Day 2

We left Bloomington a bit bleary-eyed this morning after having our sleep interrupted during the night by some knuckleheads having a party in the parking lot outside our hotel, but we made the best of things and had a great day of driving and exploring.  We drove through numerous small towns, some with lots of roadside attractions, others that really didn't try very hard to attract the "66" crowd.
Atlanta was one that was particularly memorable, as it had a giant Paul Bunyan statue, a small 66 park, several souvenir stores (although they were closed on this Sunday morning), and a couple of museums (also closed).  But the effort is definitely there and their clock tower was pretty cool too.  I just wish I had been able to see the workings better, as the sun was hitting the glass at a difficult angle.
Springfield was a great stop too.  We stopped and saw President Lincoln's tomb and also the home he lived in before becoming President.  The entire neighborhood had been preserved and is a National Park Service site.  It was pretty cool, as all the homes had a small sign in front detailing who lived there and a bit about them.  It was represented as a very diverse neighborhood, both economically and socially.  Widows, immigrants, laborers, freed slaves, and business owners were all represented and some of the signage suggested that this had influenced him personally before he entered politics.  I found it very interesting.  Even Buddy the traveling wonderdog got in on the act...evidently there is an Instagram site called Fido and friends (Fido was Lincoln's dog), and the rangers take pictures of the dogs that visit there and post them!  Who knows?  Buddy might even get a social media following!
We finished out the drive today getting through St. Louis so we don't have rush hour traffic to deal with in the morning.  Saw the Arch as we entered the show me state, but didn't take the time to stop for photos or other touristy stuff.  We're at a great hotel tonight, and hoping to get a good sleep to make up for last night.  Good night!