Day 2

Indiana banks of the Ohio River

Before long, we were on a bridge crossing the Ohio River again and going into Covington, Kentucky. Stayed on I-75 and then picked up I-275 west, the local beltway, toward Indiana and US 50. Crossing the Ohio again, we were in Indiana and turned west on US 50 to start the scenic part of the trip today. The banks of the Ohio are very industrial—power plants everywhere. One that we saw from the bridge going into Indiana had a huge cooling tower, and below it a man was fishing on the wide, lazy Ohio.

We were on US 50 until Aurora, Indiana, where we turned south on IN 56 which follows the Ohio River. This is a designated scenic route so my expectations were high. The road hugged the river for quite a distance but then, suddenly, we found ourselves among all these hairpin turns going up a hill. They have hills in Indiana? Yes, even ski areas. Eventually, we made it to the top and onto a plateau of sorts, where there were a few towns and houses. Many tobacco farms in this area and, of course, corn. The towns up top were Aberdeen, Center Square, Mount Sterling, and East Enterprise.

East Enterprise cookout

It was in East Enterprise that we passed a cookout in the center of town. The town was only about two or three blocks long and less than a block wide on either side of the street. We cruised by the cookout, but then reconsidered the offer: a hamburger, chips, and a coke for $1.00—can’t be beat, we thought. So we drove back to get some lunch. I talked to the women working the grill. This woman was interesting and engaging. She was an older woman, short, and had a few teeth missing. She was bitchin’ about how hot it was next to the grill while she was cooking, smoking, and keepin’ the kids out of the street all at once.

We got our lunch and sat down next to an abandoned building. I asked the woman what people do around here. She replied that most people farm tobacco and corn, and continued to explain that this was a big town—it had a bank, a post office, and a volunteer fire department, all of which were so close one could throw a stone through their windows, even with my unsound aim.

Today’s cookout benefits the town’s fire department. They don’t have a police force, they rely on Switzerland County’s. Whenever they ran out of food, all they had to do was walk over to the grocery store across the small street to get more. We told them we were from out of town; they weren’t too surprised. There were about five or ten people there and everyone who drove by waved or stopped to talk to those running it—like most small towns, everyone knows everyone. We said goodbye and continued on our merry way.

Flatness redefined

We started down toward the Ohio River again, off the plateau and into the town of Vevay, Indiana. Passed through Madison, a sizable city with an old fashioned look, and many small towns and, of course, more power plants.

The larger towns have something in common out here, they all seem to have a city hall that is similar, capped with a large, wooden, dome-like structure. They are very distinctive. Madison was a typical small town untouched by the urbanization that I see in the small towns out east. They have clean, wide streets for parking and a lot of large, old shade trees. The next big towns were Scottsburg and Salem. We are able to pass through many of the towns between these in a matter of seconds.

At Paoli, Indiana, we turned on US 150 which later joins up with US 50. The land was still somewhat mountainous, okay, hilly, but we were driving away from the river so I expected the land would soon change. Passed through the Hoosier National Forest, nothing too impressive here. Other towns on our journey towards Illinois were Schoals, Loogootee, Washington, and Vincennes, Indiana on the Illinois border.

Illinois

Crossed the Wabash River into Illinois where the hills began to disappear and everything was suddenly flat, straight, and boring. Too much farming. Not much to report from these parts. We were now driving through a flatness that we hadn’t experienced before—a flatness I’d never experienced, really. The heat was reflecting off the distant pavement, which is why people drive with their lights on out here. God, I’d hate to live out here.

One interesting observation: there were these old bridges that crossed over creeks and paralleled the more modern bridges we crossed on. I suspect they were part of the old US 50 and the once state-of-the-art network of roads that connected the coasts before interstates came along. These were nice looking bridges, bridges with pleasing architectural designs, unlike the bridges they build today. This was the only source of interest along this throughway.

Some of the towns we passed through were Lawrenceville, Olney, and Clay City, and, again, Salem (but this time in Illinois), an interstate town near I-57. If you’re wondering what an interstate town is, it’s a town at an interstate exit where one can choose from eight fast food joints, a dozen 24-hour gas stations, and whose skyline is composed of towering signs for each of these establishments, which can be seen at least a mile outside of town, two with the flat terrain found here. Don’t get me wrong, at times an interstate town has its benefits, but they are often more of a “need” than a “want,” really.

We continued on US 50 till IL 127, which we took north to hook up with I-70. IL 127 was desolate, flat, and completely straight. We pushed toward St. Louis, where we will be staying with my friend Dwayne. Soon, we began to see the city’s skyline as we got closer on I-70.

We passed right next to this hill which I thought looked like an American Indian mound. We found out later that it was the Cahokia Mounds State Historical Site, a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was the largest settlement north of Mexico in the pre-Columbian time, circa AD 800–1400.

St. Louis

Three interstates merge into the bridge that crosses the Mississippi River so traffic started to backup in East St. Louis, which at least allowed us to snap a picture of the skyline. Went on I-64 / US 40 to the outer part of the city where we turned in and tried to find Dwayne’s house. We drove around for a bit and finally found his house after gettig turned around a bit. We went to go call him on a payphone and finally greeted him around 6:30 p.m.

Union Station

We decided to get a bite to eat; Dwayne wanted it to be something that said “St. Louis.” We hopped on the Metro train and went downtown to Union Station. This was a very clean, indoor/outdoor mall where there were fountains and jazz bands playing under a partially covered roof. Inside was a mall filled with people. We looked in a National Park store and ate at some chili place. We had a spunky waitress who was able to take our order by memory and remember all the sides and options we requested. She was good at boisterously yelling across the restaurant whatever she wanted or needed. Chili and eggs are a big thing here, doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, I passed on that. I complimented her on the water and she told me to tell my friends about the place and asked me if I wanted a job there. We moved on to the old part of the station which was reminiscent of Union Station in DC. The ceiling is high and dark and the structure is very old.

Gateway Arch and downtown

We left the station and boarded the Metro again for the Gateway Arch. We walked down toward the river by the old Amtrak station. Saw the many gambling boats on the Mississippi River, which were quite drab. The least they could have done was to make them aesthetically pleasing. Not like a Disney production or a Las Vegas nightmare, but something that’s not a burden to the senses. Right now they resemble floating boxes where they have maximized their space in order to fit the highest number of people—kind of like a cruise ship—it certainly does not add to the noble history of the mighty Mississippi.

Along the Mississippi are cobblestone bricks that gradually merge into the river. The river flows at a sluggish three miles per hour and is only 12 to 15 feet deep. This is certainly not its widest part. Dwayne showed us where the flood line was in the great floods last summer—where we were standing was about 20 feet under water last summer. We made our way up to the Gateway Arch, which is actually the first national park we visited, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. There is an underground museum beneath the arch.

Keep in mind that the Statue of Liberty is only 305 feet and the Washington Monument is 555 feet high. Underground and beneath the arch is the Museum of Westward Expansion, devoted to all facets of the expansion, from the Louisiana Purchase to the American Indian Experience to the Lewis & Clark Expedition.

Old Courthouse

West of the arch is the Old Courthouse where the Dred Scott case was heard and the history of St. Louis is commemorated. You remember the Dred Scott case—when, in 1857, blacks were denied citizenship, the Missouri Compromise was voided, and, some would say, was a symbolic salvo in the lead up to Civil War. We did not go into the courthouse, but I would like to someday.

We had to be back to meet another friend of Dwayne’s who was in town for the evening. As we were coming out of the visitors center under the arch we heard booms. We emerged from the tunnel to see brilliant fireworks illuminating the sky. Nobody seemed to know the reason for the fireworks display that night, but, no complaints were uttered. They lit up the dusk sky, the arch, and the surrounding skyscrapers, and seemed to mark a auspicious beginning to our trip—perhaps it is a preview of the unexpectedly wonderful experiences we will continue to encounter as we go west.

Ted Drewes

We were meeting a bunch of Dwayne’s friends at an ice cream place called Ted Drewes on historic Route 66. It is one of the most popular landmarks in town. But, first, we detoured to Becky’s house (one of Dwayne’s friends), then to Becky’s Grandmother’s house before finally arriving at the famous frozen custard stand.

The place was packed, tons of people there and virtually no one at the Baskin Robbins next door. We (Andy, me, Dwayne, Becky, and the engaged couple who are moving to Pittsburgh) were all going back home when his friends invited us to watch a movie at their house, but we decided to go back to Dwayne’s and hang out. The three of us talked for a while but Dwayne had to get up early to go to church, so we went to bed around 1 in the morning.