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.