US Grant, Carl Sandburg, Mark Twain

July 6 - 9

Driving to Wisc reminded me of how much I love to drive. It's very meditative, something relaxing about it like any of the repetitive things we do to fill time like knitting, quilting, daydreaming.

Wisconsin is the premier dairy state producing 17% of our country's cheese and milk products, but I didn't see many dairy cows at all.  What I did see could have been contained in that awful feed lot you pass on hwy 5 on the way to LA.   Did sample some delicious cheese, tho.

Didn't see any badgers at Badgerland Campground either, but the wifi wasn't working so I bartered with Bert, the owner to dump my tank for me instead of giving me a refund  for the wifi.  With any kind of luck I can avoid this nasty task the rest of the trip. When Bert showed up in the morning he said he had a better idea.  Instead of doing it for me he would show me how to do it myself, walk me thru it, sort of like teaching a man to fish....not exactly what I had in mind but I did agree there may be an occasion when I might have to do it myself.  Like if everyone else on earth suddenly disappears and I am left with a full tank. So I did it and it wasn't that bad, except for the smell of course. In addition to disposable rubber gloves for this job I should also lay in a supply of clothespins for my nose.

Ulysses S. Grant home which was given to him by town fathers

At Galena, Ill. I had intended to only stop for a picture of Ulysses S. Grant's home, since it wasn't open  today for tours.  Instead it was so full of old buildings from the 1840s that I stayed all day, poked around, took the trolley tour, had lunch, checked out the museum. Took about 1000 pictures most of which I will delete.  

I was early for the trolley tour so sat talking to the driver who wanted to know the usual: where was I from, where going, so told him about my trip, buying the RV after Bob passed away, etc.  

Part of the tour included passing the cemetary where he pointed out the tall monument in the back, erected by a widow for her husband.  He said with a grin, "Some women erect a 3 story monument to their late husband, others buy an RV and go see the country".     I had a good laugh at that!

                                                                                              This charming little town sits on the edge of the Galena River which used to be wide enough for large ships to dock.

             

The river also used to regularly overflow its banks and flood the downtown until these gates were erected on the edge of town.

When we picture U.S.Grant, most of us think of someone who has trouble buttoning his pants. Before heading the Union Army, Grant worked in his father's retail business in town and took these stairs everyday to and from work. In his younger days and thru the Civil War he was very fit. But after the war he did a lot of traveling and put on weight.

Leaving beautiful Galena, I headed for another Illinois town that boasts a famous resident.

This tiny cottage in Galesburg was the home of another distinguished American, Carl Sandburg.  It's on the wrong side of town near railroad tracks, all of which probably added to the young boy's determination to do something with his life.

    His humble beginnings didn't stop him from becoming one of our greatest poets. And who can forget his biography of Lincoln.



   

On the way to Hannibal, Missouri to catch up with Mark Twain, I had to stop in Abingdon, remembering one of our favorite places in England with Bobbie.

I went into a little cafe for lunch and even tho there were plenty of empty tables, the waitress saw me and said "You're in the back",  motioning with her head to the rear of the place. For a minute I knew how minorities felt being sent to the back of the bus. Curious, I went to the back and found a table of Red Hat ladies having lunch. I was wearing my red baseball cap so naturally the waitress mistook me for one of them!  Why not?! I sat and had a good visit with the "Whatever" Red Hatters group from Knoxville/Galena, Ill. A fun group, we promised to keep in touch thru my blog and emails. Meeting people is the best part of this trip!

Rain had been threatening all day and finally a hard driving rain hit just as I came into Hannibal, Mo. At the Mark Twain Campground I set up in a campsite that literally had a river running thru it.

But I wasn't as bad off as this poor person who was tent camping on a bicycle!

The storm continued all night with lightning and thunder putting on quite a show.  Having grown up in Indiana, I miss this kind of weather in California.  It reminds us Mother Nature is in charge.  All night I kept thinking how much the West coast could use this. People here are sick of it, since it has rained almost every day for the past month!

I awoke to a more promising day. The sun was bright and the air was clear.

I was on a quest to see if Hannibal was the same as I remembered the last time I was here in 1955.

Starting with an amble down Main Street while waiting for the Visitors Center to open, it seemed the entire town has been "Twained"...

the Mark Twain Hotel, Mark Twain Ice and Coal, Mark Twain Dinette and Family Restaurant. This last is literally right across the street from the original buildings of the Clemens family.  Too close for authenticity. 

The Clemens family home was a disappointment. You could only look into the rooms thru large glass in each doorway and inside were large posters with Mark Twain quotes. Sort of ruined the authentic feel. The rooms are supposed to be historically correct since it is the actual home. But what really put me off was a gift shop that had been built right up against the outside wall of the home and you had to exit thru it!  Too much commercialism. I wonder what Mark Twain himself would say about it now.

I wandered thru some other buildings, Becky Thatcher's home across the street, Huck Finn's home, the office of Sam Clemens' father who was Justice of the Peace in town.

Took a trolley tour and talked to a woman who called the author "a crotchety old guy, I think. I don't know if I would like him."

Had to take the river boat cruise, too, to see what Mark Twain liked so much about it.

On board I overheard a guy telling someone that he was staying in a B & B in town that was owned by a friend of Mark Twain's back in the day and that is where the author stayed the few times he had come back to town.  He was staying in the very room where Twain stayed but couldn't bring himself to use his laptop in the room since it would almost be "sacrilegious".  I think Twain would have done the same thing.  If he'd had a laptop, I bet he would have been pulling it out and went to work on it. 

Attended a Mark Twain performance by Richard Garey that was almost as good as any Hal Holbrook has done. Before the show Richard came out and visited with us during the complimentary tea and, staying in character, entertained us with his witticisms. A good question for him would have been what he thinks of Hannibal today.  Before I go to sleep I go over all the things I wish I had said that day.  Some are incredibly clever and profound.

Ended the day with dinner at that very Mark Twain Drive In I had previously criticized for being so close to Mark Twain's home.
But it turns out it was in exactly the right spot for viewing the music concert which was right in front of his home.  Mark would have liked that being the party animal he was.