We were on the road by 8:30 am, which is good for me. We headed for Joplin, MO, which is about halfway between Springfield, IL and Dallas. Google estimated 5 hours drive time, so we hoped to make it to the Drury Inn there in time for the evening free food.
As we approached St. Louis, the flat farmland changed to gently rolling farmland. Still lots of fields of corn and cows, with lots of color in the trees - gold, orange and red among the green. Occasionally, we see horses, sheep and even llamas.
Then the road signs indicate an intersection with I70. Surely we're farther from home than that? A bit depressing, even if we know we've made good progress.
Then we spot the Arch in the distance. We're almost to St. Louis. I wanted to take a picture of the arch as we crossed the Mississippi, but we needed to concentrate on getting on I44. It takes two of us to make sure we don't miss a sign!
But we made it and headed across Missouri. Once again, we are mostly following the route of old route 66. Missouri seems to be making it more of a tourist thing. We see more signs and the tourist information centers (of which there are a number) highlight route 66.
The terrain has gotten hillier. At points, the highway has been cut through the hills, exposing stone walls which remind me of Pennsylvania. And occasionally we get glimpses of views which stretch for miles. The Lake of the Ozarks and Branson are both in Missouri, rightly attracting lots of tourists.
We notice more RVs, although still not a lot. Some motor homes, some fifth wheels and a few trailers.
After lunch, I take a turn at driving. I've never towed anything before and this truck is the biggest thing I've ever driven. But with a few tips from Steve (make very wide turns) I'm on the highway and Steve gets a break. Salami has gotten comfortable enough to crawl into his lap and they both fall asleep.
Traveling straight down the highway doesn't take a great deal of skill. I manage fine until the next rest area when I pull over. Steve had his nap and my leg was tired. Steve asked if I've learned anything. Oh, yes! I definitely will use the adjustable pedals and cruise control in our new truck and I want a rear view camera on the trailer!
The truck parking at this rest stop is far away from the building, but they've marked the sidewalk like a road and the picnic shelters like building along Route 66.
It made me smile. The floor in the visitor center had a map of the whole Route 66 from Chicago to California embedded in the floor. Some day maybe Steve and I will drive the whole route. I think tomorrow we leave Route 66 when we turn south to head for Dallas.
Salami started getting comfortable after lunch, but didn't want to lay down on her seat. She wanted a lap. So she rode on the lap of whoever was sitting in the passenger seat. She's also comfortable enough to bark at noises in the hotel room. We only had two barks last night and she's already barked more than that.
We did make it to Joplin, MO tonight in time for free food. But 5 hours of driving should have gotten us here before 5 pm, even allowing for stops. But we didn't arrive until 6. Since we have about the same number of miles to cover tomorrow, we're going to try to leave earlier in the morning. We'd like to get to Uhaul in time for them to help us unload the Prius and they close at 7 pm.
Keep your fingers crossed for us!
Deb
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