Hannibal, MO June 4

We drove about 2 hours north to Hannibal, MO to visit Mark Twain's boyhood home.   The campground was in the Mark Twain Campground complex and was nicely wooded.   The cicadas were there, too!   While we didn't tour the caves, there was a steady stream of tourists who were eager to go in and experience where Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn got lost.   It was another very hot day, so I imagine that it was likely much cooler in there too -- wish I'd have thought of THAT while we were there!   It would have afforded some relief from the heat and humidity.  

The Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum Complex were very nicely done.   The Interpretive center showed how closely Mark Twain's writing were related to Tom Sawyer's escapades with Huck.  We toured Mark Twain's boyhood home and the Huck Finn house, and saw Mr. Clemens Justice of the Peace office and Grant's Drug Store, where the family lived for a portion of their time.  Becky Thatcher's house was closed for restoration, so all we could do was peek in the window.   Not much to see unless you like ladders and dry wall buckets :-(

We ate lunch in a small cafe in the Historic district.   The BBQ pork sandwiches were wonderful but HUGE!   I think we had a loaf of French bread between us.   After lunch we drove up Hill St. to the Rockcliffe Mansion, a 13,500 ft. castle built overlooking the Mississippi between 1898 and 1900.  It was built by lumber baron John J. Cruikshank who lived in the home with his wife and four daughters until 1924.  Mark Twain made his last visit to Hannibal in 1902.   He addressed 300 guests from the grand staircase.   The house was closed for 43 years, and just days before demolition it was saved by a preservation group from the city.   Most of the original antique furnishings and fixtures are still in the home.   The house is not air conditioned, so the docent gave us each a woven palm fan to use to stay relatively cool.   We were the only ones on the tour at two, but when we returned to the entrance there were about 16 people waiting for the next tour.   

We left Sunday for Amana, Iowa and stayed until Tuesday morning.    The temps on Monday were 98 in Amana, and Tuesday promised to be equally as hot.   What an understatement!   When we arrived in Fairmont, MN they temp was 99 with a 40 mph wind blowing; Mankato had a toasty temp of 101, unheard of this early in the summer!    Today it reached a much more reasonable 78 degrees with low humidity.   Whew!   Glad that hot spell ended!  It was so nice that we hit the walking trail this afternoon and we walked about 4 miles.   Sure felt great!   Had dinner outdoors Wednesday evening at  a bar located on the shore of one of the 5 lakes in Fairmont.