Experiencing America > Road Trip Year...2003 > 10 States, 4 Days,...the saga continues > Day 1
Day ONE...
Thursday, September 18th, 2003
Welcome to yet another road-trip. The 2003 trip so far is the mega out of the trips. This one started where the 2003 one started...in Diamond, Illinois. Instead of the Mid-South, we headed south on Interstate 55. Our first stop was for breakfast, just south of Rusty Pump, Illinois, at Dixie Truckers Home.
Dixie Truckers Home, U.S. Rt. 136 & I-55; Mc Lean, Illinois.
After breakfast it was a bee-line to Southern Illinois. Although we passed near the St. Louis Metro Area, we actually never went downtown.
A view of the Gateway Arch at Downtown St. Louis. Photo on NB I-255 at I-64.What would a road-trip be without experiencing the odd attractions of this great country? Some cities are proud of their museums, war memorials, historical sites, but Collinsville, Illinois is proud to be home of the "Tallest Catsup Bottle in America". That makes you wonder...where's the tallest catsup bottle in the world? This bottle stands at 170 feet. It was constructed in 1949 and restored in 1995. The reason it exists is because it supplied water to the Brooks Catsup factory at one time.
NB IL St Rt 159 looking at the watertower.
A close-up of the watertower.
To get a look at the catsup bottle, we found a nice spot to pull off the highway and side street to get the pictures. In doing so, we were able to test the durability of the motor vehicles made by the Pontiac Motor Company, General Motors Inc.
A hole discovered after the Grand Am went through it.
While in the area, we experienced the local sites of the surface highway in the Greater-Belleville Metro-Area. Before, we headed to Missouri; we found an excellent place to look out over the Mississippi River Valley. North of the Village of Chester, is the Fort Kaskaskia Historical Site. Within this site is the home of the first governor of Illinois, and the site where Fort Kaskaskia once stood. From the site of the old fort you can look out over Kaskaskia Island and where the Kaskaskia River flows into the Mississippi River.
A site at the entrance.
The Kaskaskia River flows into the Mississippi River in the upper-right hand corner of the picture. Note the low level of the river.
From the site of the old fort, you can look out at Kaskaskia Island. This was the site of the first capital of Illinois. At one time the Mississippi River flowed on the other side of the island. An earthquake changed the flow of the island. That then made the island the only part of Illinois, west of the Mississippi River.
A plaque at the old fort explaining the above.
Now your probably asking yourself, what is another road-trip with out visiting a site dedicated to one of America's great comic book figures? That brings use to Chester, Illinois.
Welcome sign on IL St Rt 150.
The creator of Popeye was originally from Chester. At the Illinois side of the bridge over the Mississippi River is Segar Memorial Park. This is dedicated to the creator of Popeye.
A sign at the park.
The main attraction is a statue of Popeye. You may also find some van with bootleg Blue Blockers, horrid pictures, or maybe DVD's.
What you see as you walk into the park.
A close-up of the statue.
The Illinois Welcome Sign on IL St Rt 150.
Now to Missouri...State #2!!
To continue on south to Arkansas, we jaunted over to Interstate 55, on Missouri State Route 51. Once on I-55 it wasn't long before the billboard along one of America's great highways got me thinking...I need a tattoo removed. Although I then realized, I don't have a tattoo.
As the day dragged on, we were getting famished. So we stopped at a Mc Donald's in Cape Girardeau. This is by far one of the cleanest Mc Donald's I have ever been in, located on Secondary State Route K and I-55. After a bite to eat, we headed into see what Cape Girardeau is like. In doing so we found one of their radio-cluster. So we stopped.
The sign out front.
WOW!!!...It's the KGMO Super Boom Box. And Look at that the Soft Rock 104.7 van!!
A station from Missouri with at Illinois plate. Note the "Easy 105"
The back of the Mix 96.5 van.
If your not a pirze winner...will you be fined like a handi-cap spot??
The entrance to the building. "Q-Man" has a nice ride.
A close up of the logos on the sign out front.
This is the home to...
100.7 KGMO-FM; THE Classic Rock Station.
Soft Rock 104.7, KREZ-FM; Cape Girardeau's Offical at Work Station!
Mix 96.5; WKIB-FM, The Number One Hit Music Station!
KAPE-AM 1550
Oldies 97.3FM
Back on to Interstate 55 for only a short while...Now its time for some unleaded motor fuel. For that we stopped in New Madrid, Missouri. For the juice that the automobile need we stopped at a Texaco. As I was heading into pay...it struck me as odd that this Texaco doe not accept the Texaco Credit Card.
A old Coke maching in New Madrid.New Madrid is a famous for having one of the Mid-West's fault active lines. This town though is a odd one...almost Metropolis, Illinois odd...
Looking south along the Mississippi River. Across the river is the state of Kentucky.
Looking through Downtown New Madrid. It remindes me of Hill Valley, 1955.
A abandon small Pizza Hut.Back on to the highway and moving further south in Missouri, we noticed that Tennessee was a short distance away. So why not head over there...I mean we didn't come all this way for nothing...
Looking east along Interstate 155 at the Mississippi River.
State 3...Tennessee!!...
In Tennessee we went up to the first exit, Tennessee State Route 181, and turned around.
Back to State #2...
The sun was setting on the first day.
Now State #4...Arkansas!...
We finished out in Jonosboro, Arkansas.
Day TWO