Greetings from Branson!

Well, we have day one on the books!  It was a LONG day, which started before 5:00 am!!  Dad dropped of us at the airport, assuring Mom he'd give Molly her meds, and telling us he could't cook and was going to starve while we were gone.  Once we got in St. Louis and got our car picked up, we hit the road!!

Our first stop was the Gateway Arch on the St. Louis waterfront.  It. Was. Beautiful.

We got there right after opening, which was perfect because there were NO LINES!!  We took the ride up the Maytag dryer-esque elevators to the top, and took in the breathtaking views...

It was a very cool experience and well worth the $10.00 for the ride to the top!

Our next stop was our first "cheesy attraction"...the Giant Catsup/Ketchup Bottle in Collinsville, IL.

No, it is not filled with ketchup.  It's a water tower, built in 1949 by the W.E. Caldwell Company for the G.S. Suppiger castup bottling plant-bottlers of Brooks old original rich and tangy castup.  You can check out their website for more information about the history and restoration of the water tower.

After the big bottle of ketchup, we headed back into Missouri to check out the Chain of Rocks Bridge.  While the bridge was in need of a little love, it was still very cool.

 The bridge spans just over one mile, and has a 22 degree curve in the middle.  It is a gorgeous piece of architecture.  Towards the middle of the bridge, there was as small display of Route 66 signage.

The sign detailing the pieces was faded and illegible, so I do not know if they are restored originals or replicas.  Never the less, they were cool to look at!

After seeing all of the bridge we could see, we headed down 66, winding around St. Louis and through many small (and I mean SMALL) towns.  We got to see the WORLD'S LARGEST ROCKING CHAIR!!!  It stands over 42 feet tall and is, well, huge.  I wanted to climb up in the seat, but there were signs saying that was a no-no.  And Mom didn't seem to think it was a good idea either.

We then wound our way through more farms and small towns, including St. Clair, St. James, Rolla, Cuba and more that I can't think of at the moment.

Our last stop before hopping onto Interstate 44 and heading towards Springfield and Branson was the Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, MO.

The Munger Moss is a vintage motel from the hey day of Route 66.  It still proudly boasts its original neon sign, which was restored not too long ago.

Mom and  I then headed to our first pit stop, Branson, MO.  We met Matt and Kelly here, and will be headed to Silver Dollar City tomorrow morning.  After a yummy dinner of pizza and beer, and a trip down memory lane, we are all pooped and heading to bed.

Check back tomorrow!

Love yas!