a nice court house.  –  Just before one get to Gillespie there is “In memory of Buffalo Bob Ranger’s Buffalo Ranch.  A construction company has a number of bison penned in along the road.  I had to stop & take photos.  –  At Gillespie I decided I had done enough driving for the day & returned to Springfield.  I would go the motel route tomorrow night.
            Wednesday, 18 July.  I headed down 66 under fair skies.  –  I checked out the 4-lane section at Bridgeview Park.  –  Then a slight detour to hike across a covered bridge.  –  The drive was not too eventful, but very pleasant.  Life in the slow lane.  It was another era driving thru small towns along quiet streets, not to mention seemingly endless corn fields.  –  I finally found some lunch in Litchfield at the Ariston Café.  Outstanding, especially the dessert.   –  Restored I drove down to Mt. Olive to view the Soulsby Shell Station & the grave & monument of Mother Jones.  –  Then back to Litchfield and a 2^nd dessert at Ariston.  Yummy!  At the café I met some Roadies from Nederland, France and Switzerland.  Cool.  
            Thursday, 19 July.  Down the road to Henry’s Rabbit Ranch & Emporium.  I had an old “WOMBAT” license plate to deliver & meet Rich & Montana.  I had a marvelous time there and bought a Route 66 Tourist Badge, a needed accessory.  –  A photo of the Coliseum, closed and without the “giants.”  –  I collected photos of Meramec Caverns signs, the neon church sign & the Bel Air Drive In sign which will not be there shortly.  The area is being developed  into a commercial park.  –  I got to the east end of the Chain of Rocks Bridge just as the heavens opens.  I called it a day and went to my friend’s home.  Costuming Central!