Mo. rest areas: innovators in a competitive field
Missouri doesn’t have better rest areas than Montana. But the Show Me State rest areas do get better publicity.
We stopped at not one but TWO Missouri rest areas today that had received the 2007 award for quality. There were at least a couple others that we saw that didn’t receive this distinction, so we do know that every rest area didn’t receive the award. But there was precious little information on just what the selection criteria were.
Cleanliness? Obviously (afraid to say one of the rest areas had slipped in this regard during the current calendar year). But what else? Latest editions of the Thrifty Nickel in the newstand? Appropriate “you are here” marks on the state map (a surprising number of rest areas don’t include this feature)? No rattlesnakes (also a very helpful feature).
One Missouri rest area had a unique item — something we’ve seen nowhere else from Tennessee to Tucumcari … an automatic handwasher. The sign said it provided warm water (mine was cold), soap (I didn’t get any of this — hmmm), and heated electric fan hand drying, all in one spot. Automatically. All I had to do was stick my hands in there. (see photo).
It was right of out Star Trek, The Second Generation. But it did not respond when I said “Earl Grey, hot.”
