The year we went to Cape Girardeau, we rode part of State HWY C. It was a very scenic slightly curvy ride. So an easy weekend getaway would be to run down to Chester, stop and visit the cemetery where some of my family is buried and then jump on HWY C and ride to Jackson. We could stay overnight there and then take 72 to HWY B up to Perryville and then back to Chester. Its just a little over 3 hours so on a summer nite we could leave on a Friday and be back on a Saturday.