Now…Before I Was So RUDELY Interrupted….

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Honestly, don’t let the ER visit fool you. That was a fabulous jaunt to St. Louis. I stayed in Festus after walking the Chain of Rocks Bridge. On the way back to St. Louis I stopped in Eureka (a suburb), the home of the Route 66 State Park. That was a blast! Yes, I got to walk a little more of the Mother Road. And, as you can see in the lower left photo, the deer were getting their “kicks on Route 66” as well. What’s left of the Route 66 bridge (top right) is undergoing refurbishing to allow pedestrians to safely walk across the Meramec River between the currently disconnected parts of the park. Currently, the only way to visit both parts of the park is to see one side, then drive a couple of miles down the interstate to the next exit. The welcome center (top left) is the former Bridgehead Inn, which was a “fine dining” and lodging stop along Route 66. It’s still generally in the same shape it was (in comparing the photos in the museum to the current appearance). With a wrap-around porch that looked out over the Meramec, it must have been a splendid place to stay! As it is now, it’s the visitor’s center, gift shop, and museum. In the museum you’ll find a timeline of the historic road and countless artifacts, including ashtrays, matchbooks (you older folks explain those to the kids ), menus, and motel room keys. There’s also a 78 of the King Cole Trio’s version of “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66.” For those who didn’t know, Bobby Troup, who later played Dr. Joe Early on the TV series Emergency!, wrote the song. There’s also a sad side to the museum, dealing with Times Beach, the area near the state park. It was destroyed by toxins used to control dust, evacuated in the early 1980s. The good news is that, although the town was never rebuilt, the area was successfully decontaminated from the dioxin. Part of the state park is a thriving natural habitat where the poisonous ground has once been. It was a great time enjoying some of the history of America’s most legendary highway. PHOTO COLLAGE: (Top left) Visitor’s center at Route 66 State Park, the old Bridgehead Inn. (Top right) The bridge that once carried cars across the Meramec River on Route 66. (Bottom left) Deer in the grass, with the Mother Road in the foreground. (Bottom right) Old neon sign for the Twin Bridge Cafe.