Thursday, August 2, 2018 - Visiting New London, MO; Hannibal, MO; Saverton, MO & Louisiana, MO.

Thursday, August 2, 2018 - Visiting New London, MO; Hannibal, MO; Saverton, MO & Louisiana, MO.

Dean and I were both looking forward to visiting Hannibal, MO.  Being a long time reader, I had read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn as a child, so that was my interest for visiting.  Dean has always wanted to take a boat ride on the Mississippi River.  Today we are going to spend time checking out these two things we have wanted to see and do.

It was between 9-9:30 when we left our campground and headed north on Highway 61, taking time to drive through New London, MO on the way, where I took this picture of the Ralls County Courthouse.

We continued on Highway 61 toward Hannibal.  I noticed signs that called this road "Avenue of the Saints".  Well, having a curious mind, I had to know what the significance was.  This is what I found out: The Avenue of the Saints is a 563-mile-long highway that connects St. Paul, Minnesota and St. Louis, Missouri.  

Once we reached Hannibal, we soon found our way to the downtown area near the Mississippi River and our adventure on the Mark Twain Riverboat.  I ordered our tickets online last night, so we need to pick them up at the ticket office after 10:00.  They begin loading the boat at 10:30 and it will leave the dock at 11:00.  After we picked up our tickets we followed a walkway along the river.

Bridge from Missouri to Illinois in the background.

Information about how a public landing came to be in Hannibal.

Welcome to Hannibal at the Landing

Interesting information about Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain.

The Mark Twain Riverboat  - the boat we rode today

Dean was happy ....he's waited along time to ride a boat on the Mississippi.

He insisted that he take my picture as well.

Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse - was dedicated in 1935 in celebration of his 100th birthday. 244 steps to the top. We started up the steps but quit at about 70+.  It was too hot, in the direct sun, and very humid after a short rain.

Jackson's Island  (made me think of my grandson Jaxson)!

Bald Eagles on Jackson Island

Last night I checked The Weather Channel for today's weather report - no rain in the forecast.  I checked it again this morning - no rain in the forecast.  While we were on the boat I noticed clouds building in the northeast, so I checked my phone again - storms were building around us with rain expected at noon - when our boat trip was to end, and with lightning strikes within 6-8 miles away.  After the recent boat incident in Branson, it was a bit unnerving.  We made it back to dock with no issues. Before we could leave the boat it began to rain....at noon.  We were almost the first ones off the boat, and we quickly ran to the truck.  Even though we were parked nearby, by the time we reached it, we were soaked.   

It was noon and we were hungry so we looked in our Hannibal Visitors Guide and finally decided to try "The Brick Oven".  They had a variety of Italian dishes.  Once there we decided on a small meatball pizza.  Warm garlic bread was served with our meal along with olive oil and basalmic vinegar.  Oooh, I do love that combination with warm garlic bread!

Our pizza was very, very good.  

Inside "The Brick Oven"

  

Our pizza - I almost forgot to get a picture.  

Outside of  "The Brick Oven" 

Downtown - lots of shops, restaurants, historic buildings and museums.

After having our lunch we checked out the buildings downtown relating to Mark Twain and houses of the characters "Tom Sawyer", "Huckleberry Finn" and "Becky Thatcher".

Mark Twain's Boyhood Home

Home of Becky Thatcher, First Sweetheart of Tom Sawyer

Tom Sawyer's Fence

Tom was a sly guy!

Mark Twain's Father's Law Office 

Huckleberry Finn's House

As we left the downtown area, we took Third Street south towards Lover's Leap.  

This is Lover's Leap taken from the Mark Twain boat.

Lover's Leap at the site.

Enlarge this  and you can read "The Legend of Lover's Leap".

Our view of Hannibal from Lover's Leap

Tugboat moving barges downstream

When we left Hannibal, we took Hwy 79 that leads to a spot in the road called Saverton and then Louisiana, MO.  Saverton was several somewhat newer homes that were constructed on a high ridge along the Mississippi River.  Even though they were high, we did wonder if those closest might have been flooded if the houses were built before 1993.  That's the highest level of flooding they have experienced to date according to the information the boat captain gave us earlier today.

In between we enjoyed the beauty of the countryside.  Being so close to the river, the crops in the bottoms were beautiful with their rich, green colors.  

We thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful scenery as we headed down Highway 79, after leaving Hannibal

We've noticed how old barns or houses are left in a field in many states we've traveled through.  There is something special about an old barn or home left standing to remind you of what was in the past, especially out in these wide open spaces.

Louisiana was a much larger town that we expected.  The last population I found online was about 3,400.  We thought it would be a very small town of a few hundred to a thousand.  It is apparent this was a well to do community at one time.  There were a number of large, beautiful homes and buildings in their downtown district.  Unfortunately, as with many small communities today, several were in serious condition.  Knowing what our own city has had to face, I know it is a major challenge to communities all over the United States.  

They are building a new bridge over the Mississippi River in Louisiana, MO.  This picture was taken at John B. Henderson Riverview Park, an overlook  where you can enjoy the activity on the Mississippi.

This home was right off the roadway from Riverview Park - a beautiful home!

Another beautiful home just down the road a few blocks.

A large building in the downtown area.

Waterfront in Louisiana, MO.

A beautiful downtown building.

An interesting house in a residential area.

City Hall in Louisiana, MO

Masonic Lodge in Louisiana, MO

We had a wonderful and fun day in Hannibal, with a wonderful, relaxing drive through beautiful countryside on the return to our campsite.

Thanks so much for following along with us.