Hot Springs NP is off the itinerary. After finally reviewing what there is to do there I decided it wasn’t worth two days off the main route. After initially considering driving all the way to Baton Rouge today I came to my senses and decided I would stop in West Helene, AR.
I also studied the route described on the wiki page so that I actually knew which roads to expect. For the most part the Arkansas signage seems a bit better than Missouri’s. It was a mostly uneventful drive, with flat straight roads going through many small towns. Oh, and lots of soy beans and cotton. The only excitement was north of Marion, AR when a truck driver apparently decided to pull out into the road without looking. Fortunately my brakes work just fine! Phew!
Arrived in West Helene about 3:15, shortest day on the road so far, and settled into the hotel. Finally started updating this blog. Eventually got hungry and went across to the Mexican restaurant suggested by the hotel clerk. Food was great but wow was the waiter slow.
Plan for tomorrow is to get to Vidalia, LA. which is just across the river from Natchez, MS.
So the flip side of my lack of planning for this trip is the flexibility that it provides. My tentative itinerary called for a drive to Jonesboro, AR today. However after reviewing the length of the drive compared to previous days I decided that was a bit too ambitious. Also, as I would be driving through St. Louis I might spend some time at the Gateway Arch, Instead I decided that I would stop in Cape Girardeau, MO instead. Sticking to the backroads hasn’t added that much mileage it seems but it does take considerably more time.
The drive south out of Hannibal continued with a few nice areas and made a couple stops for scenic views. That is until around the northwest outskirts of St. Loius where State Highway 79 would intersect with I-70. There was no clear indication, that I saw anyway, to get onto I-70. Looking at the GPS it appeared that a similar state\county road more closely followed the river so I opted to take that instead of getting on the Interstate. Again my lack of planning bit me here as the route does actually take the Interstate routes through the city. To further add to my confusion, the river that I was seeing on my GPS at some point was not the Mississippi, but rather the Missouri which of course joins the Mississippi above St. Louis…
In any case, it was around noon and I was hungry and annoyed at this point so I finally pulled over to grab some lunch and assess the situation from a stationary position. I was in St. Charles which is one of the northwestern suburbs of St. Louis. So from here I decided I would drive over to the arch which was only about a half hour drive and I assumed pick up the route again since I would be right on the river at that point. Yeah – don’t assume things!
I could have sworn the Gateway Arch used to be a National Monument, either my memory failed or it recently became a National Park. Getting into and navigating the downtown area is a pain. The last time I visited, in 2009, I know I parked right off the street on the river drive. But that know appears to be blocked off or at least very sneakily accessible. After a frustrating few minutes trying to find my way around – there is amazingly no apparent signage for the park (aside from many lots offering “arch parking”) I bailed! Having seen the arch before I didn’t need to spend any more time so I found the quickest way out of town on I-55 again assuming I would meet up with the route somewhere along the way.
After getting out of the city and heading south for about 15 minutes I was able to make my way back onto US-61 but saw no signs for the River Road. Finally after about an hour I think, the signs finally returned! Back on track officially.
I arrived in Cape Girardeau around 4pm and checked into the hotel, settled in and relaxed for a bit. Checked the map for nearby restaurants and settled on a place called Bistro Saffron. They had a shrimp special with peppers, onions, and broccoli with just the right amount of heat. Very tasty!
Sautéed shrimp and veggies
The tentative plan for tomorrow has been to head to Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas. However, I’m starting to rethink that. We shall see what tomorrow brings.
After the fantastic drive yesterday from home to Dubuque, I wasn’t expecting it to continue so well. However, the destination today was Hannibal, MO and it did not disappoint.
The drive from Dubuque into northern Missouri was almost as good as the previous days drive – almost. Made stops in Davenport and Burlington and a few other scenic stops. I found the Missouri signage to not be as clearly posted as it was in Minnesota and Iowa. Despite this for the most part it was good enough.
Davenport, IABirds of DavenportAnother bird of DavenportBurlington, IAThe Missouri signsNarrow lane along the riverNear Montrose, IA
There were just enough hilly, winding roads to keep it interesting. I passed one campground just north of Hannibal that was right along the river, however is was about 95 degrees and I had no desire to deal with camping though it did look like a nice spot. Anyway, last night I had scoped out a few hotels along the route and was able to get a room for the night. Unless it cools off in the next few days I’m pretty sure camping is off the table for the rest of the trip.
After getting settled into the hotel, it was time to find something for dinner. I settled on a place called The Brick Oven which is a local Italian restaurant since I was in the mood for some pizza. I ordered a side salad and their Garlic Lovers pizza which is made on a nice crispy thin crust, with a garlic spread, caramalized onions, and sausage. It was fantastic! After that it was back to the hotel to relax and get some sleep.
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