Here we go...

It was 9:43 local time when we left the drop zone.  At 11:45, we stopped at Chick-Fil-A in St. Joseph, MO.  We'd driven 119 miles. Matt ran into the Target across the parking lot and got an ace bandage and an ice pack for my ankle.

I drove another 159 miles and we stopped for gas in Boonesville, MO at 2:16 PM.  Matt offered to take over driving so I could put ice on my ankle and rest.  I crawled in the back of the van and laid down.  It felt good to be in a different body position for a change.

As Matt drove along 70 west, I tried to get comfortable.  My ankle wasn't very swollen, but the ice felt good. With my iPhone "Mellow" playlist, I drifted off to sleep for a about 20 minutes.  When I woke up, Matt and I started doing research on our dinner options.  It would be nice to get out of the car for awhile. I used google to find a restaurant along our route.

Once we reached 64 West, we had a bunch of restaurant options not far from the highway. We opted for an early dinner at a restaurant called Agostino's in Fairview Heights, IL. It was around 4:45 when we entered the building.

Both Matt and I felt extremely under dressed, but it didn't seem to matter to the wait staff. Our waitress Kelly was delightful and the service was impeccable. Don't let their website scare you away!

Based on Kelly's recommendation, I ordered: Agostino's Original Linguini Maremonte (white, wine, butter garlic, red pepper, shrimp, clams, mushrooms & tomatoes). It turned out to be one of the most expensive things on the menu! 

I don't take photos of my food very often, but I decided to take a picture.  I think they gave me three servings of linguine!  It was very yummy and really enjoyed this meal. With that said, this seafood dish included 8 small shrimp, 4 large shrimp, 3 clams, 2 crayfish, and 1 mussel.  I'm guessing the wholesale cost of ingredients was less than $5.00. but it seemed worth it. The atomosphere and service were top notch and the food was delicious!

Kelly gave us our check at 5:30 central time.  Shortly after that, I was back behind the wheel. It was time to decide where we'd be staying for the night. We were still 800 miles from home.