The DataVan Diaries

DAY THREE

APRIL 13
Stanton PA to  Casey IL

APRIL 14  Casey IL to  Cuba MO

APRIL 15        Cuba MO to Amarillo TX

APRIL 16
Amarillo TX to  Winslow AZ

HOME

Feeling pretty good about the excellent time we'd made the day before (I actually didn't expect us to hit Indianapolis until 2 hours later than we did), we got off to a bit of a late start.  We did a quick drive through Casey, searching for that elusive non-chain restaurant at which to have breakfast, but found nothing of interest, except this old Mobil sign on Historic Rte 66.  Knowing the people who may be perusing this, I'm fully aware that you all probably don't find this sign as cool as I do.  I love old logos and such and like to capture them on film when I see them.  So just get over it.

We got back on I-70 and finally found a place to eat a few stops west.  It was good, not particularly outstanding -- but it WAS only breakfast, after all.  

West to St. Louis we went, listening to "Deeptracks" on the XM Satellite Radio.  While we've made a point of checking out different stations (we've even sampled moments of the Mandarin Chinese and Hindi stations, just because we can), "Deeptracks" seems to be one that we both can listen to for long periods of time.  The format is similar to what old FM used to be like, back when it was cutting edge...where they just played tracks off of albums, whether they were hit singles or not (anyone under 30 probably has no clue what I am talking about here).  The only bad thing about this particular station is that one never hears anything newer than perhaps from the 80's.  One does hear some pretty cool stuff though.

When we crossed the Mighty Mississippi, we ventured down to the riverbank to try to get a photo of the van at the Gateway arch.  I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.  As I'd already been to the top of the Arch before, and my sister is way too claustrophobic to do it (you have to go up in a tiny capsule-sized elevator), we opted to just view the structure's magnificence against the clearing sky.  In trying to get the van in a good spot for a picture, we had to get right on the shore of the river, which also offered a perfect opportunity of snapping a shot of the van near an old-fashioned riverboat.  However, getting the van out of this area was a little tougher than I originally thought, and it required my pulling the front of the van so close to the river that it was nearly kissing the water.  If I didn't have this horrendous fear that a few key bricks on the bank would slip, sending the van (and me) into the Big Muddy, I would have moved it even closer, had my sister snap a shot of the van and e-mailed it to Saldi with the subject line of "Small problem" -- the message stating, "Made a mistake in St. Louis - am now in transit to New Orleans. Might have to miss NPF.  Please send help before I am dumped into the Gulf."

From there we navigated the traffic surrounding Busch Stadium (the Cards were in town) and headed out to the American Kennel Club's Dog Museum.  I know, some of you probably think a Dog Museum is really lame, but my sister and I both adore dogs, so shut up already.  We spent some time there, and with the temperature now warm enough to require the air conditioning in the van, it seemed like the right time to partake of some fine frozen custard (y'know, the ice cream that comes out in swirls out of a machine).  We backtracked a bit to make our way to Ted Drewes (thanks to the GPS we were able to find it -- it was even pre-marked on MapPoint).  It was difficult navigating this suburban part of St. Louis, what with all the one-way streets surrounding our destination, but we finally got there and it was well worth the trouble.  Sundaes are served in big ol' plastic tubs, the place is tremendously busy, and the custard outstanding.  Supposedly the fondness for Ted Drewes' icy treat is so widespread that they actually do mail-order via overnight air!

On navigating our way out and back towards I-44, of all places in the world we happened to pass, we passed none other than the Catholic Supply of St. Louis, home of the "Sporting Jesus" statues!  For those of you who don't know about these statues, they're supposed to be inspirational statues for children who play sports.  The funny thing about them (to myself and my co-worker Phil, anyway), is that Jesus is not guiding or coaching the children (like this "Baseball Jesus" statue) -- he's competing ("Football Jesus", "Hockey Jesus"), or just plain schooling them ("Basketball Jesus")!  I know I'm probably going to hell for finding this funny (and for being such a bad Catholic), but I can't help it.  Anyway, I simply had to take the picture for posterity.

West/southwest we went through Missouri until the Robitussin kicked in and started to knock me out.  Seems I'm developing either a wicked head cold or a brutal allergy (I'm thinking the latter over the former).  I'd felt pretty crappy all day with wicked sinus pressure and I hadn't slept too well the night before. Thinking Robitussin Allergy/Cough would solve the problem, we purchased a bottle at a Target near Ted Drewes and I took a dose.  It wasn't long before my eyes were beginning to roll in to the back of my head.  Not wanting to kill either of us, I turned off at the first decent-looking exit and once checked in I hit the bed.  (For those of you who may be wondering, I'm doing all the driving.  My sister wants no part of driving the van!)  I think even with this slight glitch we should be okay with time and still get to see the things we want to on the upcoming legs.

As for dinner, it wasn't easy in to find something not a chain in rural southern Missouri near the Interstate, but where there's a will, there's a way.  At one exit back, there was a steakhouse called "The Feed Lot Steakhouse and Saloon".  The decor was Stuffed Animal.  Literally -- there were full-sized stuffed lions, mountain goats, wolves, you name it -- mounted all over the place.  Of course there were also the obligatory buffalo and deer heads mounted on the wall. I certainly didn't let any of that ruin my appetite, as I dined on highly tasty homemade cream of broccoli soup and fine midwestern melt-in-your-mouth steak.

Tomorrow - we get an early start, and hopefully I'll be mostly recovered from this damned nasal thing.

The Datavan at the St. Louis Gateway Arch
Westward, ho!

(Hey - who you callin' ho?)