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Set your course for Lebanon and the Munger Moss Motel whose sign advertises, “Here yesterday, today, and tomorrow.” Bob and Ramona Lehman maintain this Mother Road classic out of love for the people who keep the road alive. Ramona explains, “They're just good people. They're humble people. And it's like one big family that keeps growing and growing and growing and you care about ‘em -- and they care about you.” Working at the Munger Moss since 1971, Ramona takes great pride in her motel; she has also started to develop theme rooms, including one for each of the eight states linked by Route 66. However, the coolest theme belongs to the Coral Court Room, dedicated to the famed St. Louis landmark replaced by tract housing a few years back. With its pink and black tile and satin sheets, this room would fit nicely in any bordello -- a perfect homage to the famed No Tell Motel.

Heading toward Rolla and look hard: you might just spot the decay of John’s Modern Cabins as the sun sets through a canopy of trees. The six cabins (and two nearby outhouses) have suffered from decades of neglect, and the red sign that promises a piece of motel modernity reflects only mournful irony as the cars screams by. But the 1930s-era cabins offer a photographer’s dream – if you visit quickly. A fan planted Burma Shave signs nearby that read: “Photograph these while you're here. The wrecking ball is looming near.”

Joplin & Villa Ridge Motel Postcards (click for larger views)

Springfield and Louisiana (MO) Motel Postcards (click for larger views)

All text copyright Andrew Wood. Photos copyright Jenny Wood and Andy Wood.