Sunday, October 4 – Tour Hannibal

 

We awoke early being we are back in the central time zone.  Jesse took the boys out for their 1st walk of the day.  It was a bit frosty but at least the sky was clear.  Upon returning Jesse made a pot of coffee and fed the boys.  Ginger than got up and they both took their respective positions on the computers. 

Around 9:30 Jesse got busy working on the satellite.  That took quite awhile as he only had a small window through the trees.  Just as he was about to give up Ginger got a reading on the TV.  With a little bit of tweaking the satellite was in business.  Now on to the other big chore. 

When they set up Saturday evening the electric cable would not reach to the pedestal so Jesse connected it to Ed’s pedestal but that only gave us 30 amp.  That and the fact the rear of the trailer was quite close to the roadway and Jesse felt uncomfortable being that close, so he decided to move forward about 6 feet.  He went about undoing everything, hooked up, moved it forward, leveled, and reconnected the utilities all with 50 amp service.  All was good in the world again. Here we are next to Ed.

Pat and Dan Sullivan, good friends we made in the Valley, were in the area staying at Ray Behrens COE Campground which is only a short distance from here.  Plans were made for them to come to the Mark Twain Campground and Ed was going to give everyone the grand tour of Hannibal.

Dan and Pat arrived at 12:30 and after hugs and a bit of chatter everyone pile into Ed’s mini-van for the tour.  We started in the historical part of downtown where we saw Mark Twain’s boyhood home, his fathers law office, Becky Thatcher’s home, and Huck Finns home.  At least these were the homes of the people Samuel Clemmons based his characters on.  

We walked around the downtown area and then over to the water front.  There was even a light house on a hill. 

Ed informed us the light house was not for navigational purposes but to commemorate Samuel Clemmons 100th birthday in 1935.  Ed was very knowledgeable and we could not have had a better guide….and the price was right.

After the historical tour Ed took us to a park overlooking the Mississippi.

Monroe City where their former home is located on the golf course, then to the Garth Mansion and B & B.

To Lovers Leap also overlooking the mighty river, to the hospital where Jennifer, their daughter nurses at, and a few other sites around town.

Plans were made to go to El Vaquero a Mexican Restaurant for dinner with Steve and Cathy, former neighbors of E & M, and visitors to the Valley last winter.  When we  arrived we were taken to a table for 8.  The girls sat on one end so they could chat and the boys on the other so they could solve the worlds problems. 

Cathy and Steve arrived a few minutes later.  We all enjoyed our Marguerites, beers, soft drinks, and excellent food.

Afterwards we said our see ya’s to Steve and Cathy and returned to the campground.  Pat and Dan then left for their campground and the Drays’ and Hamans’ to their respective homes. It was just in the nik of time to watch the Amazing Race.

Plans are in the works for more adventures for tomorrow.

WE are having soooooo much fun!!