Day One - Chicago to St. Louis!

We left Mandi and Pete's palace of hospitality and began out trip to the LAND OF LINCOLN!

Lou Mitchell's is the place to start the route according to everyone. Great food, fun atmosphere. If you miss it you may as well just turn back because your trip is going to SUCK!

So whatever you do, don't start your trip on the Fourth of July.

Derp.

So we just began at the beginning. A very friendly gentleman was walking by and chatted about the Route and took a picture of us. It was a nice place to start. Of course, I can't find that pic so you will get this hideous selfie instead. Brace yourself, there will be many. You will become more familiar with my nostrils as this blog progresses.

At first I took pictures of everything!

Giant hot dogs, gas pumps and ice cream with fictional Chicagoans dancing on a roof.

Eventually I calmed down and pretty much just took pictures of giants. All the giants were holding something. Muffler guy has a rocket, Paul Bunyan has a wiener and Abe has a book. Incidentally, I was once chastised by a student for reading while driving. (Oh stop it, I was in traffic that was NOT MOVING!) I can't wait to point out that a great American like President Lincoln was guilty of the same thing!

I also took many selfies with giants. Mom was tired of getting out of the car. I feel like I am really good at selfies. I ALWAYS get my eyebrows in the picture. And the eyebrows are the Venetian blinds of the soul!

I took a picture of mom taking a picture. Yes, with her gimpy arm she still tried to take pictures. I am turning the pages of her book for her and fetching her cool drinks, but she's Ansel Adams when she sees a plastic dinosaur on top of a tire store!

We ate at the Polka Dot Diner and each posed with our favorite icon.

Look at her go! Mom even wrote a postcard with her injured limb.

This very cute library was visited by Abraham Lincoln on the fourth of July back in Eighteen Forty-Something. We spend a lot of time acting like Abraham Lincoln, now that I think about it.

I took some scenic photos, which I rarely do. 

On the top one, if you look carefully under the red sign there is a strip of original road with weeds growing up through it. It seemed like a big deal at the time. Of course I have now driven on original road [spoiler!], it isn't such a big deal.

We went off route because of weather concerns and made it to the hotel in Springfield by 3 or so. Mom proceeded to nap. 

I roused her for dinner, but is impossible to keep her out of a comfy hotel bed.

Apparently I wore her out completely. 

I think she might be faking it...