Cuba by midnight, part deux

We are alive! We just haven’t found a wireless connection for a few days. This was typed up yesterday…

I’m typing bits and pieces of this as we travel through southern Missouri, trying desperately to catch up on the blogging.

Let’s back up to Friday night. Sherrie arrived first, having walked most of the way from Millennium Station up to Rick’s place [Because she’s a) a trooper and b) insane :-)]. We had some time to catch up and shoot the breeze before Rick arrived with Ann and Jen in tow.

Now Ann does some graphic design work for a new winery in Iowa that just released a red table wine and a white table wine. She and Jen toted some with them on the train from Iowa (minus one bottle that cracked in Jen’s backpack, meaning that every time she opens it in the minivan we’re treated to the overwhelming smell of alcohol), and given their delay in arriving in Chicago, decided to avail themselves of one of the bottles.

We had hugs all around and each sampled a glass of the red nouveau (Delicious, Bob!) in plastic wine glasses tucked lovingly into flipflop-shaped wine coasters.



After a bit of freshening up, we walked to Maza for dinner. We opted to split a bottle of red Lebanese wine and then began the unabashed gluttony. Stuffed grape leaves, baba ghannoush and spinach pie to start. Then their to-die-for carrot soup. Finally the entrées: Lamb couscous for me, mixed grill for Rick, brochettes of chicken for Sherrie, and Jennifer and Ann split a grilled salmon dish. And just when we thought we couldn’t fit in anymore, they brought us baklava with cashews. Afterwards, we lumbered back to Rick’s, then changed into more comfortable shoes and walked around the neighborhood some more to work off the grotesque number of calories we had just ingested.




So that brings us to Saturday. Following our stop in Joliet, we headed on down the road, stopping to visit the Gemini Giant in Wilmington and take in the old gas station in Dwight and the renovated Standard Oil station in Odell. We enjoyed meeting Nathan, who was manning the store at the time, and chatting with him about the 80th anniversary of the road, the various unrecognizable (to us) gas station implements, and the efforts of the various associations along the road. Parked next to the station was a 1953 Winnebago, which Nathan opened up so we could peek inside (he said a recent storm had knocked it off its blocks, so stepping inside was off-limits for the time being). It was a treat for camping geeks like us. All the surfaces were wooden and the light fixture was a real piece of design work – not just a plain old plastic cover over a light bulb. He also said that with all the wood, it was probably heavier than a modern camper twice its size.




Following our chat with Nathan (and, of course, picking up a few souvenirs from the store) we headed back down the road, stopping in Towanda to take pictures with the Burma Shave signs. When I was a kid, my parents had the “Verse By the Side of the Road” book and I read it at least a gazillion times. We also tempted fate by driving through Towanda’s Dead Man’s Curve not once but TWICE. Daredevils, we are (ok, we weren’t exactly squealing the tires on the Montana).



It was around this time that we came to two conclusions. First, we needed to haul ass if we wanted to get to Funk’s Grove by 5 p.m. Second, our “late lunch” at the Cozy Dog Drive-In in Springfield was turning into dinner. Thank God Sherrie had, on a whim, bought a bag of snack mix at a gas station where we stopped for drinks. If not for that bag of cheddar Munchems, we probably would have killed and eaten each other somewhere along the road.

We pulled into Funk’s at 5:04 p.m., grateful that the door was still open. The charming proprietor told us that even if they’re closed, if someone pulls up she usually comes out as long as she can find her shoes. I’m not a huge syrup person (excuse me – sirup), but this stuff is amazing. I cannot wait to try it on some pancakes when we get home. (Note to Dave: You’re getting the gift of maple sirup.) We also picked up a Route 66 antenna ball, which causes our somewhat flimsy antenna to wildly flail back and forth in the breeze. Also, Jen and I took the opportunity for a fun house-style picture in the vats.



Despite our hunger, we knew we had to make a stop in Atlanta to see the giant. As you can see from the pictures, we ran into a little problem in that there was not a soul in downtown Atlanta (save for one guy who road by on his four-wheeler and shouted something about tourists), so we had to make a few attempts to get the camera timer to work while balanced on the hood of the Montana.





And then finally…FINALLY…Springfield! We pulled into the Cozy Dog at 6:45 and ordered two family baskets (a basket being four cozy dogs and a large fry), which we promptly inhaled. (I believe my hunger is reflected in the picture below, in which I’m clearly sporting crazy Sharon Stone eyes.) Honestly, I don’t even remember the first cozy dog. I had some sort of starvation blackout and then suddenly I was holding my second cozy dog. Then I exhibited a modicum of self control and forced myself to eat it slowly, savoring every delicious bite. As a devoted fan of the Iowa State Fair, I know corndogs…and the cozy dog is absolutely delicious. The French fries…eh…but the cozy dog was fabulous.



Well satiated with fried food, we were super-excited about the giant Abe Lincoln sitting on a giant wagon reading a giant law book. Three giants in one!



We knew we’d be pushing it to get to the Chain of Rocks bridge before dark (damn you, Budget!). We made a quick stop at Our Lady of the Highways, said a Hail Mary as we passed the Burma Shave-style signs, and high-tailed it to the bridge.

Unfortunately, as you can see from the pictures, we didn’t make it in time. We started hiking out onto the bridge in the dark, but too many episodes of “Unsolved Mysteries” as a child succeeded in totally giving me the willies. We made our way back to the van and scurried up to I-270 and finally into Missouri. As we were crossing the river, we could see the Chain of Rocks just downriver and, even in the dark, we could make out the curve in the bridge. I really wish we’d been able to hike out onto it in the daylight. (*ahem* Budget, I’m looking in your direction.) How disappointing!



From there we made our way through St. Louis to Ted Drewes for frozen custard – so good and so rich. And such a hangout! It really did seem like an old-fashioned ice cream stand with tons of people milling about.



It was 11 p.m. when we left Ted’s, and that’s where we had our Bill Bryson moment. Much like Bryson decided he wasn’t going to be able to hike every single inch of the Appalachian Trail, we decided that it was 11 p.m. and we were just going to hop on the interstate to Cuba instead of trying to navigate the road in the dark.

All along we had hoped to stay at the Wagon Wheel in Cuba. I know, it would be ideal if we could spend a month or six weeks ambling along the road, but unfortunately right now we’re three chicks working for the corporate man and one chick working for the Lord and we have limited vacation. So unfortunately we have a schedule to keep we have planned stops along the way that we need to hit.

When I was initially setting this up back in February and March, I called the hotels along the way and made reservations. My first call to the Wagon Wheel went something like this:

Sara: Hi, I was wondering if I could make a reservation for Saturday, June 3.
Proprietor: Just a minute. (Pause) That was for Saturday?
Sara: Yes, Saturday, June 3.
Proprietor: June 3?
Sara: Yes.
Proprietor: Call back the week before and we’ll know what we have available.

Ok. That’s fine. Small hotel, maybe they don’t take reservations that far in advance. I tried calling the Thursday and Friday before Memorial Day and got no answer. Then I wondered if perhaps the gentleman hadn’t taken a reservation because the hotel was closing.

I tried again last Tuesday and he answered.

Sara: Hi, I was wondering if I could make a reservation for this Saturday night.
Proprietor: This Saturday?
Sara: Yes, June 3.
Proprietor: Call back Friday between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.

Err.

We decided to just wing it. So on our way from Ted Drewes, Sherrie called the four hotels in Cuba. No answer at the Wagon Wheel. We ended up at the Best Western, which for $77 total (incl. tax with AAA discount) was quite nice.

Overall, it was a long day, but everyone stayed in good humor. We knew the first day would be long, and the whole rental mix-up made it unpredictably so. As born-and-raised Midwesterners, we’re anxious to get Illinois, Missouri and Kansas behind us and get past the usual landscapes.