Meet me in St. Louis...

As you could see from the last few blog posts, we snuck out of the state and took a mini vacation from Michigan to Missouri.

  

Knowing that this was one of the last weekends clear of family and Emma's Varsity Band obligations, I took off Friday and Monday from work and we packed the girls into the family van and headed on the road for 4 days. We decided to venture on Route 66 as much as we could so that the girls could see some of the historic landmarks.  

If you have an opportunity to start in Illinois, I would highly recommend visiting Ambler's Texaco Gas Station. It's located at the intersection of U.S. Route 6 and Illinois Route 17 in Dwight, Illinois. 

 

The gas station is no longer in operation as a filling station, but when it closed, it held the record as the longest operating gas station along the historic Route 66. I shared pictures of this restored gas station on this post, but here are a few more pictures.  

 

We dined in Springfield IL at the Cozy Dog Drive In. 

  

 
This restaurant features Route 66 memorabilia and claims to be the first restaurant to serve corn dogs. We also stopped at Abraham Lincoln's Tomb while in Springfield, IL. 

Our final stop the first night (after nearly 8 hours of driving) was St. Louis. 

No trip to St. Louis is complete without a trip to the Arch. This shot was taken from my car.

This shot was taken at the base of the arch.  Even though I've been several times, it's still impressive.

Emma was worried about the small quarters in the Arch elevator, but she did very well.

 Even Chris who doesn't enjoy extreme heights, did fine...especially because he could see Busch Stadium from the top of the arch.



We didn't stay in a Route 66 hotel the first night, but we did splurge on an English themed hotel (the Cheshire) a few minutes outside of the downtown area.  I loved the decor.



Next up...Springfield Missouri and more Route 66 highlights.

Route 66 continued...

I'll fill in the blanks of our Route 66 trip in the next blog post. For now, I have to share pics from Sunday night's hotel in Springfield Illinois. It was totally vintage...right down to the $65 room rate. 

 




In case you're in Springfield Illinois, this establishment is charming.  It's not fancy by-any-means,  but it provides all kinds of Route 66 charm right down to the 50s diner located inside the hotel.



We've traveled 1,500 miles in 4 days. It's been a whirlwind trip from Michigan to Missouri back to Michigan again.  This was our last big summer 2012 vacation splurge, but it was well worth the mileage.

Riding around in my automobile...

I"ll unveil our whole motor trip soon.  But in the mean time, here are a few more clues of our Route 66 motor tour.  The owner of this Texaco Gas Station gave us a personal tour.  
It was originally his father's garage.  He's 81 years old and such a sweetheart.  

This restaurant (Cozy Dog Drive In) served the best corndogs and hamburgers.

Of course I had to sneak in an antique mall or two.  I couldn't resist when we saw the giant UFO, Paul Bunyan, and pink elephant statue from the highway. 

We are having so much fun researching Route 66 trivia.  We've even seen the world's largest rocking chair at this outpost.

We're definitely getting our kicks on Route 66.  This was our hotel Saturday night.

We're getting our kicks on Route 66!!

New Wheels...

Many of you had commented on my bike in my new blog header. It was a birthday gift in 2010 from my husband who got it here.  A few months ago I had been using that wicker bike basket with my knee scooter when I was recovering from foot surgery.  I'm pleased to report that I'm officially back to my regular exercise schedule which includes riding my bike again!! 
My running days are over and I still have swelling in my left foot that keeps in me "certain" forms of shoes, but no more pirate limp and I can actually keep pace with everyone when I'm walking. Physical therapy made a huge difference after being immobile for so many weeks following foot surgery.  I've already told Josie that when she grows up she should be a physical therapist.

Back to biking...Both girls recently got new bikes and I promised I'd share pictures. 
Emma's bike actually reminds me of the vintage Schwinn bike I had growing up although her bike colors are much prettier.


 
Josie's bike is equally snazzy.

We're still working on the training wheels part of bike riding with Josie.

Our weekend plans don't include biking, but they do involve a great deal of car travel and walking.  Stay cool everyone.