Day 4: Bloomington, IL to Cuba MO– 93 miles
Our first photo stop of the day is to visit another Giant – this one holding a hotdog versus a rocket. There seems to be a theme here, but we are not sure what it is .
Now most folks know that Springfield IL is the home and final resting place of Abe Lincoln. As dutiful citizens, we should take the time to stop and tour the ancestral home, monuments, and presidential library – BUT, we are on a mission from God. So, instead, we visit Springfield’s other major historical attraction – the Cozy Dog Drive-in. From high school history class, you know that Edison invented the lightbulb and Bell the telephone. But did you realize that these guys invented the corn dog in 1946!
Our last stop in Illinois is in Staunton at Rich Henry’s Rabbit Ranch. Rich is the coolest guy we have met so far and he has two passions. The first is saving all those bunnies kids receive at Easter (and soon lose interest in) from being euthanized at animal shelters. The second is his love for VW Rabbits. In addition to an awesome collection of these vehicles, has used non-running models to construct an homage to the Cadillac Ranch in Texas.
We cross the Mississippi and circumnavigate the St Louis metropolitan area – rejoining Route 66 in the city’s western suburbs. Following Rich Henry’s recommendation, we stop for the night in Cuba, MO and check into the Wagon Wheel Motel. Amazingly, this place has been in continuous operation for 82 years!
