We left Memphis this morning and crossed into Arkansas.  Rather than stay on the interstate we decided to drive parts of US 61, known as the Great River Road or the Blues Highway.  This is the old road, and goes through the small towns along the way.  You get to see how the residents live and some interesting roadside attractions.  Passing from Arkansas to Missouri there is a cement arch that delineates the state line.  At Cape Girardeau Mo. we crossed the Mississippi again into Illinois to follow the Great River Road, Rt. 3.  This passes through agricultural bottom land in the Mississippi flood plain with the Shawnee National Forest on the other side.  We crossed several levees, one with a flood gate, and passed in and out of protected areas.  As we got near Chester, Ill. there was a detour sign which we followed and shortly caught up to a cultivator going about 10 mph.  We found a place to turn around and decided to try Rt. 3.  It wasn’t closed, just a detour sign.  We found out the road had been closed because the Mississippi had flooded it in several places. Fortunately the water had receded enough for us to pass.  We crossed back to Missouri at Chester (the home of Popeye.  Don’t know why.  We didn’t stop.) so we could get to Ste. Genevieve to take a picture of the sign.  How often is a town named after a grandchild?  After several narrow alphabet roads (they name their highways with letters – road D, for example) we got back on I 55 to St. Louis.  We’re camped downtown about a mile from the Arch.  The campground is a parking lot, but it has hookups and a pool and is convenient to what we want to see.  We drove to the arch and the flooding Mississippi. 

 The little arch, Rt 61, on the Arkansas - Missouri border

 Crossing the Mississippi at Cape Girardeau

 The Arch from downtown St. Louis with the Old Courthouse dome

Flooded Mississippi at the Gateway Arch