I resolve to start a different trip and leave Times Beach and its shadows behind. St Louis seems the logical place to start. Mention this city, and a few key images come to mind: the Cardinals, St. Louis as the geographical and population hub of the U.S., at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, and the magnificent Arch, 630 feet in the air, a gravity-defying reminder of St. Louis’s role as the Gateway to the West.

We are having trouble navigating St. Louis, famous for having the trickiest stretch of 66 to drive. "The Auto Club set the route," says Skip Curtis, author of The Missouri Route 66 Tourbook. "Every time they moved, they shifted the route to bring in business." Route 66 bisects the city, but bypasses and even an alternate Route 66 exist. Each left a deep groove slicing East to West: Manchester Road, Watson Road, and portions of today’s ring road, I-270.