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2 July, Another day, another Dollar (location). To St Louis
You know you've been somewhere too long when even the panhandlers start high-fiving with you…
To fit with the locals, I'd bought a hat in Nashville, which I wore in Memphis. The night porter at the hotel may have been taking the pee, but I think he was genuine about wanting my hat. I didn't tell him that Walmart had a stack of them for $10. The shop over the road in the Peabody centre had similar hats for $90.
The car was showing a warning light so, with no manual to look in, I headed to the airport as they are the easiest Dollar rental depots to find. This was about 15 miles off my route. I was planning on being Mr Angry and insisting that they exchange the car for an upgrade (a Chrysler 300C or SUV). The lady took one look and said it's the tyre pressure, and had the guy pump them all up. Rather took the wind out of my sails…
Once I reached the Interstate, TomTom was showing my next turn was in 276 miles. That's fairly unusual! And for the first 66 miles the road was straight as a die, then there was a gentle bend. And, blow me down, I'd just got over the shock when there was another one about 7 miles on!! It made me think of the story that Winnebago had to include an instruction in the manual to drivers to remain at the wheel while the vehicle was in motion, as supposedly one old guy set the cruise control on then went out back to make a coffee, resulting in the inevitable - the long straight roads do give rise to a sense of boredom!!
Junctions are numbered, but not by sequence - it is based on their mileage from the start of the road. So after 20 the next one might be 31. There are no motorway services as we know them in the UK. Each junction has lodging, food and fuel outlets clustered around, and signs on the highway tell you which franchises/brands are there. You are obliged by law to change lanes or slow when there is an emergency vehicle on the hard shoulder.
Seat belts only became compulsory in Arkansas on 30 June, and judging by roadside signage and radio ads ("Click It or Ticket") they are only recently compulsory elsewhere. Seems odd, when bikers can still ride without lids in many states - and as for leathers or other protective clothing - nowhere to be seen!
I passed Lamberts, "The Only Home of Throwed Rolls". Having just googled to see what they are, when you are eating and want a roll, you raise a hand and the waiter throws a roll at you - can be halfway across the restaurant or more. They also served 48409 lbs of Mississippi pond raised catfish. I say again - God Bless America…
While talking food, tipping is expected here, even when buying a drink at the bar. Locals told me that a dollar on a four dollar drink was about right, and 15% minimum on a meal, if you service was satisfactory (not fast food outlets though). I'd heard before that bar and restaurant staff are paid very poorly and depend on tips to make it up. And of course where there is live music, the band have a pot which they bring round from time to time. I never resent putting something in if I've had good entertainment for a while.
St Louis looks reasonably prosperous. It's has over 40 Fortune 1000 corporate headquarters. and includes the Budweiser brewery (sold recently by Anheuser Busch to InBev of Belgium), Playtex, a Boeing subsidiary and (for now, at least!!) Chrysler and General Motors factories. It is certainly cooler here, down at about 85 at 5 pm, with more cloud, and less humid than further South.
I saw a good blues band called the Ragged Edge here, and spoke to some musicians who were in the audience, one of whom said the Ragged Edge lead guitarist had played with some top blues artists. St Louis (pronounced lewis, not looey) is better known for jazz than blues, but BBs certainly had the blues last night…
Questions I've been asked the most: Am I from Australia? When I say I'm from "near London", "Oh, Gatwick?" and "Is it true that you guys drink your beer warm?"
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