Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Clinton, Tennessee to Springfield, Missouri
Highlights: Leaving town and the World's Largest Fork
The goal for today was to get the hell out of Dodge (in this case, Clinton) and drive as far west as possible, so that tomorrow the fun can immediately begin. So we lined up sitters for the pets, loaded the Buick with two weeks' worth of groceries since the reopening status of restaurants is unknown, and hit the road.
We blasted through Nashville, Clarksville, Paducah, and then Cairo, Illinois, where we crossed over the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and were officially West. At that point we breathed a sigh of relief and started enjoying ourselves, following Highway 62 across southern Missouri through appealing green hills, because what's the point of a road trip if you just take the monotonous interstates?
We arrived in Springfield, MO, an hour before sunset, with just enough time to see the World's Largest Fork, 35 feet tall, weighing 11 tons, and for some reason hidden behind an office park. Magnificent!
Fork selfie!
World's Largest Fork, Springfield, Missouri
Lodging: Holiday Inns & Suites in Springfield, the reservation made on Tom's phone via Priceline from the parking lot by the fork. We got a lot of great last-minute deals on this trip due to the low hotel occupancy during the pandemic, including this $55 stay. We wiped down all surfaces with bleach before settling in, just in case, then dined on ramen in our room.
Driving distance: 622 miles
Tom
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