Day 11 Missouri

Today’s journey began in Lebanon, Missouri, before continuing on to Springfield. Springfield’s claim to fame along Route 66 is the statement, “The story of the Mother Road begins in Springfield.” It was here that a telegram was sent to Washington, D.C., stating that they would accept—or even prefer—Route 66 rather than Route 62, which was the original number assigned to the road. From Springfield, I continued on to Carthage, Missouri, where I visited the Boots Court Motel and Visitor Center. The next stop was Joplin, where I had hoped to tour the Old Theater, but unfortunately, it was closed. I did, however, get to see some impressive murals throughout the downtown area. Galena was the next town along the route. It has a charming little downtown area, with Main Street following the original Route 66 alignment. From there, I crossed into Kansas. There are only 13 miles of Route 66 in the entire state, so it wasn’t long before I was on my way into Oklahoma! Another memorable day on the Mother Road, with plenty of history, small-town charm, and a few unexpected detours along the way.