Racing along (St Louis - Springfield, Mo)

Leaving St Louis I had one last local stop to make. The Laumeier Sculpture Park was on the way out of town and, being a lover of sculpture was an obvious stop on the way. It was certainly worth a visit, however brief, as there were many interesting sculptures dotted around an area of parkland.

Back in the car I found a use for the satellite radio, as it was the only place to get coverage of the F1 Grand Prix in Canada. And not just coverage - BBC Radio 5 live coverage! This meant that, when 5 Live moved away from the Grand Prix during the red flag period you ended up getting coverage of the latest managerial moves at Nottingham Forest and England's Under 21 game! At the end of the scheduled coverage they had their "Chequered Flag" programme (despite the fact the race was nowhere near the end) which included some interesting updates on the US Grand Prix that will happen next year. When racing resumed they returned to the 5 Live coverage. The length of the delay in the middle meant that the coverage kept me entertained for the whole journey, and I was even able to get into my hotel room and log on in time to see the final lap and Jenson Button's stunning victory!

On the drive itself, the countryside moved from the flat Illinois farmland to a more undulating drive through Missouri. I don't know whether it was genuine or just my following of signs (or signs not being there) but I also spent a greater proportion of the journey on the Interstate than the first long trip. Still saw some Route 66 sites, though, such as the giant rocking chair below.