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From Fort Osage, I headed directly to I-70 and turned left. I intended
to get as far east as I could so that Monday's drive wasn't unreasonable.
I had originally thought that might be around St Charles but as I approached
that city, I remembered that I had not been overly impressed with the area's motel
choices. Knowing that every mile driven today is one less tomorrow, another
plan started to form. St Charles isn't all that far from Mitchell, IL, and
a familiar watering hole on Route 66. I drove on to Exit 6, got a room at the Best Western,
and headed to the Luna Cafe for a cheeseburger and a couple of Stags. Darkness
delayed getting photographic evidence until this morning but here it is.
The Bel-Air sign is still standing across the street from the Best Western
and the Luna's neon still marks one of the best little roadhouses on Sixty-Six.
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I still have a long way to go but I felt I could afford a little US-40/National
Road on the way home. When the National Road headed for downtown Vandalia,
I stayed with US-40 and discovered this fine creature just down the road from
Jay's Inn. I've slept within a mile of it but had always gone through
downtown or on to the interstate. That windmill's kind of cool, too.
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This was another surprise although I know I've driven by it at least once.
But that was heading west and going the other way often reveals different
things. Of course, driving the same way often does that, too.
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I sometimes call an uncle of mine on a Saturday morning when I'm heading
toward his home in Troy, OH, and he occasionally calls me when it seems possible
that I might be going that way. If it works out, we'll meet for breakfast.
If it doesn't, we'll just wait for the next call. The last time I called him, he was in Florida.
This week he called me in St Charles. Although a breakfast date wasn't possible,
he mentioned an Effingham restaurant called Niemerg's where he often stops to eat when traveling to
or from a brother's home in Missouri. I tried it, liked it, and, since it's just across
the expressway from the giant cross, I decided to visit that, too. The big one in Groom, Texas,
has statues of the Stations of the Cross around it. This one has the Ten Commandments.
Pressing a button at one of them lowers the volume on the music that is
steadily playing, and plays a commandment appropriate message through a speaker that looks
like a rock or one mounted under the bench. I personally think the rock speakers sound best.
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I didn't religiously follow the National Road but did make sure I went
through Greenup to see the balconies. As I passed the historical society,
I saw it was open and pulled in to say hi. I'm really sorry that I've forgotten
the name of the friendly lady I spoke with first but I spent several minutes
chatting with her and Belinda Nickles of the Illinois National Road Association.
I stayed with the old road through Casey and Marshall then entered the expressway
and set out for home.
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