Starting the day off with Frozen Custard!

I showed up at Ted Drewes right at 11 AM when they opened, and there were already 4 or 5 other people there! Amazing on a weekday morning, and it was only 75 degrees! I ordered a "Terramizzou", which is a sundae with vanilla custard, pistachio nuts and hot fudge sauce. YUM!!! The custard is really amazing. I was reading about it last night, about how much butterfat and egg yolk it must contain, and most importantly about the amount of air, or overrun. Ice cream has 100% overrun, which causes ice crystals to form, but custard can have no more that 20%, so it is very creamy and smooth, with no "hard edges". It really was delicious. Thanks, RJ!

So, after that yummy breakfast, I started out towards Baxter Springs, Kansas. I stuck to the Interstate today until Joplin, then switched to Route 66. I wound through the country outside of Joplin, then into Kansas, and into Galena. I found 4 Women on the Route, and went in. Melba was there, one of the 4, and she was incredible! She talks a mile a minute, and assumes you know all about both CARS movies. She took out a Route 66 Oklahoma booklet, circled things on the map, signed the back and handed it to me. Then she launches into a tale about the day "they" came to film her for the special that will be added to the CARS 2 DVD, and how they filmed for 2 hours, and were so impressed by her attitude, etc, etc, etc! All this in about 2 minutes! What a hoot. The place is small, with some souvenirs (she said there are a lot more at the beginning of the "season"), and an old fashioned diner with red Formica counter tops and black, twirling seat stools that are fixed to the floor. Black and white check floor completes that room - awesome! Outside is the truck that inspired Tow-Mater, and now they have added an old firetruck, supposedly Red's inspiration. Pretty cool, all in all. I'd love to see it at the beginning of the "season" and not at 4:45 in the afternoon, and see if it is busy. There was nobody else there when I stopped in.

4 Women on the Route used to be a Kan-O-Tex gas station

The original Tow-Mater

After that stop, I went on to Riverton, and found Eisler Bros. Grocery and store. What a let down. It was built up so highly in the books I read, but it is a dreary little store, with a room off to the side that has some t-shirts and coffee mugs, and a floor that feels like it will cave in at every step. The angle of the sun was wrong to take any pictures, so I will run back in the morning when I leave to take a few.

Then back on the Route, towards Baxter Springs. I went over the rainbow bridge again, and drove on into town. I have a suite this time at The Little Brick Inn - woohoo! My sitting room...

My bedroom...

It'll work! So that's it for tonight. Tomorrow it is off through Oklahoma, stopping at Erick tomorrow night. Nothing really exciting planned for tomorrow...we'll see what happens.