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HELEN'S JOURNAL |
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| Date: 14th April
| Time: 10:34pm | Place: St. Louis, Missouri | |||
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Despite some technical nightmares that have dogged the trip so far, today also had its share of glorious moments of contact with some of the folk on Route 66. In Stanton, Illinois, we stopped at the old Route 66 Emporium where we met Rich Henry - a veritable wealth of Route-o-belia. His emporium boasts a surplus of souveniers including Route Beer, 66 zippo lighters, and of course, the old Route 66 pennyinabottle... Rich also has a range of original memorabillia, carefully protected in a glass display case. He proudly pointed out an old black and white photo on the wall of himself as a small boy peering out of the window of a large truck on the old road. Also on the wall was an even older picture of a tall young man, 'That's my father-in-law. You'll probably meet him further down the road.' Sure enough, soon as we reached the next small town of Hamel, a sprightly old man in a baseball cap eagerly approached us. 'You folks doing the Route?' Pleased to meet you. I'm Wrinkle. I watched them pour the original cement.' Like father, like son-in-law, Wrinkle was glad to tell us anything we wanted to know. He warned us he was slightly deaf and I guess that's why he thought I was from Germany and at points in the conversation tried to make me feel more included by making references to Berlin. I'm looking out onto the Mississippi as I write this and watch as a long barge passes slowly under the bridge, down the river and into the night. |
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