The second state heading west on Route 66 is Missouri. We crossed the Mississippi river into St. Louis, and headed straight for the Gateway Arch. The museum at the base of the arch is a well done presentation on the U.S. westward expansion. There’s also a movie that tells the story of the fabrication and construction of the arch – truly amazing.We became friendly with a few other folks and crowded into one of the tiny elevators to ride to the top of the arch – where we became even friendlier with about 200 other folks in a very tight space. Managed to get a few glances out the window then headed back down for some fresh air. OK – I know that last bit sounded negative – the arch is definitely worth a trip (including to the top). And the photo ops…..outstanding.
Route 66 boasts plenty of giants (muffler men, dinosaurs, ketchup bottles, etc.) so we stopped in Fanning to see the giant rocking chair.
Other than St. Louis, I’d not seen much of Missouri. It’s quite a beautiful drive along the Missouri segment of Route 66, full of heavily wooded rolling hills. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures of the scenery, but did stop at an interesting folk art installation on a rural side road that acknowledged the forced relocation of the Cherokee from the east coast of the U.S. to Oklahoma. The artist created this at the entrance of her/his driveway.
A few last images in Missouri….on to Oklahoma next.
