Crossing Missouri
Missouri is one of those transition states, which seem to touch
on several sections of the nation. Though nominally a Midwestern state,
Missouri had traditionally been a part of the South. For a significant part
of the nation's history, it had also been part of the frontier, and then
of the West. Missouri is a part of the Louisiana Purchase, and had begun
as a French possession. It is now securely American. This is traditional
American farming, and manufacturing country today. It is also, Kansas City
and St. Louis aside, the heart of the Bible Belt. The countryside is rolling
and lush, the roads good, and the people friendly. My path took me out on
what had formerly been much of Route 66. Sadly, I had little time to really
see the place properly. Missouri, at least on this trip, was essentially
a long ribbon of highway, dotted with truck stops, rest areas, and the occasional
city.
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A roadcut shows the underlying bones of the Ozarks. These
are old, soft, well forested mountains, as opposed to the dry mountains
of the Southwest, or the granite peaks of the Rockies.
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This is a pretty disheartening site to a weary traveler.
Oh well, there will doubtless be other rest stops along the way. During
most of my traveling on Interstate 40, old Route 66 was visible as a thin
ribbon of access road, running along side.
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To the left and in the photo above, can be seen the twin
ribbons of Interstate 40, accompanied by old Route 66. The older road sometimes
wanders off on it's own; but always, it comes back to rejoin the Interstate,
as if returning after scouting the terrain.
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An open Missouri rest stop offers soft drinks, snacks,
maps, and assorted guides and reading material. It also offers a bit of
a break from hours of driving.
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