High tension in St Louis....

What a day!

Had my breakfast in a quiet road stop overlooking the Mississippi, ideal.....

Then a nice quiet drive along empty country roads,

until St Louis, 

when I was suddenly on busy freeways again.

Found my way to the National Great Rivers Museum,

and had a very interesting tour of the locks there.

Being Sunday, I didn't think the traffic would be too bad,

and hoped that the GPS would know the easiest way,

but not so......up came a sign.....

"MLK(Martin Luther King) BRIDGE CLOSED, EXIT HERE  FOR DETOUR..."

Now, detours are dreaded, cause this old GPS doesn't know about them,

 and it gets just as confused as I do....

While following those poorly presented detour signs,

I started around a corner and then confronted a 'ROAD CLOSED sign....

Couldn't back up because of the long trailer behind, so was trapped!

The barrier was only half across the road, so I got around it carefully,

planning to make a U-turn and get out of there,

then confronted by a policeman who ordered harshly to "Stop right there!"

He came to my window and very rudely and abusively shouted,

"What do you think you're doing, crossing a police barrier???"

(Very over the top abusive for the situation...)

So I kept my hands clearly on the steering wheel and said gently,

"Please Sir, I'm lost and don't want to be here, and which way out, please Sir???"

He said vaguely and roughly, "... ya got to get on I-70 East,..." then sent me down a street.

A few blocks later another sign "Road closed ahead",

so couldn't get to I-70 East that way.....

Then the GPS took me down and around and around back streets

in a very shabby old industrial area, mostly deserted, and spooky....

except for about 8 black guys, in all black clothing, coming out of a doorway....

Now that really felt disquieting, so I didn't stop to ask them directions.....
(Maybe that was pre-judging  them unfairly,
but it's that wariness has kept me out of trouble for so many years...)

Finally had to backtrack to the intersection with the policeman,

and took my own guess on another street, which turned out to be correct,

and I got the heck out of there......

Of course memories of recent troubles in Ferguson, which is part of St Louis,

just added to the tension!

So I was REALLY glad to get out of there!

Didn't need this sort of 'adventure',
 but it sure will be memorable.....

Note:
Earlier on that detour I had also got lost, and stopped to ask a policeman,
He politely said "Follow me..." and led me to the way I needed to go.
He was a black policeman, the rude abusive one was white....
Not judging, just sayn it as it happened......

Finally camped on a quiet, deserted airfield at Perryville, Missouri.
Watching the eclipse of the moon, when there's a break in the clouds,
and sucking on a bottle of E&J brandy to unwind.....

This the best photo of the eclipse that I could get, cause I don't have a telephoto or tripod....