Kickin' It On Route 66 ~ Chapter 2 - 2
Posted in two parts ~ just a tad long for one. Link for part two at the bottom.
Title: Kickin’ It On Route 66
State: Missouri ~ Chapter 2-2
Rating: PG
Pairing: adam/kris, OMCs
Summary: The Allen-Lamberts take a road trip along Historic Route 66
Disclaimer: I don’t own Adam or Kris. This story is fiction. Other major characters are fictional; the places they visit in this story are real.
Dedicated to adamluvr36_fic ~ just because ♥
Warning: Yumminess ahead. Link of recipe for featured treat included ~ can’t wait to make it myself! And if you’re an ice cream junkie … beware muahahaha
Time for a Allen-Lambert universe mini series. Hannah is 12 years old, Josh is 7 years old. Mrs. Willowby comes along too! Get ready for Americana and nostalgia. Welcome to Missouri!
Each update will be posted on Thursday.
Overview map of The Mother Road ~ http://www.historic66.com/description/map.html
Retrace the trip ~ http://cunningdeb.livejournal.com/45756.html#cutid1
Masterlist of Allen-Lambert universe ~ http://cunningdeb.livejournal.com/21722.html#cutid1
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
ROAD TRIP DAY 10:
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI DAY 2
As Kris predicted, Hannah was fine in the morning, the only rumbles coming from her stomach were hunger pains. They went downstairs to the Marquee Café for breakfast then headed out for their day along the riverfront.
The first stop was the RV park to pick up the box of Illinois souvenirs they were mailing home. The concierge was going to arrange for a courier to ship it LA in the morning. The second stop was a surprise to everyone but Kris. He parked in front of a pharmacy, leaving the engine running for the a/c, and returned two minutes later with a familiar white bag.
“More aloe?” Adam asked.
“No … Gravol … just in case.”
The Gateway Arch, which they saw when they crossed the bridge, was the most prominent attraction on the riverfront but it wasn’t the only one. It is, in fact, the centerpiece of a district referred to as the Core of Discovery. Family fun was one of its promises and the Allen-Lambert’s planned to take full advantage of it. Not only were they going to the Arch, but they were taking a riverboat cruise, visiting the museum at the base of the Arch, checking out the Old Courthouse then finishing the excursion with the whimsical CityGarden.
A little shopping fit in there too.
Not once as they drove towards the Arch could they see the structure as a whole. It was absolutely massive, taller than the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. Kris parked and the family strolled along the water towards the riverboat dock.
“Shouldn’t the water be blue?” Hannah asked, watching ducks cruise on the brown swells.
“I think the water stirs up the mud and that makes it brown,” Kris guessed, trying to remember his Grade School geography.
“It looks like the chocolate river in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” Joshie commented.
“Sure does but probably doesn’t taste as good,” Adam replied, impressed at his son’s literary knowledge.
It was a beautiful day, cooling water on one side and an expanse of lawns and trees on the other. The riverboat dock was charming, a taste of the old South and bygone days. Two boats, covered in gingerbread woodwork and patriotic bunting on the railings, were tied to the floating dock, replicas of the steamships that had once plied the river. In honor of Mark Twain, who set most of his works in Missouri and on the Mississippi River, they were named ‘the Tom Sawyer’ and ‘the Becky Thatcher’ after two of his most beloved creations.
The family climbed up to the top deck for an unobstructed view and took their seats. The cruise was an hour long and the captain narrated the ride, sharing information about the history of the St. Louis Riverfront, the Mississippi River, the Gateway Arch and all the other sites along the way.
Thankfully, the Gravol stayed snug in its sealed packaging, not needed by anyone. They stopped at the café on the dock for a light lunch before making their way over the grass to the huge silver monument.
The Gateway Arch was opened to the public in 1967, the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, created to celebrate the westward expansion of the United States. At 630 feet, it’s the tallest man-made monument in the country and the sheer scale was overwhelming. The Museum of Westward Expansion was tucked in at its base and contained hundreds of exhibits relating to the 19th century endeavor.
The family walked up the lawn from the river and stopped beneath the graceful curve. Hannah took charge of the video camera and looked up … way up … capturing the sweeping building from one end to the other. At each leg was a set of stairs leading to the subterranean visitor’s centre.
Before they continued, Kris stepped back, shading his eyes, looking for something.
“Joshie … Hannah … come see.”
The kids, and Adam and Mrs. Willowby too, rushed over. Kris pointed to the top.
“See those tiny black spots?” They nodded. “Those are windows. There are sixteen on this side and sixteen on the other side and you can see for miles. We’ll be up there very soon.” He straightened his head, rubbing the ache that was starting in his neck.
Inside they perused the Lewis & Clark Photomural Exhibit about their journey from 1804 to 1806 but the kids were really interested in seeing the movie about the Great Journey West, especially on a four storey screen where the explorers came to life.
When the movie ended, they headed up to the Observation Deck. The elevators, or pods, were in the North leg and the South leg of the memorial. Each had its own exhibit to look at while waiting so they’d go up one side and come down the other.
Getting their tickets, they lined up in the North Tram load zone and looked over the “Fitting the Final Piece” exhibit that told the story of the last section of the Arch being set in place on October 28, 1965. There was a movie available as well about the creation of the Arch but the kids were getting anxious to see it rather than hear about it.
Each loading zone was on staggered steps and they gradually made it down to elevator #4. The entire memorial was designed with a 1960s imagining of the future. While it still had a futuristic feel today, it was also pretty reminiscent of a cult TV classic.
The doors opened, the returning passengers came out and the Allen-Lamberts went in. Each egg shaped pod held five passengers so it was perfect for them.
“This is so cool,” Adam exclaimed, ducking his head as he stepped inside and took a seat. “It’s like a Space Odyssey capsule or something.”
The door stayed open until all the pods were full and then closed. Banjo music played over the PA system as the elevator started its ascent but soon switched over to narration on how the innovative lift system came to be. There were four small windows in the door and the skeleton of the Arch could be seen passing by.
“It’s a tad warm in here isn’t it?” Mrs. Willowby asked, fanning herself in the close quarters.
“Guess they can’t air condition these capsules but its only four minutes to the top,” Kris assured her.
In no time, the ride stopped and the doors opened to the observation deck.
“I swear we’re on the Starship Enterprise,” Adam commented as they walked up the gentle curve, framed by those windows they saw as specks from down below.
“Papa, can I take the video camera?” Hannah asked.
Adam looked out the windows and felt a little vertigo so handing over the videography duties to his daughter was a good idea, especially when the best view was had by lying down on the curves.
First, they looked eastward towards Illinois. The Mississippi was a brown ribbon stretched out beneath them, crossed by four bridges. The white dock and riverboats stood out against the muddy water and with the sun behind them, the Arch’s shadow stretched out over the water, nearly touching land on the other side.
Then they switched to the western side and the aerial view of St. Louis. Adam swallowed his unease and pointed out a few features of interest.
“Right below us … the white building with the dome … that’s the Old Courthouse we’ll be going to and just beyond, that patch of green is CityGarden. Over there on the left is Busch Stadium’s field and stands.”
“Can we see our hotel from here?” Joshie asked.
“I don’t see why not,” Kris answered, pointing straight ahead. “It’s that way. Look for a tall white building by a big green park.”
Joshie looked and looked and looked, eventually declaring he could see it. He even said he could see their room. Why not? If they could see the Arch from their hotel rooms why couldn’t they see their hotel rooms from the Arch?
They could have stayed up there as long as they liked but despite the air conditioning it was getting muggy so once the kids were satisfied they went back down via the South Tram. This time the ride only took three minutes. At the bottom, they looked over the “When Riverboats Ruled” exhibit, experiencing a day in the life of the St. Louis riverfront, busy with steamboats and commerce.
Speaking of commerce, it was time to contribute to the local economy. There were two stores in the complex and they visited both.
First, they went to the Gateway Arch Museum Store. The kids got some pencils and postcards of course. One unique item was a piece of actual cabling used to pull the trams. Mrs. Willowby didn’t see anything of interest so she went ahead to the other store, leaving the kids with their parents. In the end, Adam & Kris bought three books: one about the Arch, ‘St. Louis Then and Now’, and ‘Lewis & Clark for Kids’.
By the time they reached Levee’s Mercantile, their nanny was already checking out with a basket load of items. An animatronic figure drew the kids’ attention and Adam took them over while Kris waited to help her with the bags. Back together, they took a breather on a bench and she told them what she had in her bags of treasure.
“I couldn’t help myself,” she beamed, “I was like a child at Christmas. There was so much more I could have gotten but I controlled myself.”
So far, she’d purchased little for herself at their earlier stops so if she wanted to go crazy, why not.
“What did you get? Anything for me?” Joshie asked.
“Joshua!”
“It’s alright Mr. Allen. I did pick up some candies I thought the children might like to try ~ huckleberry candy drops and horehound candy drops.”
“Horehound?!” everyone exclaimed.
“The sales clerk told me it’s a medicinal herb that has a minty flavor. It soothes sore throats apparently.”
“Anything else to eat?”
“Yes Joshua. I got a jar of Strawberry Rhubarb preserves. Thought it would be nice with biscuits when we get back on the road.”
“I haven’t tasted rhubarb in a long time,” Kris sighed. “Can’t wait.”
“You bought a lot of books,” Hannah observed.
Mrs. Willowby took out the bundle of books and fanned through them.
“You all know cooking and baking are two of my favorite things to do. The store had a large selection of cookbooks featuring recipes from the 1870s and earlier. I could have bought them! I love these types of cookbooks ~ a bit of history with the goodies.”
“What did you get?”
“Well Miss Hannah, we have old fashioned recipes for cookies, Christmas, pies and muffins. Here are some old pioneer recipes and a book all about tea ~ couldn’t pass on that one. I also bought a Pie Birdie, I’ve always wanted one.”
“You’re going to cook a bird into a pie?”
“No Joshua.” She opened the packaging and took out the small ceramic bird, its head straight up and its mouth open, the inside hollow. “You insert this in the middle of a fruit or meat pie so when it bakes, the steam escapes through the birdie and it doesn’t boil over and make a mess in the stove which naughty little children have to scrub.”
“Good idea,” Hannah replied quickly.
“I think so too,” Joshie added, not making eye contact.
They’d never been told to clean the stove when they were bad and didn’t want to show interest in starting now.
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
Built in 1862, the Old Courthouse was now a tourist attraction offering restored courtrooms, a magnificent painted dome, dioramas, historical exhibits about St. Louis, a movie on the journey west and, of course, a gift shop.
Like many government buildings in the 19th century, the courthouse was designed like a Grecian temple with pillars and the dome inspired by the Vatican. It was a relatively small building compared to the larger modern ones around it but that’s what made it stand out so much. It was mostly white with robin’s egg blue on the dome. Intricate iron fences surrounded the building and the kids discovered turtles worked into the design. Apparently a turtle had once lived at the courthouse and for some reason was immortalized in the fence.
Inside a circular foyer rested beneath a masterpiece.
“Woah.”
“Wow.”
“It’s like a kaleidoscope.”
“Or a water painting.”
“Stunning.”
The painted interior dome was a pastel palette of blue, green, yellow, rose, purple, and cream. There were paintings in some recesses but they couldn’t make out what they were from the ground. Tearing themselves away, they checked out the other exhibits and the shop. Many items were repeats of merchandise they found in the Gateway Arch stores. There was, however, one item that popped out ~ a 10 piece set of scrapbook embellishments featuring the Arch and the Courthouse. They couldn’t pass that up.
Back outside, Hannah asked, “What's next?”
“Art appreciation.”
Part Two ~ http://cunningdeb.livejournal.com/56960.html
Title: Kickin’ It On Route 66
State: Missouri ~ Chapter 2-2
Rating: PG
Pairing: adam/kris, OMCs
Summary: The Allen-Lamberts take a road trip along Historic Route 66
Disclaimer: I don’t own Adam or Kris. This story is fiction. Other major characters are fictional; the places they visit in this story are real.
Dedicated to adamluvr36_fic ~ just because ♥
Warning: Yumminess ahead. Link of recipe for featured treat included ~ can’t wait to make it myself! And if you’re an ice cream junkie … beware muahahaha
Time for a Allen-Lambert universe mini series. Hannah is 12 years old, Josh is 7 years old. Mrs. Willowby comes along too! Get ready for Americana and nostalgia. Welcome to Missouri!
Each update will be posted on Thursday.
Overview map of The Mother Road ~ http://www.historic66.com/description/map.html
Retrace the trip ~ http://cunningdeb.livejournal.com/45756.html#cutid1
Masterlist of Allen-Lambert universe ~ http://cunningdeb.livejournal.com/21722.html#cutid1
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
ROAD TRIP DAY 10:
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI DAY 2
As Kris predicted, Hannah was fine in the morning, the only rumbles coming from her stomach were hunger pains. They went downstairs to the Marquee Café for breakfast then headed out for their day along the riverfront.
The first stop was the RV park to pick up the box of Illinois souvenirs they were mailing home. The concierge was going to arrange for a courier to ship it LA in the morning. The second stop was a surprise to everyone but Kris. He parked in front of a pharmacy, leaving the engine running for the a/c, and returned two minutes later with a familiar white bag.
“More aloe?” Adam asked.
“No … Gravol … just in case.”
The Gateway Arch, which they saw when they crossed the bridge, was the most prominent attraction on the riverfront but it wasn’t the only one. It is, in fact, the centerpiece of a district referred to as the Core of Discovery. Family fun was one of its promises and the Allen-Lambert’s planned to take full advantage of it. Not only were they going to the Arch, but they were taking a riverboat cruise, visiting the museum at the base of the Arch, checking out the Old Courthouse then finishing the excursion with the whimsical CityGarden.
A little shopping fit in there too.
Not once as they drove towards the Arch could they see the structure as a whole. It was absolutely massive, taller than the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. Kris parked and the family strolled along the water towards the riverboat dock.
“Shouldn’t the water be blue?” Hannah asked, watching ducks cruise on the brown swells.
“I think the water stirs up the mud and that makes it brown,” Kris guessed, trying to remember his Grade School geography.
“It looks like the chocolate river in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” Joshie commented.
“Sure does but probably doesn’t taste as good,” Adam replied, impressed at his son’s literary knowledge.
It was a beautiful day, cooling water on one side and an expanse of lawns and trees on the other. The riverboat dock was charming, a taste of the old South and bygone days. Two boats, covered in gingerbread woodwork and patriotic bunting on the railings, were tied to the floating dock, replicas of the steamships that had once plied the river. In honor of Mark Twain, who set most of his works in Missouri and on the Mississippi River, they were named ‘the Tom Sawyer’ and ‘the Becky Thatcher’ after two of his most beloved creations.
The family climbed up to the top deck for an unobstructed view and took their seats. The cruise was an hour long and the captain narrated the ride, sharing information about the history of the St. Louis Riverfront, the Mississippi River, the Gateway Arch and all the other sites along the way.
Thankfully, the Gravol stayed snug in its sealed packaging, not needed by anyone. They stopped at the café on the dock for a light lunch before making their way over the grass to the huge silver monument.
The Gateway Arch was opened to the public in 1967, the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, created to celebrate the westward expansion of the United States. At 630 feet, it’s the tallest man-made monument in the country and the sheer scale was overwhelming. The Museum of Westward Expansion was tucked in at its base and contained hundreds of exhibits relating to the 19th century endeavor.
The family walked up the lawn from the river and stopped beneath the graceful curve. Hannah took charge of the video camera and looked up … way up … capturing the sweeping building from one end to the other. At each leg was a set of stairs leading to the subterranean visitor’s centre.
Before they continued, Kris stepped back, shading his eyes, looking for something.
“Joshie … Hannah … come see.”
The kids, and Adam and Mrs. Willowby too, rushed over. Kris pointed to the top.
“See those tiny black spots?” They nodded. “Those are windows. There are sixteen on this side and sixteen on the other side and you can see for miles. We’ll be up there very soon.” He straightened his head, rubbing the ache that was starting in his neck.
Inside they perused the Lewis & Clark Photomural Exhibit about their journey from 1804 to 1806 but the kids were really interested in seeing the movie about the Great Journey West, especially on a four storey screen where the explorers came to life.
When the movie ended, they headed up to the Observation Deck. The elevators, or pods, were in the North leg and the South leg of the memorial. Each had its own exhibit to look at while waiting so they’d go up one side and come down the other.
Getting their tickets, they lined up in the North Tram load zone and looked over the “Fitting the Final Piece” exhibit that told the story of the last section of the Arch being set in place on October 28, 1965. There was a movie available as well about the creation of the Arch but the kids were getting anxious to see it rather than hear about it.
Each loading zone was on staggered steps and they gradually made it down to elevator #4. The entire memorial was designed with a 1960s imagining of the future. While it still had a futuristic feel today, it was also pretty reminiscent of a cult TV classic.
The doors opened, the returning passengers came out and the Allen-Lamberts went in. Each egg shaped pod held five passengers so it was perfect for them.
“This is so cool,” Adam exclaimed, ducking his head as he stepped inside and took a seat. “It’s like a Space Odyssey capsule or something.”
The door stayed open until all the pods were full and then closed. Banjo music played over the PA system as the elevator started its ascent but soon switched over to narration on how the innovative lift system came to be. There were four small windows in the door and the skeleton of the Arch could be seen passing by.
“It’s a tad warm in here isn’t it?” Mrs. Willowby asked, fanning herself in the close quarters.
“Guess they can’t air condition these capsules but its only four minutes to the top,” Kris assured her.
In no time, the ride stopped and the doors opened to the observation deck.
“I swear we’re on the Starship Enterprise,” Adam commented as they walked up the gentle curve, framed by those windows they saw as specks from down below.
“Papa, can I take the video camera?” Hannah asked.
Adam looked out the windows and felt a little vertigo so handing over the videography duties to his daughter was a good idea, especially when the best view was had by lying down on the curves.
First, they looked eastward towards Illinois. The Mississippi was a brown ribbon stretched out beneath them, crossed by four bridges. The white dock and riverboats stood out against the muddy water and with the sun behind them, the Arch’s shadow stretched out over the water, nearly touching land on the other side.
Then they switched to the western side and the aerial view of St. Louis. Adam swallowed his unease and pointed out a few features of interest.
“Right below us … the white building with the dome … that’s the Old Courthouse we’ll be going to and just beyond, that patch of green is CityGarden. Over there on the left is Busch Stadium’s field and stands.”
“Can we see our hotel from here?” Joshie asked.
“I don’t see why not,” Kris answered, pointing straight ahead. “It’s that way. Look for a tall white building by a big green park.”
Joshie looked and looked and looked, eventually declaring he could see it. He even said he could see their room. Why not? If they could see the Arch from their hotel rooms why couldn’t they see their hotel rooms from the Arch?
They could have stayed up there as long as they liked but despite the air conditioning it was getting muggy so once the kids were satisfied they went back down via the South Tram. This time the ride only took three minutes. At the bottom, they looked over the “When Riverboats Ruled” exhibit, experiencing a day in the life of the St. Louis riverfront, busy with steamboats and commerce.
Speaking of commerce, it was time to contribute to the local economy. There were two stores in the complex and they visited both.
First, they went to the Gateway Arch Museum Store. The kids got some pencils and postcards of course. One unique item was a piece of actual cabling used to pull the trams. Mrs. Willowby didn’t see anything of interest so she went ahead to the other store, leaving the kids with their parents. In the end, Adam & Kris bought three books: one about the Arch, ‘St. Louis Then and Now’, and ‘Lewis & Clark for Kids’.
By the time they reached Levee’s Mercantile, their nanny was already checking out with a basket load of items. An animatronic figure drew the kids’ attention and Adam took them over while Kris waited to help her with the bags. Back together, they took a breather on a bench and she told them what she had in her bags of treasure.
“I couldn’t help myself,” she beamed, “I was like a child at Christmas. There was so much more I could have gotten but I controlled myself.”
So far, she’d purchased little for herself at their earlier stops so if she wanted to go crazy, why not.
“What did you get? Anything for me?” Joshie asked.
“Joshua!”
“It’s alright Mr. Allen. I did pick up some candies I thought the children might like to try ~ huckleberry candy drops and horehound candy drops.”
“Horehound?!” everyone exclaimed.
“The sales clerk told me it’s a medicinal herb that has a minty flavor. It soothes sore throats apparently.”
“Anything else to eat?”
“Yes Joshua. I got a jar of Strawberry Rhubarb preserves. Thought it would be nice with biscuits when we get back on the road.”
“I haven’t tasted rhubarb in a long time,” Kris sighed. “Can’t wait.”
“You bought a lot of books,” Hannah observed.
Mrs. Willowby took out the bundle of books and fanned through them.
“You all know cooking and baking are two of my favorite things to do. The store had a large selection of cookbooks featuring recipes from the 1870s and earlier. I could have bought them! I love these types of cookbooks ~ a bit of history with the goodies.”
“What did you get?”
“Well Miss Hannah, we have old fashioned recipes for cookies, Christmas, pies and muffins. Here are some old pioneer recipes and a book all about tea ~ couldn’t pass on that one. I also bought a Pie Birdie, I’ve always wanted one.”
“You’re going to cook a bird into a pie?”
“No Joshua.” She opened the packaging and took out the small ceramic bird, its head straight up and its mouth open, the inside hollow. “You insert this in the middle of a fruit or meat pie so when it bakes, the steam escapes through the birdie and it doesn’t boil over and make a mess in the stove which naughty little children have to scrub.”
“Good idea,” Hannah replied quickly.
“I think so too,” Joshie added, not making eye contact.
They’d never been told to clean the stove when they were bad and didn’t want to show interest in starting now.
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
Built in 1862, the Old Courthouse was now a tourist attraction offering restored courtrooms, a magnificent painted dome, dioramas, historical exhibits about St. Louis, a movie on the journey west and, of course, a gift shop.
Like many government buildings in the 19th century, the courthouse was designed like a Grecian temple with pillars and the dome inspired by the Vatican. It was a relatively small building compared to the larger modern ones around it but that’s what made it stand out so much. It was mostly white with robin’s egg blue on the dome. Intricate iron fences surrounded the building and the kids discovered turtles worked into the design. Apparently a turtle had once lived at the courthouse and for some reason was immortalized in the fence.
Inside a circular foyer rested beneath a masterpiece.
“Woah.”
“Wow.”
“It’s like a kaleidoscope.”
“Or a water painting.”
“Stunning.”
The painted interior dome was a pastel palette of blue, green, yellow, rose, purple, and cream. There were paintings in some recesses but they couldn’t make out what they were from the ground. Tearing themselves away, they checked out the other exhibits and the shop. Many items were repeats of merchandise they found in the Gateway Arch stores. There was, however, one item that popped out ~ a 10 piece set of scrapbook embellishments featuring the Arch and the Courthouse. They couldn’t pass that up.
Back outside, Hannah asked, “What's next?”
“Art appreciation.”
Part Two ~ http://cunningdeb.livejournal.com/56960.html