So after a peaceful nights stay with Butch and Fonda, it was another 4 or 5 hour drive south west out of Indiana and into Illinois where we spent a noisy night behind a Cracker Barrel just east of St. Louis, MO.
I write this as Kathy is up and in the shower, (I have of course been up for over 90 minutes!).
We said last night that she’d not bother preparing the coffee as the restaurant opens at 7am and I would just walk over and buy a couple large ones in the morning.
I forgot about the time change though .. when my body said it was 6:30 and time to get up, it was really only .. you guessed it – 5:30 and Cracker Barrel doesn’t open until 7am!
So now it’s 8 o’clock my time, the restaurant just opened, I can smell the bacon wafting out the kitchen ventilation system, and I’M HUNGRY!!
Just heard the shower door close, so we’re getting closer.
There’s a Super 8 next door and so our nights rest was often interrupted by truckers and others pulling in for their nights rest.
But we had the windows cracked and the ceiling exhaust fan on bringing in the cool night air through the windows, and we were tired enough that eventually we fell asleep.
Weve finished our breakfast and now to move on.

Now we’re moving on to Springfield, MO where we’ll visit the huge BASS PRO SHOPS Museum. More to come on that later
Thanks for continuing to blog on your way down to NM. It’s fun taking the journey with you. Can’t wait to hear your stories about the Balloon Fest. Stay safe!!
Thanks for coming along on the ride!