Sunday, September 18th - Travelling Home

Several thunderstorms passed through the area during the night. It rained fairly hard a couple of times. We experienced some lightening and thunder, but no serious wind. It was only serious enough that we had 2 bed mates most of the night.

We left the park at 10:45 and headed for Centertown. We stopped for fuel in Kingdom City. After fueling we parked in the semi parking lot where Kathy fixed us lunch.

We had left our truck and van parked on the RV pad at Kelsey's. She had moved them off the pad so that it was ready for us when we arrived.

Some statistics. We drove the coach 2,421 miles. Because the generator burns diesel out of the main fuel tank it isn't possible to get an accurate fuel mileage figure. I think we averaged about 7.4 mpg. About 1.3 mpg less than we got with our Dutch Star. I guess thats the cost of having 28% (425 versus 330) more horsepower and 40% 1200 versus 860) more torque with this coach. Also, the Ford Flex we pull with this coach weighs 1000# more (4440 versus 3590) than the CR-V we pulled with the Dutch Star. The most we paid for fuel was $5.35/gal and the least was the $4.66,gal we paid when we filled up today.

I didn't read the odometer on the Flex but we drove it about 3,050 miles on our side trips. We averaged 20.9 mpg with it. The most we paid for gas was $4.84/gal, the least was when we filled up Friday, $3.45/gal.

This ends my regular blog posts, although I may do an occasional post concerning repairs to our slide drive mechanism and main awning. Lord willing our plan is to stay here and spend Thanksgiving in Centertown. We will head south right after Thanksgiving.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Saturday, September 17 - Kids at Jellystone

Spent the day getting the kids from activity to activity. We were wore out, they were only a little tired.

Started the morning with "hay ride". One other family joined us just before we left.

Some sidewalk chalk art at the empty RV site next to ours.

With Yogi.

Then it was dipping for marbles. The "kiddie pool" had several inches of water in it and a bunch of marbles. You had to pick up the marble with your toes and move it to your bucket. The bucket was supposed to be 5 paces behind you. This young man was checking to see that Cathy, the lady with the name tag, was setting it up correctly. (She has a home in the area. In the winter she lives in her RV and works at a Jellystone Park in the south. This winter she is going to a Park in Mississippi.)

If you missed your bucket you had to chase down the marble.

You had 30 seconds to get as many marbles in your bucket as you could. Lydia did pretty good she got 7 marbles in her bucket. I don't remember how many Nolan got.

The they did some panning for gold.

And some racing.

There was only one high speed wreck during the racing. There were no serious injuries.

More water games. The bucket was supported by elastic bands. You put your water balloon in the bucket, pulled down on the bucket and fired it at the opposing team, who were firing at you. Nolan needed a box to stand on.

In addition to the above there were numerous trips to the pool. The water was so cold that after about 15 minutes Nolan was shaking. At first we had to say, "Nolan, are you cold and are you ready to go back to the RV?" He would agree. The last few trips he would just say he was ready to go back.

We had pizzas and cherry pies made over the campfire for supper.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Friday, September 16th - Mark Twain Jellystone and Great-grandkids

 We drove down to Centertown and picked up Lydia and Nolan when they got off the school, a 206 mile round trip. They are spending tonight and  tomorrow night with us here at Mark Twain's Jellystone Park. On Sunday we will pack up here and head back to Centertown. 

While walking around the park before leaving, and looking at the park map, I noted that there is an entire section of the campground devoted to "seasonal campers". Also, similar to Timber Ridge, there are lots of "tiny houses" for rent. I looked, this one still has axles under it. 

When we got back to the campground Kathy took the kids over to the bounce pad while I built a campfire. After the kids rode their bikes a little we walked over to the pool and played around in it for awhile, until Nolan's teeth were chattering. Then we roasted hot dogs for supper and marshmallows for dessert.

We saw some campers arriving but don't know where they ended up parked. There is one other RV on the road we are on, 62 sites on just this road. I don't see any campers on our side of the next road over. Behind us is woods.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Thursday, September 15 - Hannibal

We went to Hannibal today. Weather was a little warm, but not bad. 

An empty campground this morning and again tonight.

If you visit Hannibal plan on spending at least two days. Everything here is Mark Twain this and Mark Twain that, but I found it interesting.

I got immersed in finishing a Letter to the Editor for the Jefferson City News Tribune this morning. We didn't leave the campground until after 10. Kathy had made online reservations for us to take a boat trip at 1:30, boarding started at 1:00. The campground is about 25 minutes from downtown Hannibal. 

We hit the Mark Twain boyhood museum complex first. I could have easily spent 2-3 hours there (if I hadn't wasted so much of the morning with the LTE), but we had to cut it short in order to grab some lunch before the boat trip.

We had lunch at the Mark Twain Dinette. My breaded tenderloin was great. Kathy said her grilled tenderloin was tough. Mine was huge and I'm a slow eater. We had to do a hurried hike to get the 6-7 blocks to the boat. Our car was parked about halfway between the restaurant and the dock. If we had walked a block out of the way to get to the car, drove to the dock and parked, it probably would have taken more time.

The one hour boat trip was nice, but to slow, especially upstream. 

Saw a couple of people fishing. One is hidden behind the post.

Have no idea what this structure used to be. It looks like it was the face of something dug back into the bluff.

I can't help myself, but I  only included one photo of this lift bridge with a tug and barges going under it.

Below are a couple of photos of "anchor barges". They are anchored out in the river and used as mooring points for "switching" barges. One of these had 5 barges loaded with cement, ready for shipping. The other one had around 15 empty barges. On the way downstream we saw a small tug over working with the empties. On the way back up river he was pushing them downriver to the cement plant, for loading.

We saw a tour bus at the John Hay Recreation Area, on the Illinois side. No idea why all the people were milling about. Maybe it was a mass baptism. Maybe they were happy to be able to wade in the Mississippi without sinking knee deep in muck like Kathy did.

This is supposed to be the island written about in Tom Sawyer.

Headed back into Hannibal.

One of the main tourist streets in Hannibal.

I'm tired as I put this together. Forgive me if I made to many mistakes.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Wednesday, September 14th - After 76 Days Back in Missouri

 Cool night last night but we have had the AC running since we arrived here this afternoon. Looking at the 10 day forecast it might still be running the end of next week.

We went back to the Hamilton Family Café for breakfast this morning. We had another good meal, for a very reasonable price. Then I had to go back and check out  the Illinois end of the double decker bridge.

As we drove around trying to get close to the bridge we managed to get a view of the dam, from the Illinois side of the river. A plate can be lifted out of each of the arches if more water needs to be diverted downstream.

Once we found a way to get near the end of the bridge I took the photo below looking back at the dam. 

Then it was trying to get a good view of the bridge from the shore.

As I was making my way back toward where we parked the car I saw Kathy. She was determined to wade in the Mississippi.

She was in mud/silt halfway up to her knees.

I had to see the bridge up close and personal from the Illinois side.

I couldn't get on the old roadway upper deck, it was fenced off.

But I could walk the tracks.

The vehicles must have driven on grating.

It is just to cool. I couldn't resist walking out  on the railway lower deck. 

A shot of the view as trains leave the bridge.

I snapped a photo of the 23,000 sf Hoffman Mansion, along the river near Hamilton. If you get 10 people together you can arrange a tour, for $35/person. It is owned by James Hoffman, of James P. Hoffman Law Offices in Keokuk.

The drive from Nauvoo to Mark Twain Jellystone Park, near Monroe City (Hannibal), MO, was 90 miles. We drove IL96 before jumping over to I172 and then I72. All pavement surfaces were good and traffic was light.

Parked at Jellystone. Coach on good concrete pad. My only minor gripe is that I had to run a hose under the coach to get to a hydrant shared with the site on our left.

Kathy went for a walk and decided to play mountain goat and take a shortcut down the hill coming back.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.