Day 9 to Sullivan, MO

Old Route 66, Day 9, covered 90 miles of the historic road by driving 125 miles.  Now in Missouri.  I did laundry & groceries yesterday, hence No post for Day 8.

First stop Sunday morning,
the Chain of Rocks Bridge into Missouri,
my Second state of this trip.

This bridge became to primary Rt 66 in 1936 as
it bypassed the traffic in downtown Saint Louis. 
Previously, Rt 66 ran over
the downtown McKinley Bridge.

Zoom in the red circle, you may see Saint Louis' famous arch.
That's the mile-wide Mississippi River rushing over
the stone shoals known as the Chain of Rocks.
River traffic skips this section traversing
a canal cut through Illinois.

These "castles" in the mighty Mississippi
are collecting fresh water for the local area.

Notice the 22 degree turn in this bridge?
While proposed to be straight across,
it was built with the bend to ease navigation
by river vessels negotiating the rocky rapids.

Click for panorama

Fun seat midway on the Chain of Rocks Bridge

Rest stop towards the Missouri side

As a cyclist, I liked this bicycle rack at the Missouri end

There is a nice rest area at the Missouri side, but
the guide book warns that multiple cars have been broken into
on this side of the river.

The bridge length gave me a 2 mile walk today!
Once the interstate bridge a few yards north opened,
this bridge was closed to motorized traffic
and is now a bicycle & pedestrian bridge.

Saint Louis Union Station

Ted Drewes has been serving on Rt 66 since 1941.

Saint Louis folks are good sports fans
flying Cardinals and Blues flags.

The Amoco sign is larger than the RV!

Not far from Route 66, I found the retro designs and
neon sign very cool. This is a new burger joint so
it wasn't there when 66 ran nearby.

This sign has been refurbished for 66ers to enjoy.

Old Rt 66 bridge across the Meramec River
at Rt 66 State Park, MO.

The 1929 Big Chief Hotel is now home to the 
Big Chief Roadhouse restaurant where 
I enjoyed a nice lunch.

This and below provide more details about the
walk across the Chain of Rocks Bridge this morning.

Face Book Post