US60: Southern Missouri

Here's a trick I've learned about cross-country driving: Heading west, start early and stop early; heading east, start late and stop late. That strategy will minimize the amount of time you're driving into the sun, which is much more fatiguing than having the sun behind you or overhead.

Accordingly, Happy and I were out of Paducah, KY, early this morning on a good two-lane road heading west. Pretty soon, we crossed the Ohio River, spent a hot minute – only about a half mile – on the very southern tip of Illinois at Fort Defiance, then crossed the Mississippi River into Missouri.



US60 continues as a good two-lane rural road, among smaller agricultural fields and copses of trees.



Minutes later, US60 joins I-57 for a few miles, then continues as "Future I-57" for about 50 miles. After crossing I-55, US60 continues on its own as a major east/west corridor. For about 200 miles to Springfield, MO, it is a high-speed, divided four-lane thruway.



We have stopped for the night in Springfield and will continue west early in the morning.