Ozarks, Barbecue and Archaeology

Monday May 28, 2012

The day started with a visit to the Wagon Wheel Motel office. We got to hear the owner talking about the adventure restoring the place had been. It had been a nice stay in a special place but it was time to move on.

 

Shelly’s Café was suggested but it was closed for the holiday. We ended up doing breakfast at Hardee’s, a Burger King sort of chain. If I’m not forgetting anything it’s the first such joint of the trip. We’ve been doing pretty good at enjoying the local fare.

With that we were off and rolling. The day was spent rolling though the Ozarks, nice rolling hill country. Wooded and sparsely farmed it was in stark contrast to most of Illinois. It was a nice travel day with mostly blue skies. There was a storm front around but we only had a few cloudy spells. It was hot and breezy. More often than not the interstate was nowhere to be seen and that added to the experience. Today we had no big stops, just a lot of hit and run sightseeing including a few loops onto older alignments or the route.

 

As we left town the GPS flagged us to a back street where we found Friscos Public House. Listed as a historic place in the town it may date back to the heyday of route 66. In any case it had some nice murals along the sidewalk.

 

The next stop was about 4 miles out of town in Fanning at the 66 Outpost. Their claim to fame is the world’s largest rocking chair, over 42 feet tall! Like many route 66 stops the idea is to have something so audacious that people just have to say “look at that!” and then hope they stop to patronize. "In the day" traffic was heavy and the goal was to catch as much of the passing cash as possible. With that much traffic and competition one-upmanship was inevitable. This continues even with newcomers to the road.

The also had a nice mural outside.  The riding mower was clever, a bicycle outfitted with a reel type push mower for the front wheel. After getting a bag of ice and a few souvenirs we were off again.

 

Down the road in St. James we found an old DERBY filling station. It was an uncommon brand with signs intact. The station was cluttered with some old vehicles and rubbish bit it was worth a few quick pictures. As we crossed town the main road opened up being a divided street. The sidewalk was smack dab down the center with grass and trees bordering each side of the sidewalk. The edges of the street are also tree lines making for a pretty and shaded roadway. 

 

Rolla was the next stop. Here we found the Mule Trading Post featuring a giant Hillbilly. His arms are made to swing back and forth but they were still today. They have a very tall highway sign the spells out MULE TRADING with each letter being a box on the sign frame. Some are missing, one hanging from the frame making you guess like playing a game of Wheel of Fortune. Can I have a vowel Vanna?

They have a neon mule sign with the neck extending from a US Highway shield. There is a barn down back with a mule sign, probably an old petting zoo to draw families. There were a few Corvairs hanging around out front. Lorna made sure I got pictures of those. Other than that it was a basic gift/souvenir shop.

 

Still in Rolla we found the Totem Pole Antiques and Fireworks. They claim to be the oldest business on Missouri route 66 dating back to 1933. This building looked like a converted Shell gasoline station with a sign that went up into the sky with many panels hawking its wares. The place had a lot of old gasoline pumps, and other antiquities hanging around in addition to the requisite souvenir items. Tourist trap alert.

Farther into Rolla we found the sign to Zeno’s steak house. From what I can find they recently closed and operated a motel, Zeno’s Studio Motel. They had been in business since 1957.

 

On the outskirts of Rolla were the remains of “Pingas”, a golden stucco building. They had offered an eclectic mix of Hand Made Leather Goods, Indian Jeweler, Salsa, BBQ Beef Chili, Pozole, Tamales’s and Green Chili Soup. It’s getting overgrown but even now in Google street view it looks like it had been in recent operation. You can tell that vegetation can grow fast down here!

 

We left Rolla and traveled a lovely stretch of traditional 2 lane route 66. 1 lane each way with no shoulders, the way roads used to be. It does give a certain intimacy with the surroundings. Often we have been going for long stretches on the  mother road with no sign of another vehicle in either direction. This was through nice rolling curving terrain.

 

On an old alignment in Newberg we found Vernellel’s Motel still in operation. It began when 66 was a 2 lane road right at the doorstep, got moved back when it became a divided 4 lane roadway. Since then 66 got reduced to 2 lanes, realigned and ultimately the traffic went to the interstate. Today Vernelle’s is operating in the shadow of it’s own billboard from the day when the Mother Road was at it’s doorstep. It’s a decent, simple property that harkens back to another time.

 

Just down a way we spotted John’s Modern Cabins. Built in the 1930’s and operating into the 1960’s sometime. The cabins are now caving in and severely decayed. At least one outhouse is still standing and perhaps usable. One of the more sound cabins has the sign for John’s Modern Cabins perched on the roof. The sign is weathered, surrounded with tree limbs that have grown in and still has some neon tube glass. With a little focusing you can still read the sign.

Looking around I spotted some metal fence posts lined up in front of the property, one with a small wooden sign. Further scouting found another matching sign that fit. It appears they had a Burma Shave style sign series. They read, “WHILE YOU ARE HERE” and PHOTOGRAPH THESE”, so we did. A US ROUTE 66 shield remains painted on the pavement out front. Down the road a bit we spotted a cabin in a yard up on blocks that may have been rescued from John’s.

We're using a lot of books and GPS tools to find these places and they aren't always obvious. It's fun to pick these places apart to see what's there behind the brush and clutter.  Sometimes it's almost like archaeology so see a place go from nondescript to telling a rich story.

 

Heading down to the dead end of the road in the shadows of I-44 we found the few homes forming Arlington. Formerly home to the Stony Dell Resort community on route 66. Progress left it at the end of a long dead end and it is now considered a ghost town. When we passed by it seemed everyone was out sweeping, painting and gardening. all 6 of them. 

Back out and down I-44 we located another old alignment that included a few points of interest. First was the site commemorating the “Trail of Tears”.

This relates to the forced migration of the Cherokee Indians. The site is no longer maintained but stone archways, monuments and symbolic statues remain though some are damaged or being overgrown. Enough is apparent to tell the story.

An Indian and Buffalo are visible up on the hill above but a private residence is uncomfortably close to the trail the leads there. I got pictures from afar. The Trail is gated to keep vehicles out but is not posted.

Farther down we came to the remains of the Stony Dell Resort that was once the pride of Arlington. One building is standing with a weathered sign for gas, food, bait and handmade gifts. Many other road side structures are collapsed.

 A stone entry archway is standing and I could spot other overgrown stone-work.

Sections of roadside split rail fencing and some cabins in varying states of decay remain. The remains of a large HOME COOKING sign can be spotted.

Next in Clementine we came to beautiful 4 lane section of route 66 left in it’s 1944-45 constructed state. 2 lanes in each direction, no shoulders and a grass median strip perhaps 5-6 feet wide. The edges of the pavement rise up like slight curbs and water runs down the roadway until it reaches run-off aprons.

Along this roadway is hooker cut, at the time  it was the deepest road cut at 90 feet. The rock walls are covered with kudzu.

Next we came to a section of the road called Devil’s Elbow. Named for a bend in the nearby river it is also the town’s name. This stretch of road is a diversion from the straight roadway. Here the local market sells tobacco, souvenirs and is the local post office, 65457. The sale of tobacco is prominent in Missouri with tobacco on many signs and smoke shops common.

  
The road makes its way up to a high ridge with a view of the Devil’s Elbow in the Piney River below. There is a marked scenic turnout and a stone wall with plantings maintained by the Planters of Pulaski County Garden Club.

A very long steel and wood railroad trestle can be seen spanning the river and flood plain below.

 

 The Hardees breakfast was a while ago and before 1:00 we found SWEETWATER BAR-B-QUE, “a Taste of the Ozarks” in St. Robert.  My Ham and turkey were delicious and fork tender. Lorna’s Ribs were good too with a nice bark of rub on the backs. Lorna liked the Hillbilly Beans and I enjoyed the Missouri potato salad, it had a subtle kick. We threw more food than we could eat. 

Much of the afternoon we were striking gold with old motel properties in and out of the towns. Some were operating and others were either abandoned or repurposed. If I cover them all I’ll never end! A few were pretty cool and need to be mentioned. We got lots of nice photo’s Would you like to stay at the Humble House Inn? All rooms are $19.95 for up to 4 people!

In Waynesville we spotted the boulder projecting from the hill to look like a frogs head.

Down the road a giant bowling pin (ten pin style) shares the sky with a sign for the ADULT SUPERSTORE.

The remains including a huge sign in the sky for the Whitmore Farms restaurant down in Buckhorn can be spotted from the same place on the hill. 

Back into the woods of Buckhorn we located the Pleasant Grove Cabins. There remain 3 or 4 field stone cabins in states of decay. The property is abandoned.

 Off to the left side is a large stone fireplace where generations of guests probably enjoyed summer evenings and smores. A unique hoop shaped sign or lantern frame remains up front but is being overgrown.

In Hazel Green we crossed the Gasconade river on a magnificent 1923 bridge including 3 thru-truss spans and a pony truss. At the base is a public access area where locals were swimming, boating, fishing and sunbathing. Driving around it’s not uncommon to see fishermen working the streams in waders. 

Lebanon gave is the Munger Moss Motor Court. This would have been another nice one to stay at but the time of day just wasn’t working out. The font office has a 2 lane welcome port and the rooms ramble back around the property. This place has been restored and under management that goes back 30 years. Latter I was down the road photographing a restaurant and a lady came out of a convenience store to make sure I got Munger Moss at night! She lives near there and say’s the neon is awesome. Like many of these places there is a huge MOTEL sign perched in the sky so travelers can find the place.

Across the street the Forest Manor Motel operates but looks much more dated.

In downtown Lebanon we found the Bell restaurant. This huge rambling place featured  BBQ Ribs, Steak and Seafood. I can just picture the station wagons packing the parking lot.

I wiped some grime from the windows and got some pictures without flash. The long fountain counter looks like a time capsule with salt, pepper, cups and ashtrays waiting. There are dozens of orange stools with tufted back rests.

It closed early in 2011 but was a campaign stop for Barack Obama in 2008. It was built in  1964 and looks very “60’s”. Just so there’s no confusion there are 3, count em, three big RESTAURANT signs.

 

Past Lebanon is a pair of Meramec Cavern painted bars for northbound travelers on the adjacent interstate. Only 115 miles! I guess we have made some progress on this trip.

We stopped at the Candy Factory where I bought a chocolate cover Twinkie just for the heck of it. We also shopped next door at the World’s Largest Gift Shop. I got a T Shirt, Lorna some of her Start of David Pressed Glass. Buy UPS stock! They had Lucy’s 1940 Cadillac on display.

 

 In Philipsburg we noticed a long tall flagstone wall along the road. A metal Pepsi sign was on the wall and farther down over a door was a Gymnasium sign. A couple was sitting across the street and I approached them to ask about the original structure. It used to be the local high school but latter was a store, hence the mixed signs. This guy had owned it and some added on steel building for years. He used to do trucking up to Maine! A fire consumed the building leaving the stone wall.

 

We’re spending the night in Marshfield Holiday Inn Express. After a week of road food we got a light meal at Subway, some fruit at the market and dined in our room while pictures downloaded from the camera. The chocolate covered Twinkie went down good .

A Double Shot of Bourbon

We awoke in St. Clair, MO and started our day. The hotel breakfast was a light one but it served the purposes and matched the room rate. The room was very nice with a view of the interstate and St. Clair’s solution to having enough water for the showers.

The first stop of the day was a tour of Meremec Caverns in Stanton MO. It’s a few miles off of the road but it has been drawing travelers for decades. We started to see billboards for this place well up in Illinois and as you get closer the intensity builds. You can just about picture the road weary kids in the backseat clamoring to stop.

The walking tour though the caverns ran almost an hour and a half and was pretty cool.

 
It ended in a chamber called the Theater where a wall is draped in stalactites. God Bless America by Kate Smith (At one time she had performed it there live) was played as a light show illuminated the formations, it was pretty neat.

The cool cave was a nice respite from the 90F+ day outdoors. They had one of those paper roll ,player pianos that I enjoy. I made my 25 cents worth of music to liven the place up, kids flocked to this thing.  With arrival, waiting, the tour, gift shop and a light lunch it was about a 3 hour stop.

 

On our way out the next stop was the the Reptile Ranch a supposed roadside attraction of animals and  oddities. We went in, looked around and it didn’t pass the sniff test. That was enough to say "let’s move on". I’m now reading that it had closed at some point and someone has apparently taken another swing at making it work.

 

Right where the road to the caverns meets route 66 is the Jesse James Wax Museum. It turns out the the founder of Meremec Caverns had what I’ll call an obsession with Jesse. On the tour they showed us a chamber where Jesse supposedly stayed to avoid the law.

The museum starts with a movie that lays out this guys belief that he located Jesse, alive and well at a ripe old age. He has video with an elderly Jesse and even interviews Jesse’s equally old cook. The wax museum did have some nice vignette displays that bring the story to life. For $7 it was good fun and we even got the book that tells the whole story in full detail. Roadside fun!

 

Next door is a presently closed (For Sale) antique toy museum. Also within eye shot were two old motels. One, the Stanton Motel was occupied and may have had paying guests. The other property signed only as MOTEL was dormant. The $26.95 and up banner lashed to the front suggested it had been open in the near past.

 

Bourbon was our next stop. Noteworthy are the town water towers emblazoned with the town name suggesting liquor in mass quantity. I was able to get a picture that included 2 towers in legible alignment, a double shot of bourbon.

Down the road was the Circle Inn Malt shop restaurant. As I was roaming around taking pictures a local woman came out and struck up a conversation, we talked Maine, Missouri, the restaurant and other stuff.

We were still due for desert so we went in for malts, I had peanut butter, Lorna cherry. They were pretty good with a real malt taste and texture. They had some nice route 66 murals in one dining room that were worth capturing. Down the road  further we found the (Route 66) Road House restaurant, steaks, pasta and BBQ Ribs. The place was dormant but signs suggested recent operation and that it may have a future at some point.

 

We finally stumbled on a WalMart and got a decent cooler and  more camera batteries. Some simple things are not as plentiful as I’d expect, maybe were just traveling in the slow lane.

 

After 4:30PM we rolled into Cuba where there the downtown is home to 12 historical murals. On the way in we first found the Wagon Wheel Motel, a classic route 66 motel.

The stone building contain 6 or so rooms each and are on a nice property. I was snapping pictures and Lorna went in to chat with the office/gift shop lady. By the time I wandered in the history lesson was in progress. Apparently the original proprietor was retiring and the place had become run down. Some woman purchased it and set to restore the place. It’s been very nicely done with clean tasteful modern touches without losing the vintage charm. The buildings were renovated in succession so they could remain in operation. It is the longest continually operating lodging establishment on route 66 and she didn’t want to lose that distinction. After buying a history book of the place and a few trinkets we left. Once outside we decided to see if we could stay the night. We wanted to start getting off the road earlier to allow earlier starts, the murals were just up the street and the Missouri Hick BBQ restaurant next door seemed like a happening place. We snagged a room and called it home.

 We headed into town and spent close to 2 hours walking and snapping photos of the  murals and other interesting stuff. Being Sunday of a holiday afternoon the place was pretty quiet wit hardly anything open. Thank God for digital photography. One mural depicting the towns actual 6 Gold Star Sons from WW2 was especially poignant. 

 

Next stop was the Misssouri Hick BBQ next door. We each had a combo platter of St. Louis style ribs and BBQ smoked turkey. The ribs were sender and meaty, not fatty and all. The turkey was flavorful and juicy, not even wanting BBQ sauce. Each table had six different barbecue sauces in squeeze bottles. The variety was fun to play around with.

He wait staff was scrambling and the dining room and take-out were doing a good business. The pace as decorated with lots of vintage stuff but it was bright and tasteful, it didn't feel like you were eating in a flea market.

Thumbs up!

 

Afterwards we settled into our room. At dusk I looked out to the road to see that the neon sign was functional and it was. After dark I drove out to the shoulder of the roadway to use the hood as a camera rest and messed around with some still and video shots. I got some that are at least good enough to remember the place by.

 

With that it was time to blog and call it a night. Smoking is not as banned down here as it is back home. Restaurants sometimes have smoking sections and the place will have that forgotten odor. The Motel and at least the downstairs of the BBQ joint were smoke free. :) We have at least another day to go in MO. It's hard to say how the holiday will impact things. It would be fun to catch a Midwest small town Memorial Day observance.

Transitions

It’s day 6 of the trip we’re really getting into the swing of this. Today brought a number of transitions to the trip. The endless cornfields at times became amber waves of grain. The flat fields became rolling hills, straight roads found some curves and wooded land became the common terrain. At 2:15 this afternoon we crossed the line in to Missouri ending the tour of Illinois in 3-1/2 days apart from the Chicago time.

Speaking of Chicago reminds me of the Beach Boys concert and what we stumbled on. After a few days of local radio we decided to try the Sirius XM satellite radio in the Jeep.  We started with period correct 50’s pop music. After a while we went to 60’s pop where we found them having an Endless Summer Beach Boys weekend. They are playing the live recording done for them by the BB at the onset of the tour. I can really hear how the band has tightened up over the months but it still serves to relive the live performances. The rest of the weekend is about 50% Beach Boys music. They are playing a mix of the big hits and obscurities.

Living in New England we are accustomed to the strata in the rocks being in any orientation due to glacial disruption. Here where rock has been cut away the layers are level. Where we have much granite limestone is common here.

Road kill of deer is quite common, I think we spotted 3 so far. Let it suffice to say that cleanup is not prompt. We also hit a stretch of the St.Luis beltway with a speed limit of 60 MPH, a speed limit I don’t ever remember seeing. Okay, I’m easy to amuse.

With the trivia essay complete it’s time to capture the day’s sights and tastes. I can’t wait to add pictures to this blog but just the text is keeping me up pretty late. So far the photos and a few videos amount to nearly 600 files and 6 gigabyes.

After a Super-8 continental breakfast it was off to Henry’s Rabbit Ranch in Staunton, IL. The outside featured mix of rabbit, route 66 and automotive artifacts. A bunch of VW Rabbit chassis were cut in half and planted in the ground bumpers up, like rows of corn. Now I know where those cars come from.

There were old gas pumps and signs from restaurants and motels of the past. I can just picture an older couple stopping in and seeing the sign from a place they visited a generation ago with their family or on a honeymoon. Oh yea, there is a building with cages of BIG rabbits. Lorna took a peek in the door and decided not to raise havoc with our allergies. Other guest were inside checking out the bunny’s and snapping up souvenirs.

Our next stop was in Mt. Olive at the Soulsby Shell station. This was a classic roadside filling station that has been restored and housed vintage exhibits and a few souvenir items. It was built in 1926 and operated by the family until 1991.

The town now maintains the property as a route 66 attraction. They sold shell gasoline for the run of the station. The white building with red any yellow trim really pops and the vintage pumps and signage round it out. Unlike many stops there are no additional items exhibited outdoors so it has more of real operational look to it. They had Some really swell T-shirts so we left the money in the donation jar and brought 1 home. The place was unattended at the time.

Across town we visited the cemetery monument of Mother Mary Jones. She was very involved with the labor movement, including the  Virden uprising we learned about yesterday. The granite monument spire includes a cameo of Mother Mary and she is flanked by two statues of miners A display case off to the side included mementos and some relevant graffiti.

Collinsville greeted us with a nice water tower. I plan to add a water tower a day to this blog when I do the pictures. They are an art form down here. Wait till I write about what I can see from our motel door! The attraction that brought us to town is another water tower in the form of a giant Ketchup bottle. Built by the G.S. Suppiger Co. with the Brook’s brand it’s quite a sight. The company is now gone but local volunteers now maintain this piece of history. It’s in photo perfect pristine condition at this time.

By now were past 1:00 PM and getting hungry. Down the road the next attraction was the Hen House Restaurant. It’s one of 5 remaining from a chain of 42. The food ranged from delicious to ordinary to unappealing. Some of this is personal tastes, neither one of is care for canned green beans sautete’d in bacon drippings. It was a cozy place with noteworthy poppy seed sally dressing and chicken fried steak. Service was good, the price great and the food did stick to our ribs.

Next door was the remains of the BelAir drive in theater. All that remains is the sigh, on the marquee is a lone “S”. The land is for sale as the BelAir industrial estates.

Across town was the Greenway Motel. It’s a nice looking property with a significant roadside neon sign and L shaped motel building. If the timing had been different it may have been a candidate for a night’s stay.

Up the street the 1926 Luna Cafe was also flagged and a period site. The building has been updated but the signage evokes a prior age. Like most days we continue to spot buildings or signs that were probably from some heyday business. Some have been re purposed and others are in decay. This was the end of Illinois for us and with a crossing of the Mississippi River we were in Missouri.

Being Saturday afternoon of a holiday weekend resources were uncertain. The MO visitors welcome station got high marks as did the RT66 State Park. We made these the first priority. The attendant at the welcome station was a gem with lots of information on the route in the state and beyond, he too had made this journey! We left with maps that had his highlight marks all over them. Getting to the State park visitor center (highly recommended to us) today meant skipping past St.Louis by a few miles. The young man on duty wasn’t a font of information but did manage to sell us a really good guide book for the whole trip that we didn’t have. They had a nice route 66 exhibit of signage and artifacts. The states are slowly gearing up to maximize this route 66 fascination.

Armed with all this new information we decided to get a lock on a room in St.Louis and spend the evening working the town. We got a steady message that the town was booked for the night and we decided to shift gears. Thanks to our AAA guidebooks and cell phone we got a room booked west of the city and set about exploring the St. Louis route 66 essentials. We could have spent days here but that’s not the objective.

On our way east we visited the Giant Farmer statue in front of the Sappington Farmers Marker supermarket in St. Louis. Wearing blue coveralls and a red plaid shirt with his son by his side he waves to all.

The next stop was a route 66 icon, Ted Drewes Frozen Custard Stand. Frozen custard. As I understand it is a soft serve ice cream with egg in the mix.

I had a Dutchman Concrete, vanilla with caramel sauce and pecans, small. There are sundaes and concretes and we learned that a concrete has had the toppings mixed into the custard, sort of like a DQ Blizzard but not quite as pulverized. The term concrete was found at future stops too. The stuff was delicious and silky smooth. Not firm or icy like common soft serve can be, it was really really good. A strategy that seems to be working is to always order small sizes and if it’s not really good, leave some behind. None was left behind here. Sometimes the story just tells itself and this place came through in spades. A bus pulled up and an entire wedding party piled out for a photo shoot and custard, it must have meant a lot to someone! 

Another thing I have been doing at these iconic places is to ask someone that looks like a local if the place lives up to the legend. In this case the gal said “it’s the best, she grew up on it and still drives an hour to come get a treat”. Before she left she stopped by to confirm our satisfaction, she was right. Another T shirt is coming home.

Over the hill was another  route 66 institution, the Donut Drive-in. While I shot some pictures Lorna got a few donuts to go, glazed cake style.

She said the smell in there was amazing, one sniff in the Jeep with the 2 bagged donuts made me a believer. I’ll know more in the  morning. Open until 11:59 PM on Friday and Saturday nights they must have a munchies following. At about 6:00 PM the cases were well stocked. On the way back a “Ship it on the Frisco” lettered railroad overpass was worth stopping to take a few shots of.

Heading west to our motel we were traveling thorough Pacific and found the Cedar Inn Restaurant.  The cedar log chinked building dates back to the early 1930’s and had many celebrity guests over the decades. The place opened and closed a few times in the latter years, most recently opened in 1987, today it is closed but looks sound. The building signage is intact. 

Up the road we noticed many railway bulk cars lined up on the siding. Soon we saw massive “caves”in the rock wall faces along the road. Huge cavernous chambers were carved in the hillside. Perhaps 50+ feet tall they went in to the edge of daylight. You could walk right in off the roadway! It turns out this is the site of a U.S. Silica mine supplying the glass industry, hence the rail cars. We left with a few small samples of the powdery rock.

Farther up the road in Pacifica we found a massive roadside sign for the Diamond Restaurant and Gardenway Motel.

Despite some deterioration it’s still a grand sight and the western side took a good picture in the evening light. A smaller sight across the intersection catches the eye of nearby motorists. Up the road we found the Motel still in operation. It’s well worn but still hosting guests.

In Villa Ridge we found the Sunset Motel. This property had closed but went under restoration and appeared to be open, the vacancy sigh was lit. The V shaped building seems to form a common lawn area facing the road with access doors from the units. The drive-up entrances are on the back side.  Plenty of neon would be glowing shortly.

And with that we were soon at our motel. A nice tidy unit at the .Budget Lodging Motel in St. Clair. After a quick, light meal down the street we settled in for blogging and rest.

Writing this blog keeps my busy for an amazing 2-4 hours per night. This include setting up to download and back up the digital photos.  So far it has been pure joy, to sit back and process the days experiences, reviewing 100+ pictures a day, checking details in books and on the web and translating all of that into this journal.  The inexcusable act would be to reach the end of this journey without a record of how we got there.