In what has become a very familiar pattern, I awoke to find clear skies, temperatures in the 20s, and frost all over the car. So just like the other days, the roof had to stay up for a while at the beginning of this day's drive. The good news was that I was heading into warmer weather. But I wouldn't see it for a while.

Getting an early start has proven to be quite helpful to this point. Today was no different as I was on the road before sunrise. Since I passed by St. Louis via I-64 at the beginning of this trip, I decided to follow I-70 through the city and into downtown for the return home. Normally, driving through downtown is something to be avoided. But I didn't expect to encounter any traffic at this hour. Plus, this would give me a chance to check out the new bridge that carries I-70 across the Mississippi River.

For years, Interstates 70, 64, & 55 all crossed the Mississippi River via the Poplar Street Bridge. Traffic was best described as a complete mess, which isn't a surprise considering three major US Interstates all converged on the same stretch of pavement. Construction began in 2010 on a new river crossing about 2 miles north of the Poplar Street Bridge, (in between the Martin Luther King and McKinley Bridges). Interstate 70 was rerouted to the new Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge when it opened to traffic in February 2014. The result was a 14% decrease in traffic across the Poplar Street Bridge, (less than expected, but better than nothing).

I had clear skies and a virtually empty roadway as I crossed the Mississippi River heading toward Illinois.

But that didn't last very long. The road looked like it was going to disappear into the abyss ahead of me.

The clear skies were overtaken by dense fog when I reached the actual State Line.

I was really hoping the fog would let up once I got across the river so I could enjoy the impending sunrise. Skies had cleared by the time I reached I-64.

The sun was trying to make an appearance a few minutes later as I passed by exit 12.

The terrain is relatively flat in this part of the country. The sun would come and go behind the tree line off in the distance.

I kept the camera on the dash and would reach up and press the button at an appropriate opportunity.

Sunrise near O'Fallon, Illinois.

Sunrise near O'Fallon, Illinois.

Sunrise near O'Fallon, Illinois.

I love watching the sunrise ! The problem is that working second shift means I'm rarely awake to see it.

This trip has given me many opportunities like this one.

This is a wonderful side effect of being up early.

I love the way the color is reflected in the fog near the ground.