Finally, back on the Mother Road part deux

Waking up to the Carpenters and eating a peanut butter cliff bar was a great way to begin the first full day along Route 66. The shower went on, but the water did not reach above 66 degrees, so needless to say I woke up in a jiffy. After the shock wore off, I got dressed, and pulled the truck out and back onto the Mother Road where I made a right onto MO 571 heading east for a few miles. I turned into a pre-1950 alignment of the Mother Road and found a few interesting tidbits.

66 overlooking the Spring River

Just before the river someone opened up their heart. At which point it was time to head east towards the Kansas state line. I made my way back to the motel before retracing the route I took to Joplin the day before. This time I found an interesting piece of information with regards to one of the small bridges I crossed.

However, I was no mood to stay in Missouri for the morning, and drove clean into the Sunflower State. After retracing my night in Galena, I reached Riverton and enjoyed a soda pop at the Old Riverton Store,

where I was greeted by two huge fans.

The next destination was Baxter Springs, but boy, what a round trip.

Moments after I escaped the labyrinth I found a rainbow, the Rainbow Bridge to be exact.

The government's fingerprints in the bridge's Genesis. Interestingly, this was built during the Calvin Coolidge administration. After visiting the historic threshold I made it to Baxter Springs where I met my friend Michael, whom I shared my road trip secrets with the night before. Not to sound like a ham, but I love posing with filling stations. This is the Kansas Route 66 visitors center in Baxter Springs.

We looked around town for a bit,

before heading to the Baxter Springs Heritage Center and Museum for an interesting look at the evolution of the community, including a cannon used in the Battle of Pea Ridge in Arkansas.

The rest of the museum examines various elements of local life from the Civil War to the rich mining history of northeast Oklahoma and southeast Kansas.

Outside it was time to hit the trail

The birds were chirping and the Sooner State awaits.