← All Days Day 2 Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Athens, Horses & the Gateway City

πŸ“ Kentucky β†’ East St. Louis, MO

Up and on the road by 0700. 55 degrees, cloudy β€” but not raining!

Early morning on the highway β€” Day 2 underway


London Yesterday. Athens Today.

Heading for East St. Louis, Illinois. We had to go through Athens β€” London yesterday, Athens today. The signs said we were heading toward the Horse Capital of the World. And then there’s the Bourbon Trail…

Athens 7, Lexington 12 β€” heading through Kentucky
Highway interchange near Louisville and Lexington
Kentucky Horse Park and Kentucky Bourbon Trail signs

Everything was so green. The horses were in heaven with all that grass.

Rolling green Kentucky fields β€” Horse Capital of the World

This one is for Kathy β€” it was about this time of year when she and I drove across the country to deliver me to Dobson.


The Mississippi

When we got closer to East Saint Louis, we saw riverboats on the Mississippi River.

Steamboat on the Mississippi River
Crossing the Mississippi River bridge into East St. Louis

OUCH!! Filling up with diesel.

Love's truck stop β€” diesel prices are no joke


The Donkeys

While we were stopped, a couple of trailers were backed up and two donkeys (or mules) were being transferred from one to the other.

Two trailers in a parking lot β€” the donkey transfer in progress

The video IMG_4077.MOV captured the moment β€” I was trying to catch the whole transfer but ended up just getting the face of number one. Once the first one was loaded, the second jumped right in to be with its pal.

You just never know what you’ll see along the way. Keeps us alert with the fun things.

I took over driving here β€” Keith let me drive for two whole hours. He pretty much kept his head down looking at his iPad and phone. Think he was nervous? πŸ˜‰


Santa’s Vacation Home

I knew the North Pole was in Alaska, but Santa must have a vacation home in this area. And who are Ferdinand and Jasper? His brothers?

Santa Claus, Ferdinand, and Jasper β€” highway exit sign in Indiana


Flags on the Overpass

A perfect couple of pictures β€” someone put all those flags along the highway. πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ Thanks to all the veterans who have served and are serving.

American flags lining the highway embankment

Keith got pretty excited when this passed us.

A classic red Bronco on a flatbed β€” Keith's kind of find


Campsite: Gateway to the Arch

Arrived at our spot for the next two nights β€” Casino Queen RV Park in East St. Louis β€” and found ourselves parked next to another Airstream from Washington state! Look at our view. Heading to the Arch tomorrow for Gateway Arch National Park. (Kathy β€” remember when we stopped?)

Casino Queen RV Park with the Gateway Arch visible beyond the trees
Our Airstream parked at the campsite

Casino Dinner

Ended the day at the Casino β€” dinner and a drink.

Good news: they have very explicit instructions for washing your hands β€” the ones that touch all those machines.

Casino Queen hand washing instructions β€” very thorough

I was intrigued by a drink at the bar that kept changing colors. When I got my margarita, it had the same thing in it β€” changing colors the whole time. I almost tried to fish the little color-changing ball out of the bottom of the glass.

Val's color-changing margarita at Casino Queen
Keith at Casino Queen dinner with a Bud Ultra

Stay tuned for the Arch and a tour of Anheuser-Busch. 🍻

Love you all β€” Val