Day 6: Chicago to Springfield, Missouri. 640 miles*

---

(It was supposed to be 520 miles. But we messed up...)

---

We thought the weather was behind us.  But then we checked in with the regional forecast for this  evening's destination: "High probability of overnight hail, low probability of a tornado. Chance of flooding" - as the meteorologist warned, "we're not in growing season, so watch for flooding in farm areas."

​We'll probably get on the road late morning, once the rain subsides.

---

We changed our route to avoid heading into the storm, skipping Memphis and heading further west. Nonetheless, we managed to drive 51 miles in the wrong direction.

---

After backtracking 52 miles on Route 55, we cut through county roads to get back to where we wanted to be -- Route A, Route B and then Route EE -- hills, curves, a single lane in each direction and a 60 mph limit... and then 18 miles on Jones Creek Road -- much smaller, no shoulder, tighter curves and steeper hills. The house above is typical of those we saw on Jones Creek Road.

---

In Chicago, everyone wore face masks, some even outside. At our first gas stop in southern Illinois, Joe saw one person wearing one. Further south into Missouri, we stopped at a very busy gas station complex. There had to be 20 people at the pumps, another 20 or more in the store, and others wandering around. We were the only people wearing masks. I have to say I felt quite conspicuous.

---

Saw a few of these billboards in Illinois and Missouri. The one that startled us most was one that read "Audit all 50. Find the truth." But this was the only one that was paired with 'Deli. Wine. Diesel.'

---

Looks like Missouri runs on Dunkin, too.

---