Everything in town is named after Mark Twain, 7/23/2011
July 21, 2011--St. Louis, MO
It turned out that Hannibal was almost as empty during the day as it is at night. We went to the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum, and there were no more than about 20 other people there. Not the crowds we expected. This area contained an interpretive center, as well as Twain's boyhood home and the homes of the real people who were the models for Huck Finn and Becky Thatcher.
The museum is a National Historic Landmark, 7/24/2011
These exhibits were more interesting than we expected, primarily because almost all of the descriptions were from Twain's own writing. If you haven't read him in a long time it's good to remember that his fame as a writer is well-deserved.
Front and back of monument on Lover's Leap (click to enlarge), 7/24/2011
After that we started to stroll through town again, but it was just too hot, so we took a short drive to Lovers Leap. It seems like every town with an appropriate spot has a lovers leap, and the back story always seems to involve a Romeo-and-Juliet-like story but with indians: her dad won't let her marry him, so instead of just hopping in a canoe and paddling down the river, they both jump to their deaths. What's up with that?
The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (Gateway Arch), 7/24/2011
We're now in St. Louis for the night. We had dinner in the middle of town near Washington University and Forest Park and then drove down to the Arch. We visited the Arch some years ago when I drove Michael back from Colorado State, so we just walked around outside. Still hot.
Tomorrow: home.
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