Looking for Shoeless Joe Hardy . . .

May 21--Hannibal, MO

I slept really well last night, even with cats going up and down and such. I may well need to get a board or something to put under the bunk, though; there's a cut-out part (to make it easier for people to get to the driving seats, though I'm short enough that I can just leave the bed down all the time) that sags a bit when I put my weight on it. This is a bit disconcerting, so a board might be a good idea. I woke up again around 7am, and futzed on the computer trying to find a place to stay. It's Memorial Day weekend, and everything is pretty much full. I considered lots of different options until I called a place that told me last night that they were full, and now they had a space! So I loaded up and started driving around 9:30.

I took the Interstate to St. Louis, then took various bypasses to Highway 79. The Interstate was in much better shape than it was in Alabama, although there were still some jouncy sections, and thank God that there were no left merges! I drove up Highway 79, through tiny towns and along a railroad track, lots of grain elevators and such--I know I'm in the Midwest because I heard a farm report! The road was narrow and windy and up-and-down, and it was rather interesting at times in the rig (which tends to sway alarmingly at times--it's a bit taller than I'm used to, although I've tried not to make it too top-heavy). I knew the Mississippi was over to the right, although I couldn't see it until Clarksville. On the left were bluffs that the road occasionally drove over (and a bit through--lots of sedimentary rocks here).

I missed the campground and had to turn around in Hannibal itself to get here. It's located on the grounds of the cave that Mark Twain used in "Tom Sawyer", and I plan to take a tour of the cave tomorrow. I was given a small spot in the very front that wasn't used often, and I found out why: the electric wasn't working. Since it was hot I was worried about the cats overheating more than anything else, and after having a maintenance guy work on the electric with no success, they finally sent me across the drive to one of their "emergency" spots (they keep it open in case of emergency, and the maintenance guy said that no electric counted as an emergency!). It's a nicer spot: shadier (right under a big tree), wider and flatter. And some really good WiFi, hence this post.

I'm completely exhausted, so I suspect it's going to be a shower and then an early night (then again, they all have been!). I plan to do little or nothing tomorrow but relax (and explore the cave), as the town is having Mark Twain Days this weekend, with a street fair and parades and suchlike, which I'll do Saturday and probably Sunday. I'm here until Monday, since I figure I'll be better able to find campspots after the holiday weekend is over.

I'm finding it amusing that parked next to my mini-motorhome is a conversion bus (which if it isn't actually twice as long as my baby, is close), pulling a full-sized SUV complete with bikes on the back. It's a study in contrasts: we're the alpha and omega of motor homes!