Site Map With Home Selection

Chain of Rocks Bridge

Bridge picture ©Copyright 1996 Jim Potts and used with permission. The Chain of Rocks bridge spans the Mississippi River north of metropolitan St. Louis and a bit south of the Interstate 270 bridge. It is now closed to traffic but valued by groups that want to make it into a park.

The endearing quality is the "jog" in the bridge. A subject of much conjecture over the years. One such conjecture was that the builders from the Missouri side built heedlessly forward without investigating river bed structures on the Illinois side. That necessitated the "jog."
The more reasonable explanation is that building exactly straight across at this point would have made for a dangerously narrow passage between supporting piers for river boat traffic. The river current ran at a slant to a straight across structure. The jog allows the widest possible space between piers to face the current.

Modern construction needs no such accomodation. The Interstate 270 bridge's steel work crosses the river with a single span with no midstream piers necessary.
Return to Places

Bourbon - Lots of it

Bourbon, MO has TWO water tanks thusly labeled. Wags have suggested that one of the tanks should be labeled Scotch but the city dads have not agreed. It should also be noted that the city dads were NOT amused.
Return to Places

Snow Flake Flower

Kirk Woodward, while photographing the water tower at Bourbon, MO, saw this flower at the roadside. It looked like nothing so much as a huge snowflake so that's what he named it.

A more scientific name, description would be welcomed.
Return to Places

Largest Totem Pole in North America

Hard to argue . . . it IS real BIG. It is just north of Foyil, OK but the turn off is only marked if you are southbound on State Route 66.

Oklahoma - probably because they have more Route 66 mileage than any of the other 7 states it passed through - has taken some pains to "preserve" Route 66. The Interstate between Oklahoma and the Missouri state line is a toll road ($6 in 1997) so the locals call State Route 66 the "Free Road."

If you have the time, State Route 66 is a VASTLY more interesting way to make your way across the Sooner State.
Picture Courtesy of
Kathy Anderson
Return to Places

The Blue Whale

Roger & Jane Holm of Apple Valley, MN took this picture of The Blue Whale. One of the most enduring Route 66 "icons" the Whale was the center piece of a modest "beach" amusement park in Catoosa, OK. At the time the Holm's visited the property was fenced and posted "Keep Out." Other reports suggest that the area is a candidate for re-development. Stay tuned.

Return to Places
The Blue Whale • Catoosa, OK

Early American RV

Fank Ward did 20 years in the U.S. Navy, then retired well beyond the smell of salt air on a nice piece of property just west of Wellston, OK.

There he and his wife, Faye, drilled a water well and opened a RV park. The teepee is a good traffic stopper and if you like you can bed down for the night in it.
Return to Places
Frank Ward adjusts the ventilation system
on his Early American RV
 
 

Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere

A Pampa, TX ministry erected this truly monumental cross south of Interstate 40 a bit west of Groom, TX. Whether it is the "largest" would depend on learning who has been running around the Western Hemisphere measuring crosses.

Suffice it to say that the tiny figures at the base of the cross are life size - maybe a little bigger. The cross is huge.
Return to Places

Palo Duro Canyon

Twenty miles south of Amarillo, TX and billed as the 2nd largest canyon n the United States. (Presumeably that means only the Grand Canyon in Arizona is larger). The Chimney Rock, shown here, shows what wind, water and dissimilar rock can cause. (And LOTS of time, of course).

Extensive camping is available and from June through August the musical "Texas!" is presented in the evenings. The production is out of doors, deep in the canyon and a "chuck wagon" dinner is served.. Amarillo is justifiably proud of Palo Duro Canyon. More information about the canyon and the area is just a click away at Amarillo's web site.
Go back to Places

Cadillac Ranch

Nothing says "Texas!" quite so dramatically as ten Cadillacs buried nose down in the Texas Panhandle. Look for them west of Amarillo, TX at Exit #60 from I-40 (South of the highway).
Return to Places
The Cadillac Ranch


Home PageMenu PageE-Mail