Friday September 22, 2000

Another free breakfast at the Budget Inn, and we're on the road to Indianapolis, IN.   Caryn remembers that there's a Formula One race there on Saturday, so some friends of ours might be in town.   We arrive in Indy just in time for lunch at Shapiro's, a great jewish deli right off the interstate. We highly recommend it; It was as good as we remember from trips past, Caryn 15 years earlier, and Mary about 10.   We chow down on cold corned beef, and hot pastrami, but we are too full for the fabulous looking desserts.   We head over to Roberts Distributors, the big camera store, and visit Caryn's EF600/4 L lens which has been there on consignment since November, 1999.   It's still there.   We get some digital photos taken of it, so we can post it on ebay when we get home.   (If any readers have a lead for selling this, we'll give you a commission. E-mail us directly for info.)

Indianapolis is an odd city, in that while the rest of the state is on daylight savings time, Indy is not.   Due to this, we determine that it will be too long for our friends to finish up at the track and meet us, so we pull out of Roberts @ 2:35pm est, and head for Illinois.   We spend the night at Steven A. Forbes State Park IL ($11 for site # ??? w/ electric hook up)   It's quite warm, so we pass on a campfire, but cook dinner of BLT's (w/ turkey bacon) on the portable stove.  We lie in the van w/ the screens on, using the 12 volt fan while we read email from our iPaqs, and play video games.   We slept with the side van door open, and it was quite pleasant. Caryn's memory of this campsite is that of the huge spider that was inhabiting the outhouse next to our campsite.   She chose to walk the extra way to the flush toilets, which were considerably less buggy.

We head west on route 50, hoping to find a breakfast spot on the way.   By noon we're just outside of St. Louis, and starving, so we wait 25 minutes for a table at Cracker Barrel.   We have the usual, chicken and dumplings for Caryn, pancakes with real maple syrup for Mary.  Considerably less cranky after having eaten, we drive through St Louis, and attempt to follow route 66 out of town.   It's not easy, but we do stumble upon a great camping store called “Uncle Sams”, and buy a small grill suitable for use over a campfire.   We get on Interstate 44, because it's a lot faster, and 66 runs along side it, like a service road.   We decide we'd rather drive 70 mph, and get off if we see anything good, as opposed driving a painful 55 mph through Missouri, which is best described as tedious.   We head to the famed “Meramec Caverns”, but upon arrival we decide that we don't really need to spend $30 to view this, and settle for a quick trip through the gift shop.   We head back on the highway for a while, then stop at a truck stop to search for a green coupie book.   No coupies, but they did have a book for ministers on "how to increase the size of your congregation, and keep ‘em coming back.”   I now realize I should have forked over the $5 for this item, as I doubt I'll be able to find it elsewhere (although it may be available on the return trip).   Also, the truck stop did have a quite a gift selection, so the truckers could bring home a little somethin' for their honey.   After this experience, I would no longer describe Missouri as tedious, but rather frightening.  

We pulled off I-44 at exit 100 for dinner at Tiny's BBQ, and for some neon “motel” photos. Dinner was a pork sandwich, which was quite good.  We're back on the road, and as the highway turned, the sky turned black.  I don't think I've ever been so fearful of impending weather.  Knowing that we're in tornado country, and having seen the devistation of a tornado on TV a few days prior, I was truly terrified.   It was about 7pm, and the sky went from daylight to absolute darkness.   When the rain became so torrential that it was impossible to see, we exited the highway at exit 163 to sit out the rain at a truck stop.   Luckily it was on quite a grade, because the lower end of the parking lot was getting quite flooded.   We listened to the weather radio, and heard that there were heavy storms forecast.   We had planned to drive a bit father, to a motel that was, yup, you guessed it, “in the coupie book for $30!”, but there was a cute brick motel associated w/ the complex of gas station, truck stop, restaurant, and CB shop, so we decided to see how much it cost. It was $30, and we got 2 tokens good for a cup of coffee at the HOOD restaurant.   This was a truckers hotel, and it had a very good size room, along with a very comfortable leather recliner, and satellite TV.   We were very happy to be here for the night.   We relaxed, and watched some Olympics, and when we tired of that, we found a show on Andy Warhol.   (It's at this stop that we discover that one of our Gortex raincoats is missing, last seen during the rain in Botkins, OH but now gone.)

Sunday morning, 9/24, and we're off to HOODS to cash in our coffee chips, and have some pancakes.   It's still drizzly, and this ends up being a rainy, dreary day.   For two days we have been seeing billboards advertising the “Precious Moments Chapel”, featuring those freaky, huge eyed, teardrop headed kid figures.   After mocking the billboards for about 100 miles, we decide it's a must see, and exit the highway at Catharge, MO.   This way, we can also see the statue of Marlin Perkins (of Mutual Of Omaha's Wild Kingdom fame) in the town square of his hometown.

Driving to the chapel, we suddenly realize that all those billboards cost money, and that there will most likely be an admission charge. We try to mentally prepare ourselves as to how much we'll be willing to fork over, to see bible scenes depicted in stained glass, featuring the “Precious Moments” freaks.   We pull into the parking lot, and marvel at the number of cars and RV's visiting this place.   We enter the complex (not yet the chapel, but rather a series of gift shops and a restaurant) and are glad for the warmth inside.   It  had been quite damp and dreary in the car, but the heat was crankin' at the Precious Moments place.   We are delighted to learn admission to the chapel is free, but you do have to pay to witness the Fountain show, as well as the Wedding Island.   We forgo the above, and also the shuttle bus, and brave the drizzle for the 2 minute walk to the chapel.   We are actually quite impressed with the colorful paintings and intricate stained glass.   Actually, I'm quite choked up when I learn that all the figures in the painting are based on actual people that the artist, Sam Butcher, knew, although he did take some artistic license with their head shape and eye size.   Feeling badly about mocking the place, I resist the temptation to purchase any of the creepy little figurines, but do purchase one postcard, for a friend whom I believe will appreciate it.   While waiting for Caryn to use the facilities, Mary sits on a bench next to a group of women on a bus tour.   Eavesdropping on their conversation, she heard them comparing their swollen ankles.   After a few moments of listening and trying to determine where she's heard that voice before, she's sure it's the voice of Ross Perot on Saturday Night Live.

Back in the car and we're on Interstate 40, trying desperately to get through Missouri.   We followed Route 66 for it's 12 mile stretch through Kansas, because Caryn wanted the sticker, and we were both in agreement that it might be a long time until we came back to Kansas.   A very long time. Maybe/probably never.   We did find a beautiful abandoned gas station at the border of MO and KS, and got out in the rain to do some photos.   After a bit of Oklahoma, we got back on Interstate 44.   We stopped at the rest area in the town of Vinita, OK, which consisted of a giant McDonalds which spanned the highway.   It is touted as the Worlds largest McDonald's (in square footage, as opposed to number of seats- which puts Beijing #1, and Moscow #2).   We vote it tied with the World's dirtiest, a title it shares with the McDonalds in Weston, FL.

After trying to get some info on state parks from the very unhelpful woman at the tourist info desk, we are determined to get out of Oklahoma, faster than the wind can come wistlin' down the plain.   Well, the wind was our downfall in this accomplishment, as the cross winds were treacherous, and we decide to spend the night in a Travelodge (again $30).   We're psyched because we check in around 9:30pm, and plan to watch “The Practice” at 10 pm.   We tune in just to see it going off, we're now in Central time, and everything comes on an hour earlier.

On to CHAPTER FOUR!