Ian Rambles
We had some brief heavy showers which made driving interesting.

At Ted Drewes Frozen Custard we had to decode the extensive menu before ordering:
Cconcrete is hard ice cream, Sundae is soft.
Three different sizes - large, huge and "I can't eat all that".
Cryptic names - "Cardinal Sin" is Tart Cherries and Fudge for instance.
I stumbled through our order - then the girl at the window turned and rattled it off to the scoopers as a set of cryptic descriptions far too fast for me to catch.

Meramec caverns would have been more impressive if you had to work little for access - but the whole place has been dug out to provide full headroom and, mostly, level walking. We weren't allowed to appreciate the stunning natural formations - the lighting was all crude and coloured ( or colored!). The "theatre curtains" were forced to host a crude light show with our gude clacking away on a panel of switches while the sound system offered a low fi backing track - not retro bad like a hand wound gramophone, just crap quality.

Fiona's Journal
It was 340 miles from Springfield, Illinois to Springfield, Missouri. We did not stick scrupulously to Route 66 but sloped off onto the Interstate for long stretches, when the two were running side by side in clear sight of each other, just to make up some time.

We stopped off in St. Louis at “Ted Drew's Frozen Custard” and all ordered complex and interesting ice-cream concoctions. I have never thought of ice-cream as being frozen custard but, of course, that is exactly what it is really. I don't think it would have caught on and become such a world-wide phenomenon without the change of name though.

In the afternoon we stopped in Stanton, Missouri for a guided tour of the Meramec Caverns. They were truly impressive with one cavern, 340 feet below ground, just a forest of stalagmites and stalactites. In another cave there was a beautiful formation which looks exactly like stage curtains, complete with proscenium arch, and this cave is used as a small auditorium. We were “treated” to a recorded rendition of “God Bless America” sung by someone called Kate Smith (lovely voice) who had sung it in front of an invited audience in that cave in 1946.

For the record, we had the worst cup of coffee I have ever had in America (or anywhere probably) in the cafe at the Meramec caves but I got my revenge, entirely accidentally, by pressing the wrong button on the coffee machine causing it to dispense boiling water all over the counter top and the floor!

We reached our campsite quite late and I must have been more tired than I realised since I promptly reversed the Caddy into the “Welcome to KOA” sign. Neither the car nor the sign showed any sign of damage luckily but the boys are losing faith in my driving abilities! We have booked to stay two nights here, however, so tomorrow will be a day of rest and recuperation.

Arthur's Log:
Ted Drewes frozen custard!!!! mmmmm tasty! There's a little hatch and you say "2 scoops of chocolate ice cream one vanilla, squirty cream, chocolate sprinkles, sliced banana, cashew nuts with a cherry on top" .. and it will be wheeled out in a wheelbarrow five minutes later.

We went for a tour of some caverns. First we looked at some rocks, then some rocks, then some stalagmites and stalactites which were pointy and hurt my head. There was the biggest thingy in the whole of thingy and they sat us down and flashed some lights and played “God Bless America”.

The Harry Report
Frozen custard was very good. Meramec caverns were impressive.

George's Musings
I didn't like the thought of frozen custard - but it was just ice cream.