Notes on RRR’14: Day 9: 20140317.

DAY 9: MONDAY 17 MARCH

Metropolis, IL to St Louis, MO.

Today’s goal is to reach St Louis. To do this we must transit the caudal quarters of Illinois, where surfeiting our compelling hunger for landmarks of overwhelming interest and other miscellaneous discoveries would be challenging indeed. There are a few points along the northern (western) shores of the Ohio worth checking out, however, and with confidence in our hearts and faith in a just providence we set out for them.

With only a few exceptions, the GPS unit behaves admirably today. It’s rather cool out this morning on a fine St Patrick’s Day, but generally tolerable: an improvement on yesterday.

We venture first up to Cave-in-Rock State Park, which has something of a colorful history. Having previously driven these roads in a virtual sense on Google Earth, I recognize when to turn and approximately where the trail to the cave should be, whatsoever the GPS may have to say on the subject. We park the car and climb down to the river, quickly locating the cave.

(This.)

Back to the car and continuing up more or less along the Ohio River. Abruptly the GPS lady sends us off into the corn field. What? Huh? Okay so we go thither. Fields give way to woods. Gravel road becomes a snaky bog. And then . . . And then. . .

Saline River.

What? Huh? That’s right: road ends at a river. According to Google Maps, the GPS lady has had us take Ozee Landing Lane, and then evidently she wanted us to try to get up a good running speed through the woods, or more probably to levitate, and so cast ourselves over the Saline River and come down on the further bank on (or somewhat nearish to) the Saline Mine Road. Why, GPS lady, why? I mean, look at this:

Does this make any sense to anyone? Thought not.

Well anyway, we survived the Saline River diversion, and resumed our minor side-trip to Old Shawneetown, IL. Here the ground was slightly crunchy with old snow.

Leaving Old Shawneetown, there’s nothing left to be done but to stop making excuses and drive across southern Illinois. We do this thing.

In the afternoon we spot the arch and once again (and for the last time) cross the Mississippi River. In St Louis things become a little tricky driving-wise, as things are wont to do here. What with GPS signals caroming off the sides of crowded skyscrapers and the challenge of negotiating a network of one-way streets, it takes a little while for us to find our way to the Hampton on Washington and 4th.

St Louis walk.

Before it gets too late we take a stroll to the arch and elsewhere around the vicinity. (Note that the first two photos were taken on 28 March 2010 when the river was in flood; compare to the third picture, from today.)

That’s it for today . . . mostly. Remember, it’s St Patrick’s Day! Turns out ― not by accident ― there’s an Irish pub in the building: the Tigín. So we wrap up the day with some Guinness. And by the way . . . I discover this evening that I don’t have a copy of Ulysses on my smart phone.

That oversight is soon corrected.