We awoke to a completely different world from yesterday. Brilliant sunshine and 
dazzling blue skies highlighted a winter wonderland. The snow gleamed in the brightness, adhering to ornamental fruit trees already in pink blossoms. It was surreal and wonderful.
dazzling blue skies highlighted a winter wonderland. The snow gleamed in the brightness, adhering to ornamental fruit trees already in pink blossoms. It was surreal and wonderful.We left Festus im improving conditions and drove north to St. Louis. We beheld the Gat
eway Arch, symbolically separating old America from the new. Somehow, gawking at the sights, we missed our road sign and drove well out of our way. Lou once again had to plot a mid-course correction, and did so successfully. But it gave us a chance to see some of the fine old architecture in some of St. Louis' older neighbourhoods. We hope they are in good repair.
eway Arch, symbolically separating old America from the new. Somehow, gawking at the sights, we missed our road sign and drove well out of our way. Lou once again had to plot a mid-course correction, and did so successfully. But it gave us a chance to see some of the fine old architecture in some of St. Louis' older neighbourhoods. We hope they are in good repair.Re-acquiring our route, we followed and then crossed the Mississippi River for the final time. We rolled north and east through more incredible, flat, wide-open prairie north to Chicago. The sky was immense and we could trace the paths of vast weather systems all around us.
In Missouri, the anti-abortion billboards continued. Some were absurd in their appeal. One claimed that the pathway to peace was through opposing abortion, apparently a quote attributed to Mother Theresa. Another asked who would hold the baby's hand during an abortion. Whether one is for or opposed to the choice based on logic or reason doesn't seem to be a factor in this part of the country. Pure emotion is supreme. It is absurd: how can being pro-life promote peace? If one is pro-choice, it must follow that one is a war monger, no? And how can a person hold the hand of a tiny fetus?
The madness continued on the political front as well. A billboard in Missouri displayed the photos of 4 or 5 presumably Republican officials with a caption blaring out about Republican betrayals and calling for a "GOP Renaissance". I'm guessing that the Tea Party was at work here, although those words did not appear on the billboards. In Illinois, a series of placards proclaimed Chicago as a leading city in gun control .... not to promote gun control, but to promote a group called "Guns Save Lives" .... other placards told of how guns would save your life if you were ever held up or robbed. Crazy stuff !!
A mild detour in Lincoln, Illinois, searching for fuel, provided a pleasant surprise, which drew our two American road trips together. We drove on a section of Historic Route 66, at the eastern end of the Mother Road. We had driven some of the surviving western stretches in Arizona during our trip in 2008, so it was nice to see her again, albeit in small patches.
Prairie disappeared and familiar forest, lake, farms, and rolling hills came back in northern Illinois. We skirted Chicago and caught a tantalizing glimpse of her skyline before turning east. I'd hoped to spend some time in Chicago, one of my favourite American cities, but home is calling. We'll save Chicago for another time. Into Indiana, past crumbling homes and vacant factories of Gary, and finally into Michigan, to gain back the hour we lost last week. We pushed to Battle Creek, fatigued and hungry, and stopped for the night. We re-enter Canada tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll see Tony the Tiger before we leave the U.S. !
No comments:
Post a Comment