Twain, Deere and AA

DAY 4 ~ Our Great River Road Adventure

We criss-crossed the river throughout the day, catching the best sights of both the east and west sides.

First stop: Hannibal, Missouri. We stepped back in time as we walked through the streets of Hannibal.  This town pays homage to its most famous citizen, riverboat pilot Samuel Clemens, who penned some of America’s best literature as Mark Twain.  We chose not to dally here long, for there were more miles to travel and more sights to see before day’s end.

Becky & John whitewashing Tom's fences

Add caption

Riverside in Hannibal, MO

Moving northward, we were surrounded by cornfields much of the day.  Unlike South Georgia fields, very few of these Illinois fields had pivot irrigation systems (maybe, we saw a half dozen in the span of a couple hundred miles). 

Around lunchtime, we spotted the perfect picnic site with a walking trail surrounding a pond on the campus of Memorial Hospital in Carthage, Illinois.  A flock of geese swam slowly by while we ate and stretched our legs from our morning’s journey.

Getting the lunchtime spread ready

From there, we drove to the John Deere Pavilion in Moline, Illinois.  This downtown museum showcases the company’s history and some of its equipment.  A great stop!

John & Becky at the John Deere Pavilion in Moline, IL

A few miles up the road we arrived in LeClaire, Iowa, home of Antique Archaeology.  We had been excited to visit since we’d seen the television show, American Pickers.  However, the lack of accessible parking for our two rigs was a problem.  So, while the men made the block, Becky & I ran through the shop.  A big disappointment; it was a souvenir shop for the show, not an antique store.  The antiques were used for staging.  Oh, well.

We set up our campers at Mississippi Palisades State Park, a few miles north of Savanna, Illinois, and drove back into town for dinner.  John spotted Frank Fitz’s Finds, a combination bar and antique store.  This is what we had expected to find at Antique Archaeology.  Some interesting pieces:  the dashboard of a car, several oilers in graduated sizes, a Santa – just like the one John has from our grandmother, motorcycles, signs . . . . 

 A drive through the park landed us on top of a cliff overlooking the river just as the last of the daylight was disappearing.  What a beautiful sight!  We couldn’t have asked for a better end this day.

Last light from Lookout Point at Mississippi Palisades State Park