Just Got Back from Route 66 Part 1: Odell, Pig Hip, Ariston and Munger-Moss

Liz and I just got back from an eight day Route 66 trip covering 1200 miles, 1000 on the dear old Mother Road.

We left last TUESDAY and checked out the 1932 Standard station in Odell, Illinois, just as a busload of tourists from upper Minnesota came in. They were impressed with all the Route 66 stuff on the Malibu. We had a long talk with Ernie and Fran Edwards at the site of the Pig Hip restaurant that Ernie operated since the 1930s. Dinner was at the famous Ariston Restaurant in Litchfield, Illinois (dating also to the 1930s). We stayed at the motel that used to be a Best Western where Liz stayed quite often as a child while driving to visit family in Kansas City.

WEDNESDAY-- Took a ride around and walk around Litchfield while waiting for Liz to get up. Ate lunch at the Jack-in-the-Box in Litchfield. On the old roads, we make it our choice NOT to go to national chains on trips, but this is the closest Jack-in-the-Box to us and we're quite fond of Monster Tacos and Jumbo Jacks.

Had those great "concretes" at Ted Drewe's in St. Louis and drove 66 out to Rolla. We stopped along the way to play NTN at three new sites, one in Illinois and two in Missouri.

Made it out to the Munger-Moss Motel in Lebanon, Missouri and had a talk with Ramona Lehman, a real Route 66 character. Also met up with Jeff Meyer, winner of Route 66's John Steinbeck Award. He said he wasn't going to the Route 66 Festival in Springfield, Illinois, this weekend because it is nothing but a glorified car show.

On the Road for Some More. --RoadDog