I was up and out by 8 and began a long day of riding. It was a warm morning with a cloudless blue sky. I rode through some of the plains of Indiana and Illinois, with fields of young very green corn plants and fields of soybeans. It doesn't look much different than Southern Ontario. I spent the day riding on a series of Interstates, 69, 70 and 44 West from St Louis to Joplin, Missouri. 44 is in fact part of the famous, or infamous, Route 66. Route 66 reduced the distance between Chicago and Los Angeles by more than 200 miles, which made it popular among thousands of motorists who drove west in subsequent decades. The period of historical significance for Route 66 was 1926 to 1985.
Written by Bobby Troup and recorded by Nat King Cole in 1946, the song Route 66 lists the major cities along the highway. It contains the verse: "If you ever plan to motor west, Travel my way, take the highway that is best. Get your kicks on route sixty-six." In reality it is now a series of interstates used by truckers between east and west. It is not a particularly pleasant ride, however it is expedient. The afternoon became very warm with temperatures into the nineties Fahrenheit or mid thirties Celsius. It was hot on the bike.
I joined Route 66 at St Louis. Prominent on the city skyline from the highway is the Gateway Arch. It is a 630-foot (192 m) tall stainless steel monument. It is the tallest monument in the US and was built in recognition of all the pioneers and travelers heading to the west. It was completed in 1965 at a cost of 13 million dollars. At this point I crossed the Mississippi River, which seems to symbolically separate east from west.
Frustrated bloggers note: It is impossible to take photos from the bike on the highway and there are no places to stop. I tried to find copyright free jpegs of the Route 66 map and the city skyline of St Louis but with my new Chromebook was unable to download or save them. Thanks to Shayna who helped me from Toronto.
Driving through Missouri I drove through part of the Ozark Mountains which is a scenic area of forested hills and the highway cuts through the sedimentary rock. After that the land leveled off and I noticed a return to agriculture but also the beginning of some ranching. After almost 13 hours on the bike and a total of 1141 kms, I stopped at Joplin and checked into another Comfort Inn. I went to a local grocery store and bought some fruit and yogurt and collapsed in my room.
Interesting highway billboards:
A Yosemite Sam type holding two six-shooters, which reads: in-laws and out-laws gun shop.
Two holstein cows painting black paint on a white background, that reads: eat more chickin.
And finally, Shackled by lust? Jesus will set you free..... is there nothing that he cannot or will not do?
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