I slept in this morning. I'd gotten 2 insect bites in Carlinsville which had swelled out by yesterday evening. I put on ant-hystamine cream and took a double dose of tablets which seemed to knock me out. As a result I wasn't on the road until 10am.
Today I was only doing 36 miles in to Hannibal on the mississippi where I would stay for July 4th. I left in a heavy drizzle on a very gloomy, overcast morning. The countryside became very undul;ating, a contrast to what I'd become used to in Illinois. Still, I was able to tip away easily enough. I got as far as Hull, a small village 9 miles from Hannibal where I road closure caused me to detour about 6 miles.
At this point the drizzle turned to heavy rain, and, for the first time since Poughkeepsie I had to wear full rain gear. By 2pm I was crossing the Mississippi. This was a huge landmark on the journey. It also marked the border with Missouri, my 11th state. I had imagined crossing the Mississippi a few times but eventhough the river was in flood, it wasn't as big as I had imagined. Still, it was a big mane to cross on this journey.
Hannibal turned into an interesting stop. The town itself was ok. It was the childhood home of the author Mark Twain and provided the inspiration & characters for the adventures of Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn. A fairly vibrant tourist industry has grown around this theme and the 4th of July here isn't Independence day but National Tom Sawyer Day!
The town itself normally fronts onto the Mississippi but, with all the recent flooding, the lower portion of the town. is boarded up with large hoarding and earthen levees to keep the river at bay. A four day festival of activities themed on the Tom Sawyer stories was taking place and the town had the typical air of a country town during a summer festival. There was street music, amusements, aromas from the various food vendors and a tented fair selling knick-knacks & souvenirs in one square. Families strolled along, pulling at pink cotton candy, while excited kids asked their parents for more money to go on another amusement ride. People lounged outside bars sipping on sodas. I didn't see any beer or anybody drunk. Tomorow, However was the big day with a full programme of events.
Today I was only doing 36 miles in to Hannibal on the mississippi where I would stay for July 4th. I left in a heavy drizzle on a very gloomy, overcast morning. The countryside became very undul;ating, a contrast to what I'd become used to in Illinois. Still, I was able to tip away easily enough. I got as far as Hull, a small village 9 miles from Hannibal where I road closure caused me to detour about 6 miles.
At this point the drizzle turned to heavy rain, and, for the first time since Poughkeepsie I had to wear full rain gear. By 2pm I was crossing the Mississippi. This was a huge landmark on the journey. It also marked the border with Missouri, my 11th state. I had imagined crossing the Mississippi a few times but eventhough the river was in flood, it wasn't as big as I had imagined. Still, it was a big mane to cross on this journey.
Hannibal turned into an interesting stop. The town itself was ok. It was the childhood home of the author Mark Twain and provided the inspiration & characters for the adventures of Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn. A fairly vibrant tourist industry has grown around this theme and the 4th of July here isn't Independence day but National Tom Sawyer Day!
The town itself normally fronts onto the Mississippi but, with all the recent flooding, the lower portion of the town. is boarded up with large hoarding and earthen levees to keep the river at bay. A four day festival of activities themed on the Tom Sawyer stories was taking place and the town had the typical air of a country town during a summer festival. There was street music, amusements, aromas from the various food vendors and a tented fair selling knick-knacks & souvenirs in one square. Families strolled along, pulling at pink cotton candy, while excited kids asked their parents for more money to go on another amusement ride. People lounged outside bars sipping on sodas. I didn't see any beer or anybody drunk. Tomorow, However was the big day with a full programme of events.
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