5/8/12- Thirteen Miles of Smiles

Whitehall Merchantile

On our way out of Sprinfield, MO we saw few remnants of 1930's-era 66 including a well preserved Best Western complete with old signs, gas pumps and cars. They've obviously updated the place and expanded but the old school flavor is still there. Similarly, at the Steak & Shake a few blocks down, has maintained the "old model" as the manager put it.


Despite starting in bustling St. Lous, much of 66 in MO goes through "towns" that if they weren't marked you wouldn't know they existed. In on such town we stopped at the Whitehall Merchantile (Lori, mom thought of you here, you'd love it!) an antique shop run by an eccentric man who "could just strangle" the author of our EZ Guide for saying that the shop is only "hanging in there."

The Boots Motel- an example of the carport style motel

Route 66 winds way through several more hamlets and across some more old steel bridges in MO. One of my new favorite pastimes as a passenger is to look for houses that used to be old motor courts. Back when driving was becoming the way to travel, farmers started building small cabins on their property for passing motorists to stay the night as supplemental income. Soon the motor court became a popular business venture- so-called because the cabins would be arranged in a semi-circle or 'court'. Later courts evolved into "motels" when all the rooms were connected, many with garages for your car from which you entered your room. On the side of the road in these tiny towns many houses have a row of cabins behind them- in various states of repair- signalling the presence of a former motor court. I also enjoy looking for businesses set up in former services stations when in slightly larger towns. It's like a scavenger hunt!


In Webb City, a former mining community, we stopped in their lovely downtown for lunch at the Bradbury Bishop Deli and Diner. They have an old fashioned soda fountain and a great little diner. The place really brought mom back to the old soda fountain days. Just outside of Webb City is Joplin. We took the city route through their pleasant downtown and headed to Kansas.


Old Rt 66 only goes through 13.2 miles of Kansas but there's plenty to see. Just inside the border is Galena, home of 4 Women on the Route an old KanOTex service station restored by one family. Its claim to fame is a rusty old tow truck (that they originally sold to restore the station) that was apparently the inspiration for Mater in Cars. His new name is Tow Tater (Pixar asked them to change it) and mom and I both got our picture taken with him!

Across the Rainbow Bridge, to Valhalla, Odin's waiting for me!

We were told all about the history of this place by Melba "the Mouth" one of the 'women' who fixed the place up. There was no mistaking why she's called the Mouth, she was talking a mile a minute telling us about the history of the station, the making of the movie Cars, her family things to do in Kansas and Oklahoma. By the end our heads were spinning. She should really be a car salesman! Her dad was there too and he had plenty to tell us about where to go and what to see too. But they were both extremely friendly and we were happy we stopped.


After a quick trip to see the "Rainbow Arch Bridge" we headed North off the Route to visit mom's childhood friend Susie in Arma, Kansas which is where we are now. We had dinner at Chicken Mary's one of two chicken dinner restaurants within 500 feet of each other out in the middle of mining territory aka the middle of nowhere. But, it was some great chicken!




Until We Meet Again, C