We used the GPS to guide us in our travels Wednesday. Alvin has given the voice of the GPS the name Emily. By looking at the maps the River Road had good roads on both the Iowa, Missouri and Illinois boundaries, but when Emily took us over the Mississippi River, I felt we might be going astray. Emily chose the faster four-lane route to the roads I would have picked.
The many cornfields that we saw along the way were large interrupted occasionally by farmsteads with big silos. However, I preferred the River Road so Alvin said I could navigate tomorrow. Two days we have traveled, and we'll travel again tomorrow with one-night stopovers in the campground. I do not like traveling every day this much because I get stiff from the riding. Alvin, on the otherhand, is ready to return to Jasper.
Tonight we have stopped at a Injun Joe's Campground in Hannibal, MO, and at the roadway entrance leading to the campground is a statue of Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain over 30 feet high. Of course, one can see the nod to this author and his books, Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Life on the Mississippi.
Fortunately, we have WIFI at this campground, which is really laid back in its upkeep. With the WIFI connection, we were able to view our 22-month-old grandson playing in a wading pool and having a lot of fun. We look forward to getting back and seeing family and friends.
For Thursday we managed to make it to Hinton RV Park in Sikeston, MO, in southern Missouri. We arrived at 4:30 p.m. This campground is just off I-55, which we took out of St. Louis. The campsites are close, but during the week not as many campers are around as on the weekends so we are not crowded. Alvin had to drive through a couple hours of rain showers this afternoon, and he did quite well.
On this day had my mother lived, she would have been 101. Now, she would have enjoyed our camping trip, especially the part around the Mississippi River. She did not travel as much as us in vehicles, but she traveled all over the world in her reading; she was a voracious reader. My sister takes after her in this trait although I do enjoy reading and have read two books while traveling: Travels with Charlie by Steinbeck and The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by Taraborelli, given to me by my son, his wife and daughter for a requested Christmas present. I liked both books.
Friday found us at Graceland RV Park and Campground in Memphis, TN. As one might suspect, the campground and the adjacent Heartbreak Hotel are right across from Elvis Presley's home, Graceland, which he bought for his mama. On one of our previous trips traveling the Lewis and Clark Trail, we stopped and camped here and enjoyed the campground and took in all the Presley sites. Hence, we are not planning to tour these again, but rather look at other places in Memphis.
Getting here we rode down the West River Road into Arkansas and crossed a bridge into Memphis, which is right on the waterway. During the drive we saw some of the Mississippi, but mostly riverside cities, instead. The River has such a large flood plain that several cities are set in a good bit from the route of the River.
In Missouri we wondered how the city New Madrid got its name. We speculated and always our trip provides us with answers to these history and geography questions. New Madrid was held by the Spanish before the USA acquired it; and hence, its name of Spanish origin.
The main Memphis site we have seen is Mudd Island. Our son visited here when he came to the National 4-H Congress while in high school and had enjoyed the outing to Mudd Island. We spent the day on this island traveling there by monorail, rather than going by boat or walkway bridge. Within the River Park is a five-block model of the Lower Mississippi River beginning with the confluence of the Ohio River and ending with the Gulf of Mexico pool with pedal boats. However, really too hot to pedal today. Water possibly would have been cool. For the Upper Mississippi River the park had stone walls showing the confluence of the different rivers that flow into the MR.
Upon entering we took a walk with a lady tour guide, who told us facts and stories about the River as we walked. Two other couples were with us, and we all made it to the end even in the terrific heat. After we checked out more of the Gulf section, we returned to the middle of the park for a lunch and cool break at a deli that served only hotdogs and pizza and refreshing water.
After lunch we toured the River Museum with 18 galleries and quite a bit of information about how the River affected the history, music and culture along the River. After the museum visit I wanted to return to the stone waterfalls that showed the different rivers joining the Mississippi. When I had accomplished that, I had to tell Alvin to go the rest alone while I sat close to the deli in a breezy tunnel as my ankle joints could not take more walking to see and read about the different aspects of the River. Alvin took about an hour and a half then we caught the monorail at 5 p.m. back to our vehicle.
Upon our return to the camper to check on Griffin and take a short rest, we then rode a short distance to Picadilly's Restaurant and ate some supper--meat and vegetables.
Today we could not locate a church that we could match our schedules to theirs; therefore, Alvin and I read and studied our Bible lessons together in the camper. With our discussion with one another, we enjoy our study this way. Afterwards, it was time for me to do our weekly laundry, which usually takes a couple of hours. While I do laundry, Alvin helps with the cleaning and scrubbing of the camper. This week in the laundry I met a couple from Upstate New York around the Lake Champlain area. They had been camping a month and been to Portland, OR, down the California coast and traveled to Memphis. They would be leaving Monday as we, headed back home after they reached Virginia to turn north. We could never handle a trip such as that, that fast. These people drive 8-10 hours a day most days. I guess they are seeing the countryside, but I'm not sure they're absorbing it.
For lunch today Alvin grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. Not really sure how he stood the heat and humidity outside. Tonight we ate at Picadilly's again with their good vegetables, service and price. Before our dinner we rode to the river side of Memphis to the Lorraine Motel, at which Martin Luther King was assassinated. A big white wreath hangs on the railing at which he was shot. It was a quiet, peaceful place today with signs stating renovations going on. The Civil Rights Museum is attached to the Motel, but we did not go in as it was closed at the time we were there.
Before I close this blog, I would like to tell you about Griffin and his camping. Each day when we get ready to travel, Griffin and I take the garbage out and he does his business. He is a good camper, riding between us on top of his travel taxi that is covered with a blanket when he travels. Griffin sleeps while the vehicle is moving, but quickly becomes alert when the RV slowly stops. If we get gas or eat along the way, Griffin gets to get outside to walk and do whatever he wishes while leashed. He enjoys the breaks. Now, when we get to a campground and stop, he goes wild until he can get out after I've pulled up the step floor guard and placed his leash on his collar. While Alvin pays for our stay and gets the campground information, Griffin and I explore the entrance to the campground. Then it's back into the camper and the short drive to set up.
Griffin tolerates me for his bidding, but he really is close to Alvin. While in the camper, Griffin can always be found right where Alvin is. Right now he is sitting on the leather couch next to Alvin, who is reading. Griffin's food and water are kept in the bathroom and when we return from an outing that is the first place he heads. While Alvin and I are out siteseeing, Griffin guards the camper by sitting or resting on the dashboard. Camper neighbors says he doesn't bark but just sits and observes. At night he sleeps on the floor by Alvin and doesn't get up until Alvin is up and calls for him while I continue to sleep or rest a little longer. Griffin is truly a good camper.
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