ROUTE 66 (DAY 4)

My Saturday night in Springfield, Illinois was less than perfect. Riding 300+ miles a day can be very tiring so bedtime is a welcome experience. Finding a quiet camp ground shouldn't be like buying a house. I guess I forgot to check out the neighborhood. No sooner had I turned out the lantern than the trains started coming by every ten minutes blowing their horns. At least that's what it seemed like. Then some yahoo in the camp site wanted to get an early start on celebrating the Fourth of July with his own fireworks display. A sleep aid and ear plugs solved the problem.
It was Sunday morning and the sun was out. It looked like a great day for a ride. The weather changed as soon as I broke camp. The winds picked up. The clouds rolled in and the rest of the day the clouds, sun and even a little rain all took turns.
My original plan was to ride Route 66 so I would ride it for awhile and then jump back on the slab. Over the past several decades the "Mother Route" has deteriorated badly and most of the attractions, motels, diners and service stations are just a faded memory.
Here are some pics from one of the surviving attractions.

                                                                                         

I had hoped to stop in St. Louis, Mo. just to get a nice shot of the Gateway Arch but it was not meant to be and all I have is my memory of it as I blasted over the mighty Mississippi River. That night I made it to a nice KOA camp ground in Springfield, Missouri. Oddly enough they had trains and fireworks too.