I know all of you are chomping at the bit to hear Travels with Wanda stories, so I will share the adventures. October 1, two couples, ¾ retired loaded up a fine Subaru and headed to the Galena, Illinois area to commence the journey, affectionately described as “The Boot.” We got a little thirsty and our knees needed a stretch, so we stopped at Panera in Springfield, Illinois for coffee. Unfortunately, for us, a busload of cheerleaders or a team of girls arrived about 1 minute prior to us and formed a line about 30 strong. That necessitated our moving along to the Starbucks, where they must have been mighty proud of their mini-bagels, judging from the stated price. After a cup of Joe, we mounted up again and motored over to Downtown Peoria, seeking an …show more content…
Off to Carlinville, IL to motor on Route 66 and bed down for the night at the Carlinvilla Motel, where we were the only guests. In room pizza, wine, and a couple of rounds of Scrabble rounded out the evening. Wednesday morning, after a tour of the Carlinville Town Square and an unsuccessful search for the Sears Homes, we headed for Anna, Illinois hoping for a stop at a winery and picnic lunch. We achieved that goal, but next time we will most likely go armed with a wine trail map before embarking on the journey. Owl Creek and Blue Sky satisfied our needs and tastes. Back in Anna, we settled down at the Davies School House Inn and walked to dinner at the Brick House. Thursday morning, we set off to Ste. Genevieve, MO. If one does not get lost while trying to find a winery, one has not lived. We lived well, found three wineries – Chaumette, Crown Valley, and Cave. And eventually we did find our way back to Ste. Genevieve and the Somewhere In Time Bed and Breakfast. Dinner was at the Anvil. A movie, “The Breach” provided our evening entertainment and I took a good