We made our way to St. Louis on July 9th. We drove up all interstate until we got close to St. Louis, and branched off just outside of town on the Illinois side. Our first taste of Route 66 was at a truck stop. Not really your normal route 66 stop, but we needed gas and a potty break. We looked out and saw the Route 66 sign and knew we were at the right place. In Illinois, the roads are fairly well marked, but the construction on the interstate made it hard to get to sometimes. We jumped off the interstate and saw the Hen House Restaurant and a sign left over from the Belair Drive-in. From there we went to check out the Chain of Rocks bridge. It was kinda sketchy getting beck to it, there was a bridge we had to cross that was only one way, so we had to wait for a light to let us cross. Once there, we found the parking lot deserted, which gave mom an uneasy feeling leaving the car there. She didn't say anything until we were on our way back, and in the excitement, Tony and I didn't even think about that. We walked out from the Illinois side to the curve and back. This bridge was built in 1927 and was used for vehicle traffic until the 70's when it was replaced with a newer bridge just to the north.
Later we went to the Gateway Arch and journeyed to the top. I had been before, but no one else had done the ride to the top. Mom chickened out last time, but decided that it wasn't so bad, and worth the trip up. Riding in those little capsules is definitely something to do. Once up top, we were met by a hoard of others who had made the trip up, but were able to fight our way to some of the very small windows. It was right at sunset, so we got to see the sun go down as well as see Busch Stadium lit up in the middle of a Cardinal game! Jon loved every minute of it.
Now, LEAVING the arch is a completely different experience all together. They are doing some massive construction downtown, and even with having the GPS in the car, we still managed to drive around in circles for quite a while before finally finding a route to the interstate that wasn't closed by road construction. We grabbed a late dinner and headed back to the hotel for the night.
Today, July 10th, we woke up, had some hotel breakfast and let Jon get some swimming in. Our room is awesome, it has a sliding door that opens right up to the pool, so a short jump across the sidewalk and you are in the pool! We made the necessary trip to Wal-Mart, because I don't think it can be considered a vacation if we don't hit the Wally World a few times! We had to grab some swimming paraphernalia for Jon, which included goggles and something to float on, and eventually he talked us into a life jacket so that he could float around in the 9ft end of the pool, suckers we are! We went out to lunch after his swim and found an awesome Mexican Restaurant called Hacienda. It was great, so great that we lost track of time and when we realized the time, it was only 15 minutes until the Clydesdale Tour (1pm) we had purchased at Grant's Farm! We high-tailed it over there, only to find a long line for the tram. It was 10 til 2 when we arrived at the last Tram stop, but didn't know where to go from there, so we asked the first guy we found.
We were at the wrong place. Our tour started at 1, but we were hoping to be able to run back to the PARKING LOT, where the Stables were on the OTHER side of where we ran to catch the tram! The crew there at Grant's farm were awesome, they drove us back to the entrance where they found a guy with a golf cart who drove us right past our car to the stables! We found a tour guide, who told us that the 2pm tour was sold out, but that we could catch up with the tour we were supposed to be on and get the last little bit of it. She took us right to our group and the tour guide caught us up on what was happening, and we made it for the best part! We got to meet Evan, a 9yr old Clydesdale who had been a star in some of the Budweiser commercials we had seen on tv!
Jon and Tony got to brush Evan and we got to check out some of the huge horseshoes that they wear. Then we got to take a photo with Evan and our amazing tour guide, Jamie! Evan is a perfect gentleman. Then we got to see the trailer that the hitch horses ride in from event to event as well as a wagon much like the wagon used to deliver Budweiser to Franklin D. Roosevelt at the end of prohibition. The tour was then ending, but not before we got to "sample" a couple ice cold Bud's while watching some commercials that starred Evan! When the tour was over, our guide told the others goodbye and offered to take us for a quick run through the part of the tour we had missed, as long as we could hurry quickly. She then took us back to meet some of the other horses who call Grant's Farm home. We were so thankful that she took a few moments of her downtime between tours to give us a little one on one tour. Jon loved it, and got to pet several of the horses around the farm. They were all ready for dinner, so they were standing by the fences watching for their feed to arrive. A BIG thank you to Jamie, for going above and beyond for us, even though it wasn't her fault that we were late.
On the way back, we decided to run over to see Bigfoot, the monster truck. When I was in high school, my Mom and Dad had brought us to St. Louis, where we had gone to the top of the arch (without Mom), seen a Cardinal's game and went to see Bigfoot. I knew it was a must-do for Jon, and a little walk down memory lane for Mom and I. It did not disappoint!
After dinner, we knew we had to make a trip back over to 66, to St. Louis' own, Ted Drewe's Frozen Custard! Talk about a cool spot that is HOT! This place was ridiculous! As soon as we could see the sign, we could see the CROWD of people standing in every open space. We were able to find a place to park, easy enough, and made our way to the menu. Jon had already looked online, and found what he wanted, the All Shook Up, a concrete with Reece's Peanut Butter Cups and Bananas.
After getting our fill of frozen custard, we made our way down Route 66 in the direction of our hotel, and along the way found this cool neon sign.
Now I sit waiting on the load of laundry to dry before heading to bed and getting a little shut eye before we venture off along 66 towards Springfield, MO!
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