SPRINGFIELD MO trip
Aug. 11-12 2012
PART 1
"Tiny Mighty, Tiny Mighty Mo..."
This trip focused on Mighty Mo, but we start out in Killer K. We're going west on the Western Kentucky Parkway - or what was the Western Kentucky Parkway until not long before. This is near Nortonville where this road now picks up the new I-69 from the Pennyrile Parkway. The change apparently was made in late 2011. The extension of I-69 through other states promises to be devastating.
Near Dawson Springs. I'd predicted I-69 would never be found in Kentucky in my lifetime, but it's here. When this became I-69, the sign for the Western Kentucky Parkway gained a FORMERLY banner.
What is now I-69 has this exit to Eddyville (site of the Kentucky State Penitentiary). The cause of the mandatory detour that forced us to use this exit is unknown.
US 60 makes a turn here in Barlow, Ky. The street straight ahead is Broadway.
US 51/60/62 follows the Mississippi River and then the Ohio River briefly near Wickliffe, Ky.
Up ahead, US 51/60/62 makes a curve onto the Ohio River bridge to Cairo, Ill. The border of the curve warning sign is dotted with lights or reflectors.
The bridge to Cairo. This span opened in 1937 and is over a mile long. It appears to completely lack pedestrian or bike access.
From the aforementioned bridge, this is a view of the US 60/62 bridge over the Mississippi River to Missouri.
Continuing on the bridge to Illinois.
This route grazes the southern tip of Illinois, and this is in Cairo. Cairo's population peaked at over 15,000 in 1920 but had less than 3,000 in the 2010 census - after a series of unspeakable incidents. Cairo is officially part of the Cape Girardeau, Mo., metropolitan area.
The bridge to Missouri, which opened in 1929. No bike or pedestrian access here either.
We're actually going slightly southeast on this bridge, though the overall road takes us west.
Looking upstream on the Mississippi River from the bridge. The island where the river splits is called Angelo Towhead and is completely forested. Angelo Towhead is part of Illinois.
At the end of the bridge, the road is raised on a levee.
US 60/62 rounds a curve.
Super Bubble!!! I call this the Super Bubble trip because we sighted this truck full of this brand o' BG. Here we're in Charleston, Mo. US 62 continues straight ahead, while US 60 hops onto I-57. George W. Bush used to lock himself in his office and chew Super Bubble every time he got mad. Probably even bubbled!
Behind the Super Bubble truck on I-57. We're going west, although I-57 is north-south overall.
"Yipes! Stripes! Fruit Stripe gum!" The Super Bubble truck also had Fruit Stripe's zebra mascot on the back. That truck is in a gum chewin' mood, isn't it?
The kid on the Super Bubble truck is bubbling.
US 60 has a brief freeway section near Dexter, Mo. (Aw, Dexter, what a nice dog!) There's a slight chance the frontage road was once US 60, even though it too bypasses town.
US 160 in western Ripley County affords us some scenery of the Ozark Mountains.
Entering Oregon County on US 160.
US 160 crosses the Eleven Point River.