Sullivan, MO to Edwardsville, IL

After a good night’s sleep at the Best Western it was time to hit the road in the rain and make the transition from MO to IL. Some of the rivers were swelling and looked like chocolate milk.

After 65 miles of switching back and forth from Old Route 66 to US 44, we arrived in St. Louis at 2pm for a visit with long time friend Nancy Yawitz and her father, Aubrey, a WWII veteran who turned 99 just yesterday. It was great to listen to Wilk and Aubrey talk about their WWII experiences. From there it was off to the world famous Gateway Arch for a few photos and then on to IL.

I mistakenly crossed over the US 55/40/64 bridge only to be pulled over by two ginormous IDOT wrecking vehicles. The drivers/police officers scolded me for taking the interstate bridge across the Mississippi River and pointed out East St. Louis was hundreds of yards away. They went out of their way to emphasize East St. Louis is statistically more dangerous than the South Side of Chicago. I was thankful not to be assessed the $1k fine they threatened and to be on my way to Edwadsville, via rural route 3 heading north. Note to self: “take the US 70 bridge next time.”

We were greeted at the motel by long-time friends Dee & Dr. Ken Canfield (KS), who drove across the state of Missouri, accompanied by Dr. Dariusz Cupial, who flew in from Lodz, Poland to participate in the Dads Honor Ride. The group of 8 had a delicious BBQ meal at Doc’s Smokehouse. Hard to believe we’ve covered 2,035 miles and there are only three more days to go.