The Drive Home from Omaha - with Goodies Too!

…after our luncheon stopover in Hannibal Missouri, we normally would have just blown through to our overnight stop in Mt. Vernon Illinois with only a restroom break. 

But in this case, I’d done a lot of research regarding sights and places of interest for the whole trip and I did have one stop I wanted to make on the way south in Missouri along US Hwy 61.

This old depot in Bowling Green Missouri wasn’t on my ‘list’, but it was a bonus for me.  The depot was built sometime in the late 1800s and according to what I could find, it serves as someone’s home today.

This depot was built by the St. Louis and Hannibal Railroad.  The Civil War and the economy prevented the railroad’s construction until 1871.  It was mostly financed and later owned by John Insley Blair…who was mentioned a couple of posts ago.  Remember Blair Nebraska?  It was 1892 before this rail line was completed all the way from St. Louis to Hannibal Missouri…with a stop in Bowling Green.

Did you know that there are four towns named Bowling Green in the USA?  They are in Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio and Florida.

This is why I had planned a diversion from our route south on US 61 toward St. Louis.  Woods Smoked Meats in Bowling Green Missouri (Pike County) has been in business since 1952, over 70 plus years!  That’s an impressive track record for any business…

We loaded up with items from the store!  Our favorites were the Old Fashioned Air Dried Beef Summer Sausage and the regular Beef Summer Sausage.  Woods Smoked Meats really nailed the balance of seasonings with these products!

Woods Smoked Meats is a butcher shop, an on-line store, a place for a luncheon sandwich, a source for spices, seasonings and sauces, a variety of jerky and they process Missouri deer for customers in season.  They also do some catering…and the cuts displayed in the butcher’s meat counter looked great!  Why I didn’t take any photos in the store is a mystery to me…

Woods Smoked Meats is located at 1501 US Hwy 54 (Business Route) in Bowling Green Missouri.  They are closed on Sundays.  Phone: 573-324-2247.  Website: Butcher Shop | Missouri | Woods Smoked Meats, Inc.

After we arrived in Mt. Vernon Illinois and checked into our hotel, we headed out to find somewhere to eat.  We usually wander away from the hotel ‘strip’ and have dinner at the Frosty Mug Bar & Grill.  It’s located in town away from the Interstate.

We were a bit tired and didn’t feel like driving a few miles to experience the familiar, so we tried JJ’s Sports Bar and Grill which is located very close to our hotel.  This is a fairly new establishment with minimal on-line reviews.

JJ’s is definitely a sports bar…a gathering place to watch the big games and have some food with a few brews.  It had the advantage of newness with enough room between tables along with appropriate décor.  The bar seemed a little small but I liked its ‘look’.

Laurie wasn’t very hungry so she had an adult beverage, in this case a "Dirty Martini" with extra olives. (It is not a good photo by yours truly) For her appetizer/entree, she ordered 10 “boneless chicken wings” floating in Buffalo wing sauce…dips on the side. ($13.00 for the chicken ‘nuggets’)

Our waiter was charming and her beverage was very nice, so she wasn’t too critical.  But, the presentation left something to be desired.  Then again, when are chicken wings not really chicken wings?

I couldn’t get excited about the menu so I kept it simple.  I ordered the Breakfast Burger, an 8 oz. beef patty topped with an over-easy egg, with bacon and cheese. ($14.00) It came with either potato chips or French fries.  It was a decent if not great burger.

Perhaps the adult beverage and the charming waiter improved Laurie’s appetite…or more likely if peanut butter is involved she’s hooked!  So we split a slice of Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake with a scoop of ice cream along with a bit of whipped cream.  I’m not a ‘cake guy’ but it was pretty good.

I do believe that our next stopover in Mt. Vernon will lead us back to The Frosty Mug Bar and Grill.  JJ’s Sports Bar and Grill was OK but the variety on the menu at the Frosty Mug outweighs convenience in my mind.

JJ’s Sports Bar and Grill is right next to the Interstate Highway and Mt. Vernon’s key interchange.  The address is 4424 Fairfax Drive.  They are open daily.  Phone: 618-204-5168.  This restaurant is on Facebook at JJ’s Sports Bar & Grill | Mount Vernon IL | Facebook.

We did bring home a couple other goodies…or collectibles…as the result of our back roads adventures in Missouri and elsewhere.  Laurie has a vest that is loaded with pins from places of interest, National Parks, Refuges, historical sites, battlefields, museums and more.  We’ll have to count to see just how many pins have now covered the front of the vest.

On this trip she added 4 pins to her collection.  One was from the Walt Disney Hometown Museum in Marceline Missouri.  The Bicycle Corps/Iron Riders and the floral pin were both from the museum in Brookfield Missouri that honors the memory of General John J. (Blackjack) Pershing.  The pin at the top of the photo is from our visit to the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge in Iowa, right across the Missouri River from Blair Nebraska.

…and so ends another road trip.  Given the fact that this trip took place back in July, one could say that I’m a bit slow with my posts.  Hey!  I’m retired, so what’s the rush?

I hope that you and yours had a great Thanksgiving!

Just click on any of the photo to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave