Recently Hubby Tony got a postcard from the state reminding him it was time to renew his license plates. One of the requirements was to get required the biennial safety inspection and emissions tests, so this past week he took the car in to the shop.
On the safety side, the car only needed a new bulb in a tail light. He wasn't quite so lucky with the emissions. The technician couldn't pull up the required information from the computer, so it failed that portion. They told Tony he would need to reset the computer by driving 60 miles at a combination of stop-and-go and highway speeds, then he could come back and have the test run again.
Thanks to COVID we haven't been anywhere in months, and as annoying as the failure was, the idea of a road trip made Mr. I Love To Drive very happy. He started researching possible destinations days ago, and finally decided the trip would have two parts. The first would be a trip to Kimmswick, a little town along the Mississippi River about a half hour south of our house for shopping and lunch. Then we would drive home using an indirect route.
When we arrived in Kimmswick shortly after 10 am only some of the stores were opened, and things looked like a ghost town, but it didn't take long for the parking lots to fill up. We popped in and out of stores that felt safe (i.e., not too crowded). Since the city relies heavily on visitors for revenue, we made sure to help them out by buying things at a couple of places.
A half hour before we were ready for lunch we stopped in and made a reservation at the city's most well known restaurant, The Blue Owl Bakery and Restaurant. It's an institution that's been featured on The Food Network, The Travel Channel, The Today Show and O Magazine. They serve good food, but they're really famous for their desserts. We each ordered from "The Terrific Trio" section of the menu, which allowed you to pick three items from a selection of salads, soups, quiches, sandwiches, or desserts. I ordered white chili, a turkey club, and carrot cake. Tony chose vegetable soup, a reuben, and pecan pie with chocolate chips. When the food arrived we traded bites so we could both sample everything. There were no leftovers.
After lunch we got back in the car and meandered home via the interstate, state roads, and arterial roads. It was a beautiful day for a drive; a bright blue sky held just a few puffy white clouds. The temperature was in the mid-80s, but the humidity was low, which made all the difference.
Tony has an appointment on Wednesday to have his car checked again. I hope our fun adventure does the trick for him.
Five years ago today: Bicycling And Bygone Times
It strikes me odd that, with Covid 19 supposedly being airborne polluting the atmosphere, that the state is worried about pollution from car emissions. But I guess as many routines that can be kept business as usual, gives us some sense of normalcy.
ReplyDeleteSometimes one arm of the government doesn't talk to others :-)
DeleteAll the best for the emissions test. The govt stopped doing those in my area.
ReplyDeleteOurs changed a couple of years ago such that older cars without onboard computers no longer have to be tested.
DeleteWe haven't got opened restaurants in Ontario, yet. Just take Out, or patio dining.
ReplyDeleteWhat a pain to do this.
I didn't know they still did safety and emission checks on vehicles... maybe because they stopped requiring them way back in the 1990s here. I guess one wouldn't know if one didn't live in another state that does lol. But what a nice trip you guys had! So many things here are jumble-crazy... some places open, others are not, and some are thinking of shutting back down because of the huge surges in virus cases. Doesn't bother us since we never eat out or go anywhere anyway. Guess we will see what comes in furutre weeks! Blessings to you, Kathy!
ReplyDeleteI think that part of the reason we still have emissions test is that the air quality in the big cities (or at least in St. Louis) is still not where it should be.
DeleteSounds like a required road trip was just what the doctor ordered. Glad you had a good time, fun shopping and great food.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was good all the way around. Before this trip I think I could have counted on one hand the non-food stores I had been in.
DeleteSounds like fun. I used to hate emissions tests.
ReplyDelete