The LaSalle was also cranky this morning. The engine started to surge and stumble occasionally. It persisted for 10 miles or more. We noticed a marked increase in our already very high fuel consumption: About a half tank disappeared in less than 50 miles. At the gas station it was obvious that the carburetor float was stuck and the carburetor was belching out excess fuel. After we shut the engine the float unstuck and the carb stopped leaking. The problem did not return and the car ran smoothly going forward. We hope it stays that way.
Virtually all of our travel was on US 50. It is quite a fine road, only lacking decent shoulders in some of its rural sections. Much is four lane and traffic very light. The major tension involved circumventing St. Louis. US 50 morphs to I 255 to form a beltway of sorts. This kept us well south of the city. But we did manage to get close enough to see the famous arch from several miles away. We crossed the Mississippi in the early afternoon. This marked our own return to the west.
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| LaSalle approaches a Mississippi crossing on US 50 |
We ended our day at dusk in Jefferson City MO, finding a nice Quality Inn in the box hotel section of town. Here we switched to US 54, another US highway that will take us along the Lake of the Ozarks and vector us well south of Kansas City. The only major city we need to pass between now and home is Wichita, KS. We find avoiding big cities like St. Louis or Kansas City is important. They are just plain difficult to negotiate with the LaSalle. It's a big car with small windows, no turn signals, and very, very small taillights. Not a very healthy combination in modern city traffic.
Time to turn in, we hope for an early start tomorrow....
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