At the Route 66 State Park in Eureka, MO:
And tracking down Muffler Men in Granite City, IL:
Chickadee Thursday
Route 66 Summer
Route 66 State Park and Visitors’ Center
One of the three big field trips I planned for this year’s summer school was a trip west to the Route 66 State Park in Eureka, MO.
The Visitor’s Center is the old Bridgehead Inn, which was an original Route 66 roadhouse from 1935:
It’s a fairly unassuming building, but they have a surprisingly large collection of Route 66 memorabilia in the the museum inside:
The original name for the inn becomes obvious when you walk around outside, but I wouldn’t recommend trying to use the bridge! It appears that there is still a fundraising effort underway to restore it for (I assume) pedestrian access, which would be highly beneficial, because the rest of the state park is actually across the river, and requires using an entirely different exit from the interstate to access!
There are quite a few trails through the park, and it also contains a piece of local history, as the former summer resort town (and eventually full-time low-income housing community) Times Beach was once located here. That spot has a rather sordid but fascinating past involving poverty, an industrial disaster from the spread of the contaminant dioxin, and flooding, but is a lovely (and clean!) park today.
We are very fortunate to have Route 66 locations close enough to home for us to visit!
Stay tuned for more Route 66 adventures!
Tasty Tuesday–Dining Down the Mother Road (At Home)–Part Three
We’ve had another pair of Route 66 dinners in the last week!
First, I made “Bang Bang Burgers” from The Route 66 Cookbook like they serve at Hoppers Pub in . Waynesville, MO. The Bang Bang Sauce was amazing, and an onion ring is a great topper for a burger!
For dessert we had “Butter Spritz Cookies” like they serve at Jubelt’s Bakery and Restaurant, a Route 66 stop a little closer to home in Litchfield, IL.
Next up was a German feast…all items I’ve made before, but with new twists from The Route 66 Cookbook. The main course “Pork Wiener Schnitzel” like they serve at Westside Lilo’s in Seligman, AZ. It was very similar to how I usually make schnitzel, but with lemon pepper added to the breading…I will definitely be using that tip from now on!
To go with the schnitzel, I made Späetzle like they serve at the Rock Cafe in Stroud, OK. I make Späetzle A LOT, but this recipe was very different from what we’re used to. It was still good, and it’s nice to have another option!
I kept the German theme going with dessert, and the recipe for apple strudel was from a restaurant near and dear to my heart…The Berghoff in Chicago. I’ve never made strudel with phyllo dough before…it was light and lovely and the recipe is a definite keeper!
I already have a few more meals planned for our culinary journey down Route 66!
Tasty Tuesday–Dining Down the Mother Road (At Home)–Part Two
We had two Route 66 dinners and desserts from The Route 66 Cookbook in the last week!
For the second dinner of our Route 66 Summer I made the Super Burger from the Western View Diner & Steakhouse in Albuquerque, NM. What really set the burger apart is the green chile sauce served on top! Also, this was the first time I made the hamburger patties myself instead of just buying frozen ones, and I’m pretty sure my family is never going to let me go back!
And is there a more classic Route 66 dessert than a malt? The recipe for the most chocolatey malt ever (and I’ve made chocolate malts pretty often in the past!) was from the Fair Oaks Pharmacy in South Pasadena…so delicious!
Our third dinner featured Goulash from the Streetcar Station Coffee Shop in Galena, KS. And when I say goulash, I mean the American kind, made with chili seasonings and macaroni. It was tasty, but confusing because we’re used to Hungarian goulash!
For dessert we had a classic Egg Cream like they serve at the Monarch Pharmacy and Soda Fountain in Baxter Spring, KS. Again, confusing, because there is neither egg nor cream in this chocolate soda, but again, super tasty!
We’re looking forward to more culinary travels down Route 66!
47
Yesterday we celebrated my 47th birthday!
The day got off to a bit of a rocky start. The only real plan I had was visiting the Missouri Botanical Garden, but we had rain. We watched Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and some M*A*S*H while we waited to see if the weather would clear…and it did!
I even got to see the two flowers in the Daylily Garden that share my name (“Along Came Amanda” and “Amanda’s Little Red Shoes”) in full bloom!
We had meal vouchers left from Combo Breaker, so dinner was birthday burritos from Chipotle while we watched A League of Their Own:
And Bunny made me an awesome tiramisu for dessert:
The Fab Five completed my Lego Animal Crossing collection with the Creative Houses set, and I put it together while we watched some Doctor Who:
The celebration bled into today…the one thing we couldn’t do yesterday as a result of the weather was stop for donuts, because it was too late in the day by the time we got there. So after church, we went to the Donut Drive-In, which, as an added bonus, is a historic Route 66 location! I had the best apple fritter I’ve ever eaten!
And I stopped for my birthday coffee at Starbucks…I love how the employees go the extra mile to make your day a little more special!
A birthday wouldn’t be complete without Animal Crossing…Roald didn’t come to my party, but I did catch up with him later, and Chickadee paid my island a visit, too!
This is 47, and so far, it’s pretty great!
Tasty Tuesday–Dining Down the Mother Road (At Home)–Part One
We’re having a Route 66 summer! We kicked off the centennial celebration last week with a dinner from The Route 66 Cookbook, a volume that has recipes made famous at restaurants from one end of the Mother Road to the other. The main course was the “Route 66 Pup,” a hot dog with chili, onions, mustard blend, and homemade jalapeño spread, all topped with French fries, inspired by the menu at Tail o’ The Pup near the end of the route in California
For dessert I made the “Docs S’mores Sundae” inspired by the one served at Docs Just Off 66, a location a little closer to home in Girard, IL.
Stay tuned as we try more recipes from The Route 66 Cookbook!
Sartorial Saturday–A Romp in the Sun
Today I’m taking a look at a Miss Candyfloss piece that I didn’t expect to order…the Lalie-Violette romper!
This romper wasn’t pictured in the “Legendary Liz” lookbook, and was a surprise release. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it…I love the idea of a sunsuit for summer, the color palette is stunning, and there’s a coordinating overskirt, which is my favorite clothing combination at this time of year. But the largest size it was available in was a 3X, and I usually (but not always) purchase my pieces in 4X. After looking at the size chart, I decided to take a chance, realizing that it might not work out, but it actually fits perfectly!
I accessorized with hair flowers, an Erstwilder brooch, a Meteor Jewelry Co. necklace, a stack of Splendette Duchess Bangles, and wind…it gets pretty breezy on the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, which, as a part of the old Route 66, was the perfect place to photograph this mid-century marvelous look!
I love how easy a playsuit is to wear!
This is the perfect outfit for a warm summer day!
And here’s a look at the previously-mentioned coordinating Krila-Wisteria overskirt…I love the way it looks with the romper, but I’m also looking forward to pairing it with tops from my wardrobe!
I love a surprise Miss Candyfloss release, especially when it works out so well!
Old Chain of Rocks Bridge
On Wednesday, we took a walk across the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge that connects Madison, IL with St. Louis, MO over the Mississippi River.
The bridge was built in 1929 and was part of old Route 66. It was open to vehicular traffic for about 40 years, and in 1999 became a pedestrian bridge. At about a mile long, it looks like it goes on forever! I guess you don’t usually think about how long bridges are when you’re zipping across them in a car!
But if you look closely, you’ll notice the most remarkable feature of the bridge…a 30-degree turn that was added to the design to make the waters below easier for boats to navigate.
It’s a truly impressive bend…I can’t really imagine actually driving across it!
One of the reasons the waters of the Mississippi are tough to navigate at this point, besides the eponymous “chain of rocks” under the water, are the two “castles” (originally water intake towers) adjacent to the bridge.
There are a few references to Route 66 along the way:
It is an outstanding example of engineering!
There are gates at each end of the bridge that are presumably closed from sunset to sunrise:
We walked from one state to another…and back!
This was our first Route 66-themed field trip for this year’s summer school…I have a few more planned that I’m also really excited about!
Chickadee Thursday
One last look at our trip to Chicagoland…this time, at the Umbrella Sky Project in Elmhurst.
And a first glimpse at this year’s Route 66 Centennial-themed summer school, with a field trip to the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge:
2025-26 School Year–Week Thirty-One
The penultimate week of the 2025-26 school year has come to an end!
We are really wrapping things up at this point. Chickadee continued her massive algebra review. We read about Tiananmen Square, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the first Persian Gulf War in history. In writing, she analyzed and summarized a short story by Hemingway. We read about the atmosphere, especially atmospheric pressure and energy in the atmosphere, in science. We continued reading The Phantom Tollbooth. The final recipe we’ll make from the American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook this year (I have something special planned for next week) was Cheese & Chive Crackers inspired by Courtney.
And today we went on a field trip I’ve been looking forward to for weeks, and one that bridges the 2025-26 school year with our 2026 summer school focused on the 100th anniversary of the Mother Road. In place of their regularly-scheduled History Exploration Day this month, the Missouri History Museum is holding a Route 66 Centennial Festival all weekend, and we were able to hear a talk by Author Cheryl Eichar Jett about the women who worked behind-the-scenes along Route 66, see some classic cars and neon signs, plan a retro trip, and make our own version of neon using pastel chalks (a craft I may revisit at home!). And while we were there, we finally got to ride the much-maligned but still fun Loop Trolley from end to end!
One week to go, and then it’s on to high school!