Woody Cavenaugh

8/29/06 later that day...

As predicted, we opted to stop at Granite City on "Chain of Rocks" road. How awsome a name is that for anything? We got our spot, did our laundry and planned our Old Spegetti Factory meal. The weather is overcast with light showers. Very pleasant really, I call it coffee drinking weather. Little did I know that a coffee drinking afternoon would turn into a hard drinking night...

The route into St. Louis is ugly in the direction we were sent. The road we were on was worn hard by the hundred years of semi trucks and a hundred years of freight. We realized soon enough that it can always be worse. The streets of Old St. Louis are cobble stones, and stop lights are a new fangled contraption that these folks want no part of. They don't seem to be all that interested in strait roads and simple intersections either.

But we finally made the restaurant, had a good meal, and got back to the car. The problem we had in the car was that there was no way to get back the way we came, so we had to improvise. Sally was driving, Sara was navigating, and I prayed we would see the sunrise again. Prostitues were yelling at us, suspiciously burned down strip clubs were surrounded by newer flasher strip clubs. East St. Louis is a third world country and we had UN logo's all over us.

Kitty Scared!

But through it all, they managed to get us back to the RV park with a minimum of traded gunfire. (I only had to reload twice).

As of this moment I have little urge to see St. Louis again anytime soon. At least without armor, and heavy weapons. I swear I think I saw an overturned UN truck burning a block from where we were.

Even the GPS after a quick warning of "I wouldn't do that if I were you", quickly was replaced by the message, "you're on your own." I guess there are some places even satellites fear to tread.

But by the fact that you are reading this, it is evidence that I at least survived this far.

We are now back at the RV, alive, safe, and about to drink heavily.