Today started out a bright clear day in Cuba. We mounted our stead and it the nearest car wash, that clean car feel lasted for an hour or so. The road gang was filling in gravel to the sides of the route. We decided to pass on staying at this lodge, cockroaches wouldn’t live there either. Following the route 66 highway one sees the people as they are. The rich have palatial mansions with cattle and horses abound. The others live in run down mobile homes and small one or two room broken down houses. In there yards are from one to 20 partially disassembled cars and their refuse is a pitch of the empty can as far from the house as you can throw it. There are some in-between and look like a town setting like we are accustomed too.
We ate at acclaimed Bell restaurant in Lebanon MO. we entered into a cloud of smoke, wondered why the smokers didn’t sit in the back room like we were issued too. The back room for non-smokers over looked the once used swimming pool, I renamed cesspool, by the Budget Inn. Not sure if it was really in use? Wow what a site. Thank goodness the food did not reflect the pool. Shirleen ordered the plate of the day, roast beef, opened face sandwich with a mound of mashed potatoes smothered in gravy. I a nice pork tenderloin sandwich with mayo, tomatoes, onion and lettuce, a delight. Oh yes, French fries done to perfection, second to McDonalds.
We then visit the city library that had a route 66 exhibit. Nicely done and worth a stop.
Off down the road that occasionally paralleled the interstate. There you saw the Busses, coaches, SUV’s, pick-ups and cars heading from point A to B. As we are going up and down hills, they are going through manmade gorges thru the hills we go over. We head down to the bottom of the ravine across the bridge and then to the top of the hill and see the on-rush of cars again. I realize they are probably going home or back to work, I just hope sometime they can experience the pleasure of off-road vacation.
We travelled thru Springfield MO, down to Spencer MO and the Sinclair gas station. We almost ran past it but as you can see it was quaint and needed a look-see. There was Gary, put it together five years ago, sits out and hopes someone passes by. Well we turned around and had a neat chat with him. He is married for 49 years to the same gal, not his cousin either. We all chuckled. He then described his life with the station and the people he meets. We saw stickers from Prague, Munster, Munich, France and a Norway flag decal. He showed us a book four gals from Australia sent him after there visit with him. We took a picture of us holding the route 66 flag, and we are to email it to his son who has a website. I flipped him a 10 for his talk about things to see as he paged thru a nice colored book of places to see. It started to rain and off we go as there are storms a coming, hail, wind and rain. We entered Kansas, it contains only 13 miles of the route. 
Saw this rainbow arch bridge constructed in 1923 and the only remaining marsh bridge on route 66. Notice the Route 66 stenciled on the pavement.
As we entered Galena KS there sat the tow truck featured in Car’s. The tow truck was noticed by the illustrators of the film.
Last night we were viewing two DVD’s that Jim H. and Mark W. gave us to follow. In it we saw at Baxter Springs, MO, The Little Brick Inn www.cafeontheroute.com and thought it would be a place to check out. Now it is 5:30 pm the clouds are low, blowing a bit and raining – looking tough out there. I pulled over to the sidewalk and went in to the cafe adjacent to the B & B. The chef was also the Inn keeper. He has been with the owners, they originally from Kansas City brought him along, and he has worked with them for 11 years. He said there is no elevator but he would hike the suitcases upstairs for us, as he did. What a menu we had to try the Tobacco Onions, slivers of breaded onion and colored a dark brown like tobacco. Nice mustard sauce accompanied them; we ate a quarter of them and gave up. Shirleen had fresh fruit, quarter sliced pineapple with rind, grapes, and cantaloupe; then her smoked salmon, 7 oz, looked like 10 to me, stuffed with apples, bacon and chives, and served with a Mandarin sauce, with French fries. I had a catfish fillet, had ordered two but she said they were really bi, reduced order to one, she was right. The fillet was breaded with cornmeal, almonds and walnuts, nicely prepared and I got thru it, Shirleen left half her salmon. I had a specialty of theirs a fried potato salad – looked like a baked potato cut into cubes, fried and mixed with a mustard and mayo sauce, nice to try. We both had a Bud as there was no wine but we were thirsty.
The room is a nice set-up, a sitting room off the bedroom. Out in a commons area is a pot to make coffee and where our breakfast will be served at 8:30 am. I met our other occupant; he is from Montreal and works on a potato salad filling machine bought from them. The account has six locations throughout the US and pack for Wal-Mart.
Well we will see what surprises tomorrow brings - Jerry
No comments:
Post a Comment