ROAD TRIP BEGINS!!
Bowling Green to St. Louis — Hail, Rain & the First Miles
High Noon. Rain forecast. The ALL50 road trip — 50 states, 63 days, 22,796 miles — begins.
High Noon. April 25, 2003. The ALL50 road trip begins.
Ray had picked up the brand-new 2003 Corvette Z06 at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky two days earlier. He'd spent the intervening days at the C5 Birthday Bash, meeting Corvette owners and building anticipation for the journey ahead.
Now it was time to go.
The weather had other ideas. Heavy rains and hail north of Bowling Green. A dark, dark cloud outside Paducah, Kentucky — Ray pulled off the highway. It started to rain heavily, then hail: pea to small marble size. He found shelter under a motel overhang. No damage to the Z06.
Then: the Ohio River into Cairo, Illinois. State #2. The Mississippi River into Wilson City, Missouri. Rain off and on, heavy at times, all the way to St. Louis.
Arrival: 7:30 PM. Day 1: done.
Photos from the Day
The Day's Route
National Corvette Museum — Bowling Green, KY
The starting point. Ray had picked up the Z06 here on April 23 and spent two days at the C5 Birthday Bash. Now, on April 25, the road trip officially began.
Hail Storm — North of Bowling Green
Heavy rains and hail north of Bowling Green. Ray found shelter under a motel overhang outside Paducah, Kentucky. Hail: pea to small marble size. No damage to the Z06.
Ohio River — Cairo, IL (State #2)
Crossing the Ohio River into Cairo, Illinois — State #2 of the ALL50 road trip. Cairo sits at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
Mississippi River — Wilson City, MO
Crossing the Mississippi River into Wilson City, Missouri. The mighty Mississippi — the third-longest river in North America.
St. Louis, MO — Arrival 7:30 PM
St. Louis, Missouri — the Gateway to the West, home of the Gateway Arch. Ray arrived at 7:30 PM after a day of rain and hail. Day 1: done.