The Silver Ghosts left Taylorville, IL for a short 120 mile run to St. Charles, MO. There were two routes provided, one that included bridges across the Missouri and Mississippi rivers and the preferred route that included a ferry ride across the two rivers.

Neville and Diane Jordan of Wellington, New Zealand driving their 1922 tourer (7KG) aboard the ferry for the Missouri River crossing.

Most of the drivers chose the ferry crossings and were not disappointed. The scenery along the river roads was beautiful and the modern ferries provided an efficient crossing into Missouri. We picked up the Lewis & Clark trail and followed it for the next few days.

Our route took us down the historic Main Street in St. Charles and we received a lot of waves and thumbs up as we traversed the town. This has been the normal reception for the Ghosts – lots of waving and the occasional person who honks their horn at us as they give a thumbs up wave. The horns usually startle me and I immediately think something is wrong or has fallen off the car. So if you pass a Ghost on the road, no horns please.

Randall Andrae’s 1925 limousine (S387RK) joined the tour in
Missouri and plans to finish the run to the west coast.

We left St. Charles for a 200 mile drive to Osage Beach, MO. The route brought us into the Ozark Mountains with long runs through hilly and curvy terrain. At the end of the day, the drivers were tired of the hills and curves and were looking forward to the flatlands in Kansas that we would hit in the next few days.

Our group stopped for lunch in Herman, MO, a center for many wineries in the region. The scenery included a number of vineyards, several massive fields of sunflowers in full bloom and wonderful roads lined with wild flowers.

The weather for both days was excellent with sunshine and temperatures that started pleasantly cool and rose into the mid 80s by the afternoon. Most of the cars passed through Missouri with their tops down, taking advantage of the wonderful driving weather.

Terry’s Spilsbury’s Ghost, a lovely Binder bodied Sedanca (60RE), crossing the Missouri Ozarks in style.

It’s a completely different experience driving through America with the top down, no radio, and experiencing the sights, sounds and smells on the road. The sensation of smell adds to the driving experience by connecting you with the countryside like the smell of freshly mown hay, the aroma of the BBQ restaurant offset by the odor of the occasional skunk.

We continue to pick up new Ghosts added to our group while some have reached the end of their journey to return home. The core group of coast-to-coast Ghosts is still going strong and has covered about 1,300 miles so far.

Colin and Joan Laybourn from the UK in a 1923 tourer (72NK) navigating the Ozark Mountains.

Continue to July 29-30, 2004

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