Dad has a nook, I read a paper book, 7/15/2011

July 24, 2011-Upper Marlboro, MD

Some observations about the Mississippi trip before I forget:

• Earlier, I mentioned that we were stuck in the airport in Kansas City for so long that electronic devices were running out of battery power. I remarked to Michael that someone should invent charging stations for airports. Lo and behold, when we got to the Minneapolis airport a little later, there they were! Amazing! Someone who must have been able to read my mind invented and installed these things while we were in the air. Is this a great country, or what?!
• Interstates are great for long distance travel, but the local highways we took on this trip give you a real picture of small-town America. It's interesting but also kind of sad. Many of these towns failed in the late 1800s. They still operate, but they're not thriving. And with low-paying jobs and low property values, many of the residents can't afford to move.
• I enjoyed being alone with Michael on this trip, and I think he enjoyed our time together as well. I'd never before been alone with Michael--or with Donna, for that matter--for more than an hour or so. It was a nice experience which I really will treasure.

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.

Toolesboro Indian Burial Mounds, 7/23/2100

July 20, 2011--Hannibal, Missouri

Have I mentioned how hot it is?

We left Dubuque this morning on the way to Wapelo, IA, so Michael could visit the Toolesboro Indian Burial Mounds, a must for anyone who wants to see two small grassy humps. Certain indian tribes buried their dead in these mounds during the period 100BC - 200AD. There used to be lots of them throughout the eastern part of the country, but most were plowed under when the land was cleared for farming. When we got to the visitors building it was closed, and we thought we had driven a long way for nothing, but the young lady manning the building arrived a short time later, so we were able to see the small museum on the site. As it turned out, even with the building open we did travel a long way for nothing. Oh well. We did think it was interesting that even though we were the only visitors and were clearly not from the area, the young lady (who had nothing to do but read her magazine) didn't even ask us where we were from.


A sad, and troubling sign, 7/23/2011

As we continued our drive along the river in Iowa we began to see evidence of the terrible flooding that took place during the spring: stunted crops, driftwood on peoples' lawns, washed out bridges requiring looong detours, etc. We passed through a number of poor, dying towns, including a town called Sabula (Iowa's only island city), in which there was a large, angry hand-printed sign apparently blaming the town's troubles on the presence of a sex offender released from prison who was living there. A sad, and troubling, sign.


A magical picture, 7/23/2011

We arrived in Hannibal, MO, Mark Twain's boyhood home, around 6PM, so everything was closed for the day. We figured the crowds would arrive the next day to visit the tourist sites, so we took a walk around the deserted town. Had dinner at a restaurant in which we were the only diners. Then went down to the riverfront to watch the paddle boat return from its dinner cruise. Lots of elderly ladies dressed in pastel slacks and tops, a far cry from Serry, who only wears New York black, regardless of the weather. (Did I mention how hot it is?) While we were by the river Michael put the camera on timer and took our picture. A guy getting out of his car said he had never seen such a thing!


To Donna?, 7/23/2011

Then Michael forced me to climb about 300 steps, in 95 degree heat, to a lighthouse in the town. I know he's trying to kill me so he can inherit what fortune I may have. He still doesn't realize that we're leaving everything to Donna.

Dad crosses the Mississippi River, Lake Itasca, MN. 7/16/2011

July 17, 2011--St. Cloud, MN

Calamity!! Michael's computer is broken, so I wasn't able to blog last night. Without constant internet service I feel like the pioneers must have felt (but with a cell phone, GPS, e-reader...).

Anyway... On Saturday we drove north to try to get into Lake Itasca State Park. Like other state run stuff in MN the park was closed, but we found an entrance which, though closed to traffic, was very close to where we wanted to be, so we parked on the road and walked in. The visitor's center was closed but all the info about the headwaters of the Mississippi was posted outside, so no problem.

The Mississippi flows out of Lake Itasca in a very narrow stream, so we were able to step across it. And it's shallow, so you can wade down the middle if you want. We saw some old guy (my age, probably) take off his shoes and wade down the river, but he didn't roll up his jeans, so they were soaked. Old people are crazy! We walked around the lake for awhile battling deer flies and then headed north towards Bemidji.


A wet-jeaned pilgrim's progress, Lake Itasca, MN. 7/16/2011

Bemidji, as all of you are no doubt aware, is the home of the famous huge statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe, the blue Ox. You've seen pictures of them. And it turns out northern MN is full of statues of Paul and Babe. We saw one today in which Paul was holding a bowling ball and babe had a bowling pin in his (her?) mouth.


Dad didn't mention the huge lake that Bemidji lay astride. Bemidji, MN, 7/16/2011

After Bemidji we headed south and stayed overnight in the small town of Brainerd.

This morning, while waiting for Best Buy to open so Michael could have the laptop checked out--they said it's toast--we hung around in a huge sporting goods/farming stuff/auto store called Fleet Farm. Among scads of other things, it must have at least 10,000 fishing poles. Fishing is very big here, as are hunting and snowmobiling.


Paul and Babe sculpture, Brainerd. Brainerd, MN, 7/17/2011

After Best Buy we took a walking tour of Brainerd that I had downloaded on to my Nook. Kind of interesting, but most interesting is that almost all the historic sites mentioned are long gone. So walking around looking at the sites is kind of dumb. But we did it. Interestingly, the place where we parked, the First National Bank, which is still actually there, was once robbed by Pretty Boy Floyd and his gang. They left town spraying bullets from their machine guns, just like the movies.


The bowling Paul and Babe were a highlight of Baxter, MN. Baxter, MN, 7/17/2011

Next stop was Little Falls. There's a dam there, and there used to be a logging operation, with logjams and the whole nine yards of logging. No longer there, of course, but still fun to look at the old stuff. We walked around town looking at old stores, etc. The town may bustle during the week (though I doubt it), but on Sunday it is completely dead. And that's part of its charm if you're just visiting.


A big mural in Little Falls depicting River Pigs shepherding logs down the river. Little Falls, MN, 7/17/2011

Some random observations: It's very, very hot and humid. Every time I get out of the car or a building, my glasses fog up. It's supposed to be this way most of the week, with temps in the mid to high 90s. It's hard to believe it gets so cold in the winter. And speaking of snow, mailboxes along the highway are designed so they can be raised as the snowplows pile the snow higher and higher.

Tomorrow it's on to Minneapolis; Michael needs an art gallery fix.