The Journey 2008: Day 13

Day 13 begins at the Hotel DeVille in Jefferson City, MO

After a comfortable night sleep with more tornado warnings we are ready to begin our day.

Checking out the Missouri State Capitol, and then heading to meet up with Route 66

Too bad it is only June 4th...I guess we will just have to miss out.

Steak n Shake right on Route 66 in Springfield, MO

Good food, good shakes, fun sitting at an old 50's counter and listening to the locals talk about how annoying the tornado warning sirens are and how they just ignore them and go back to sleep.

County Courthouse in Carthage, MO.

They just don't build them like they used to.

It is crazy to visit places where civil war battles happened.

Heading into Kansas to cruise the little part of Route 66 that cuts across the southeast corner of the state. Another new state and more Route 66 fun.

In case you are wondering Mater has moved from Radiator Springs to

Galena, KS.

Cruising Route 66

Heading towards Arkansas.

On to another new state...at least for a little while.

This is the Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel in Bella Vista, AR.

It took us a little while to find the chapel, but we are glad we did and were able to experiece it along with its beautiful surroundings.

Mmmm...Craker Barrel, got to get it while you can, because for some reason they have not make it to California yet.

We end our day in Oklahoma heading back to meet up with Route 66 to continue our journey.

There is day 13. We added Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma to the mix to bring the total to 18 states with only 1 new one to go.

Tomorrow more Oklahoma, Route 66 and into the last new state...Texas.

The Journey 2008: Day 12

Day 12 begins at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and of course we are going to head to the top to enjoy the view.

Looking back towards St. Louis you can see the old courthouse and
Busch Stadium below.

Looking down toward the Mississippi River.

Checking out the arch with our feet back on the ground.

Here is the old courthouse with the arch in the background.

St. Louis is known for its donuts, so of course we had to try some of them out.

The verdict is in, and the donuts are good, thumbs up, and fat dogging it.

Next we went across the Mississippi River to Alton, IL and of course more food at

Fast Eddie's Bon Air roadhouse.

Good grub and even better prices. I think we bought at least 1 of everything to share, because of course we had to try it all.

I can't remember, but I am pretty sure Amy like the hamburger best, haha. :)

(See day 8 for clarification)

More happily feed people

What goes well with some good food? Well more good food...in the form of pie at Pie Town.

Mmmmm Cherry Pie.

Back to St. Louis to check out the grounds of the 1904 Worlds Fair.

The Palace of the Fine Arts from the 1904 Worlds Fair now houses the St. Louis Art Museum. We did not get a chance to head inside, but the outside and surrounding grounds were very nice.

I bet you all did not know I helped Louis and Clark as they explored the west. I spelled my name a little different back then, but it was quiet an adventure. They were nice enough to set up a memorial in my honor along the Missouri River.

Lewis and Clark Trail...oh the memories of exploring the west as a moutain man.

If you don't believe me you can check it all out on wikipedia where they say John Colter is "widely considered to be the first mountain man"

A good description of me don't you think? haha :)

Checking out the Missouri River in New Haven, MO.

After all of this exploring of course we are hungry and we have to stop for some more delightful food in Hermann, MO, mmmm custard.

I think this place is trying to tell us something, and of course since it involves good homemade pies we had to stop and listen to what the signs were saying.

There is day 12. No new states, but lots of good food and fun exploring new places.

Tomorrow more Missouri, new states and Route 66.

The Journey 2008: Day 11

I am resurrecting the Photo Blog, and am going to finish up our run through the Journey 2008.

After the Journey is complete we will move on to more photo fun.

Day 11 begins early on an overcast morning on the roads of Iowa surrounded by farm land.

Morgan was having fun searching for her home on the range.

Time for a new state as we head into Illinois for a short visit and some food.

Just across the Mississippi River in Quincy, IL it is time for some Maid Rite.

More good food and some delicious pie.

Cruising the Great River Road in Illinois...

...and in Missouri

Overlooking the Mississippi River as it runs between Illinois and Missouri.

Morgan wants to build a house right here, overlooking the Great Mississippi.

More of the Great River Road

On the back roads we passed Ralls County Courthouse in the town of New London, MO built in 1858.

Heading into St. Louis for the night.

Here is the Gateway Arch as we head into Downtown to our hotel and to a ballgame.

At Busch Stadium watching the Cardinals take on the Pirates.

More of Busch Stadium with the Gateway Arch in the background.

The Cardinals lost 5-4 but we had a great time experiencing a ball game at a new stadium.

FYI, the bathrooms at Busch Stadium double as tornado shelters, just in case you are ever there when a tornado hits, now you know.

We ended the night the way a lot of other Cardinal fans did, easing the pain of the loss with some Ted Drewes Frozen Custard. Great stuff after a long fun day, and with so many different flavors and toppings to choose from it was hard to make up our minds.

There is day 11. We added Illinois and Missouri to mix to bring the total to 15 states with only 4 new ones to go.

Tomorrow more of St. Louis, more of Missouri, and of course more good food.