Crossing the Mississippi river and seeing the Gateway Arch of St. Louis tickled me.
I decided not to stop and see the Meramec Caverns—this despite the fact that I remember seeing signs beckoning everyone to visit for as long as I can remember.
I drove along a section of the Cherokee Trail of Tears from Rolla to Springfield—the infamous forced march by U.S. troops of Cherokee families in the mid-1800’s during which many died. Trail of tears, indeed.
By the time I arrived in Springfield, Missouri the temperature had raised from 3 degrees to 30 degrees. Definitely an improvement.
--Larry Spears [Sunday, Jan. 10, 2010]