Milwaukee, WI to Cuba, MO
[edit. note: Sweet sweet wireless internet. Clearly not something to expect when you’re traveling Route 66, but when you think your plan to blog daily is going to work out, you got another think coming. So without further ado, here’s yesterday’s recap!]
While our week leading up to this trip may have been fraught with peril, today was definitely the opposite and a much needed break from life throwing lemons at us! After a looooong drive down I-39, in and out of puffy white clouds and short-lived sprinkles, we picked up Route 66 at Funks Grove, to grab some famous Funks Grove sirup.
Funks Grove Maple Sirup
Among the books there was one we hadn’t seen before called The Tropic of Route 66 by Akio Takeuchi. Truly unique with Japanese writing interspersed with English! We decided to give our first sales pitch of the trip a go. Mike Grove was manning the operation this morning…he was so nice! He gave us and another couple samples of their famous maple sirup. You honestly have never tasted anything like this. After purchasing the book and a bottle of this nectar from the gods, we told Mike about our book. After perusing the press kit and the book, he was excited to purchase a copy for their gift shop. A few minutes later, Debby Funk walked in and saw the book. She asked to add three more copies to the bunch! What a way to start our trip, seriously!! Stoked doesn’t cover it.
Palms Cafe – Atlanta, IL
After a few more photos of the grounds, we were off to Atlanta for another first: Eating at the Palms Cafe, which had been closed every time we stopped over the last few years! A couple grilled cheeses later, we headed into the rain and carried onward. We kept the rest of the stops short and sweet since we had visited most of these places very recently during our February Tour. The “pink elephant” Antique Mall in Livingston had added a few new oddities to their ground—including a pinker elephant–a Polaroid opp for sure.
UFO in Livingston, IL
Pink Elephant Antique Mall – Livingston, IL
Bike at the Pink Elephant Antique Mall – Livingston, IL
Muffler Man at the Pink Elephant Antique Mall – Livingston, IL
We hit some major traffic in East St. Lou because I-64 was closed, but got to see this crazy water geyser situation…seriously, water was being shot up hundreds of feet! Must’ve been a fire? Once in St. Louis, we got of the interstate and headed along 66 to take Polaroids of the Donut Drive In and Ted Drewes. There were DROVES of people outside the latter and it was really hard not to stop and get a Concrete…but we had to keep moving!
Gushers in St. Louis
Diamond’s Gardenway Motel
As we traveled through the outskirt towns west of StL, we had to come up with a motel game plan. The crux of our plan relied on shooting John’s Modern Cabins at night. The Gardenway was our backup plan if cloudy skies encroached on our full moon, but it was now clear as crystal. We decided to try for another stay at the Wagon Wheel in Cuba, with Rustic Inn in Rolla as a backup. Lucky for us, not only was Wagon Wheel still open at 9:30pm, but so was Missouri Hick BBQ next door! Match made in heaven!! With a cozy cabin room (the Marilyn Monroe room no less) packed with our suitcases and a belly full of barbeque, we headed westward to Rolla to shoot the Cabins in perfect moonlight.
Until tomorrow! Thanks again to Funks Grove Maple Surip for supporting the Fading Nostalgia cause and to everyone out there following along at home. This wouldn’t be as much fun without you!
Oh HAI and goodnight!
