Traveling the Avenue of the Saints

In case you can't tell, the temperature under this Canton, MO sign is 68 degrees! Quite a switch from the upper 80's and low 90's of home!

On the Road Again

When my oldest son Todd first made the move north to Minnesota, after getting his Master's Degree in Environmental Engineering, the big thing I noticed was that there was no good way to travel from Southeast Missouri to Minneapolis. I think the year was 2000 or 2001.

Traveling Highway 61 up to Minnesota is considerably easier these days. It seems that an Iowa businessman named Ernie Hayes had a vision as long ago as the 1980's to create a 550-mile 4-lane corridor between St. Louis, Mo., and St Paul, MN. He coined the phrase "Avenue of the Saints." Mr. Hayes died in 1991, so he never saw the work begin in 1991. Each of the states involved began building the 4-lane highways as quickly as possible. The corridor was finished on July 25, 2008.

I would never have known all this transportation history, if a friend and I hadn't stopped at the Saints Avenue Cafe in Canton, Mo. today. My friend, who is eternally curious (forever nosy), asked the waitresses why the highway was called "Avenue of Saints," and the next thing I knew, I was agreeing to write a blog on the topic.

The buffet was quite good, by the way.. Barbecued ribs and Bourbon Street chicken, fried chicken, corn, cooked cabbage, mashed potatoes, gravy, well-seasoned green beans, hot rolls, very fresh salad bar, delicious cherry pie with ice cream.

Tomorrow: Maple Grove, MN and my four grandchildren! Looking forward to the beautiful barns of Iowa! Isn't summer wonderful??