Day Four
After a light breakfast, we headed to St. Louis along the old road. Near Mitchell, northeast of St. Louis, we came to the Chain of Rocks Bridge; although closed to traffic, it is still worth a look. The bridge roadbed has a radical bend in it about half-way across. Most unusual.
No trip to St. Louis would be complete unless it included a ride to the top of the Gateway Arch, a graceful stainless steel arch rising 630 ft. above the Mississippi River. The “elevator” to the top consists of eight little egg-shaped pods connected together, each the size of the backseat of a Volkswagen into which five sweating, anxious people are stuffed. The longer it takes to depart, the more anxious they become, which increases the rate of perspiration. As the little window in the door started to fog up, the car started its noisy, jerking, undulating ride to the top of the arch. I’m sure it took no longer than two minutes to reach the top, but when it stopped, five people tried to squeeze out of the door at the same time.
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| There were a series of rectangular windows on each side of the Arch so that one could either look out over the Mississippi River or back at the sites of the city; such as Busch Stadium (where the St. Louis Rams, an American football team plays) and Kiener Plaza where the City Hall is located. The view was spectacular, and having the ability to look straight down was a sobering event. My admiration for people who climb mountains has grown now that I know what a mere 630 feet drop looks like. |
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No trip to St. Louis would be complete unless you stop at Ted Drewes for a frozen custard. The menu calls this concoction a “concrete” because it is thick and cold and doesn’t move even if held upside down. Peut-etre les Francais l’appellerait “le lait frappe dur.” (My apologies to Sylvain for butchering his language.) To quote a Route 66 travelers’ guide, “It feels good in your tummy and most of the colors look good on your clothes”. |
After leaving St. Louis we headed west. We were amazed at how much of old Route 66 still exists. According to the Route 66 Federation, approximately 80% of the old route exists either as frontage roads to the new interstate, or as roads through towns long forgotten by time which nearly parallel the new route. Some of these towns have fallen into decay, while others have taken advantage of the rekindled interest in traveling the “mother road” and provide shelter and food for the traveler, many of whom come from Europe to ride the road. We passed such attractions as the Meramec Caverns, which advertises itself as the “greatest show under the earth”. At approximately 7:00 PM we pulled into Rolla, Missouri for the night. A few drinks, a good meal, and a few hours of the Olympics and we were snug in our beds.
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