Down the Mississippi

Today started with a trip to Oreily's Auto Parts for some oil, spanners, leads, Armour Guard etc. The car must have been in a shed for awhile and had a fine dust all through it. After awhile it felt dirty so I gave it a quick detail and liberally sprayed WD40 on anything that was made of metal and moved. I think the engine really needed a good run as it is going really well now. I am more confident driving. it's not so much when I am on the road I was hesitant but coming up to intersections because they have some really weird rules. My mantra is "your right if your on the right". The four way stop and the flashing four way stop sign and the logic of their placements are a complete mystery.

I got pulled over again today. This may be the start of a regular experience :( This was back in Illinois after driving through Beardstown ... not every one had a beard. He seemed agitated and said "I have been driving this beat for 30 years and I know what an Iowa state Temporary transit permit looks like."
Me: "I got it frum the Butler County Treasury office in Allison, Iowa".
Him: "So not from the DTO - That thing looks like it was printed on a printer yesterday!"
Me: "It was..."
Anyway he was in his car for a full 5 minutes and came back and said "well it all checks out just fine". And then we talked for another minute and I drove off. He was quite nice in the end. To his credit it is just a piece of white letter sized paper with some numbers and letters printed on it in landscape mode taped to the back window.

I had my first experience with a huge interstate interchange crossing the Mississippi into St Louis right next to the big arch. It looked like a packet of half cooked spaghetti sticks thrown on a table. I basically had to do the equivalent of trying too park next to the Sydney Opera house coming from north Sydney in peak hour. I made it but there was no where to park. Some guy was writing tickets in a frenzy so I didn't hang around for too long. St Louis near the river looks like the set for a post apocalypse first person shooter game. Throw in some Zombies and it would make a good back drop for a living dead movie - well just add a little more makeup to those that are already there and change their gait and your good to go.

At least 20 times today someone has made a comment on the vehicle whether it be at the lights, doing 70 miles an hour down the interstate or at the Gas station. All positive. The last was just before I got to the hotel at 10:30. I must have cut someone off, well I didn't believe I did but they thought I did and that's the important bit. They high beamed, me stayed on my arse for 3 blocks and 3 different streets. I looked behind and it was a car full of black guys with caps all at different angels. After awhile hey pulled up alongside and made the universal window down mime. The question I heard above the duff duff was "Is that a 67 or a 68?" I said "67 - first in the series" the driver said to someone in the back "I told you fool!" and dumped it and drove off.

Tonight I am staying at the Super 8 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.