Metropolis!

Above, the Man of Steel in Metropolis, Illinois. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

There were conficting weather reports for the Springfield, Missouri area. Some said that thundershowers would come into the area at about 7:00 PM. Others said they would arrive at about midnight.  Still another said that there wouldn't be any rain until the next day.

I decided to go to bed at 10:00. I was staying at the Springfield/Route 66 KOA Kampground. It was a good thing that I did. I was awakened at 3:00 by a big thundershower. Since I set my alarm for 5:00 anyway, and the rain and thunder showed no signs of letting up, I got up and started packing things away.

Above, The Beast at the Springfield KOA before the rains. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One thing about roofs of RVs, one can hear every raindrop hitting them.

After unhooking the power cable and water line, I headed out. But then, the rains had already stopped.

After leaving the KOA, I went to the local Flying J Travel Center to fill the gas tank. I paid $1.83/gallon. I can't remember the last time that gasoline prices were this low in California.

Using the Trip Tik from the Auto Club, I navigated out of Springfield. I had to follow it closely as I had to meander my way through the city on surface streets to get to the U.S. highway.

After about an of hour of driving, I was starting to get hungry. Unfortunately, the highway did not have much in the way of restaurants available. It was a route that took me through the Missouri Ozarks.

About two hours after leaving Springfield and 100 miles away, I spotted a McDonald's and stopped there.

Another reason why I wanted to stop was to look through the Trip Tik further to see where I needed to change roads.

After eating breakfast, I headed back to The Beast with a large coffee in hand and drove out.

I made better time on the road once I got out of the hills of the Missouri Ozarks. The road became relatively straight and level, which helps with gas mileage. At about noon, I crossed the border (which was the Mississippi River) and was in Illinois.

I looked over the Trip Tik and it said to turn off in Mound, Illinois to catch the roads to Metropolis. After what seemed a longer drive than it should have been, I stopped in a small town (I think it was called Goreville) to re-check the Trip Tik. For this part of the route, it wasn't detailed and didn't even list the towns. So, I stopped in a local market to buy a few things and to get directions.

A pretty store clerk was very helpful (she reminded me of the girl in the AT & T cell phone commercials) and checked on her phone on the best way to get to Metropolis from there and she wrote it down for me.

Above, The Beast reaches the Superman statue in Metropolis. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I followed the instructions that she wrote down and was in Metropolis within a half hour. It turns out that I missed my turn and went too far north. After entering Metropolis, I found the entrance to the Fort Massac State Park, where I would be staying for three nights in their campground just off the Ohio River. I went into downtown Metropolis and found the giant Superman statue and, nearby, the Super Museum.

After taking some pictures of both, I headed back to Fort Massac to check in. It is a beautiful park and campground. It was 1:30 when I checked in. The campsites only had electric service, no water or sewer. But the campground has a dump station and water faucets for campers in RVs to fill their water tanks. This I did. Still, the campsite I chose was spacious with a table, electric outlet and a fire ring. Not bad for $20.00/night!

I decided to spend the rest of the day napping, since I only had five hours of sleep. I would visit the Super Museum (run by Jim Hambrick) the next day. Most everyone else would be arriving the next day anyway for Saturday's celebration of life memorial for Noel Neill.

Since there's no Wi-Fi at the state park, this post was delayed until I had Internet access available. My cell phone was also useless.

Above, yours truly in appropriate attire in Metropolis.

As I was writing this, light rain began to fall. That will do wonders (I hope) for my allergies.

I will most likely turn in early. Since I am in Metropolis, the "Home of Superman", I figured I'd better dress appropriately with my George Reeves black & white style Superman shirt.