With St Louis as a starting point Missouri kept showing me the many ways Rt 66 had impacted the state. The old road runs right next to Interstate 44 but in areas finds some distance and the sense of being in a different world would return.
I began by visiting the Shaw Nature Reserve, a part of the Missouri Botanical Garden which I had enjoyed so much in St Louis. It is huge with many trails through different ecosystems, and a wonderful Learning Garden.
It had a re-creation of a home built with a breezeway in the center to allow air to move between the two rooms to keep things cool. I totally understood why as the heat was starting to really build from here on out.
Lots of interesting info about plants, especially edible and medicinal.
The best part for me was a quiet Prairie overlook. Listening to birds and feeling the breeze. Just what I needed after many hectic days of traveling and touring.
But the road beckoned onward and off I went, but stopped early to rest at classic Rt 66 motel: The Wagon Wheel Motel, where BBQ beckoned, and air conditioning helped sleep.
The next day brought a real contrast of images. I stopped at Larry Baggert’s Memorial to the Trail of Tears. The 1930 Indian Removal Act forced 5 native tribes from the east on a horrendous series of journeys to “Indian Territory” today’s Oklahoma. Thousands died. It was a horrendous journey.
Larry had built his house and kept hearing knocking at his door but no one was there. An old Cherokee man told him it was the spirits of the dead who couldn’t cross his land, so he modified his home and the knocking stopped. He then devoted his time to learning about the Trail of Tears and created this memorial. Unfortunately it is only open on the weekends, so I couldn’t go in.
From here, things went downhill……. A canny entrepreneur created a stop along old Rt 66 in the 60s or 70s: the Uranus Fudge Factory. And the puns kept coming.
It could only go uphill from there… and it did. Lebanon MO creatively transformed an old Kmart into a library, Rt 66 Welcome Center and gift shop. Why not?
Made it to Springfield MO which styles itself as the birthplace of Rt 66 since the telegram sent to the Highway Administration saying they would choose Rt 66 as the name of the new road, was sent from here. Did a little museum time and the Rt 66 Automobile Museum, full of restored old cars.
Then found these at an Ozark farmer’s market store. They sure have a down to earth humor here.
I stayed at a wonderful old motel, beautifully restored, called the Rockwood Motel.
The next day brought overcast skies with some rain and a lot more restored gas stations. They were the lifeblood of Rt 66 and so much more interesting than today’s version.
There’s a small stretch of the old highway still around, 9 ft wide.
Drove by the famous Boots Court Motel in Carthage. You can see how they used to have garages next to the rooms for your car.
The rain had started really coming down so I quickly zipped through Carthage and Webb City on the western edge of Missouri, and decided to head to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. It was only an hour out of the way, and I’m so glad I went. More in the next post.
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