We traveled through a sea of corn and soybean plants, the prow of our craft plowing the rolling waves of verdure. Mile after mile of lush growth surrounded us as far as the eye could see. To be honest, we couldn't see very far because the corn tended to be taller than the windows of the little white ship in which we sailed.
We were off to the Midwest, crossing Wyld-oming, a Nebrask, and the Wa of Io to traverse the mighty Mrs. Ippi into the Illinois country to Carthage and Nauvoo. We book-ended the tour with jails -- from which we were released on our good looks and charm (or perhaps encouraged to leave with all possible speed would be more accurate).
Everything was interesting, and the sites, along with the company, helped to remind me that there are more important things than concerts and cruises, shows and shops, and so forth. If families are forever, both family and forever deserve our attention in daily allotments.
We had wild nights of pulse-pounding cribbage games--yes, we live life in the fast lane with no guard rail. Some were run-away affairs and others came down to crucial one point nail-bitters. For the record, I think I came out ahead at 4 wins to the 3 wins by the other players. I left my contact solution at a previous hotel, but our hotel that night at Keokuk was in the Walmart parking lot, so I was able to run over and pick up a small bottle 10 minutes before it closed. I had believed that Walmarts were open 24/7, but that one was closing at 11.
The stories in the car were a high point. The patriarch told of his motorcycle trip at 15 across Idaho into Wyoming, which included a rain storm, a flat tire, a broken spark plug, and an accidental death. There was the time he wore a girl's swimming suit, the incident of the blasting cap in the fireplace, and many more. We even got a few of the stories recorded.
On the ox-cart ride in Nauvoo, we learned that oxen pull so slowly that it may be faster to lay on one's belly and breaststroke across the prairie. The performing missionaries were particularly fun and we had a nice visit with a few of them after one of their performance. Unfortunately, we missed what was supposed to be the best performance that involved all 30 of them because it was moved back an hour and we were out of time. We took a wagon ride behind a team of Percherons and enjoyed the tour. If I have the choice to travel by ox or Percheron, unless it's to my death, I'll choose the latter. We visited Browning's gun shop and a few other places. All of the folks giving the tours were well informed and exemplary hosts for the brief time that we were their guests. The guide at Carthage jail enhanced the tale by walking through the motions in the upper room as he related the story of mob attack, the death of Hiram, wounding of John Taylor, and Joseph's shooting and falling from the window.
I made a command decision to take the detour to Missouri to see Liberty jail. We got there just before closing and the guide took pity on us to take us on the tour. Another win for our triple attack of good looks, wit, and charm -- or an example of the kindness of the folks who do those tours.
I was disappointed that Mound City, MO, doesn't actually contain any mound builder sites, and that I came so close to Cahokia without realizing it and going to see the place. Everything else has to go in the win category for this trip--except, I just remembered, for the breaded pork chop sandwich at the Casey's gas and convenience store in Nauvoo. There's a reason the item is entirely concealed in wrap; even the ketchup and swiss cheese I added could not redeem the hardened shingle between two slices of bun. On the other hand, the Nashville chicken wings at the Maverick station in Rock Springs, Wyoming had exactly the right amount of spice to make me want more. -- You can see that we patronized only the finest dining establishments. I particularly enjoyed some small powdered donuts of a brand with which I was not familiar from a gas station in Missouri where the clerk recognized the Boise State Bronco logo on the patriarch's hat. When we picked up a bag of a familiar brand of similar items the next day near Brigham City, Utah, the clerk congratulated us on our "healthy" breakfast choice. I stared into her green eyes and noted that we refused to compromise when it comes to nutrition.
Those are the highlights of the 2023 trip, our third annual celebration of sharing the same name.
Thank-you for sharing! Perhaps you have inspired me to make the 300 mile drive down and try to find family homesites and graves? After my daughter spent five years in Iowa City, and I had moved her seven times, I found that I could have driven just that much further and seen Nauvoo, alas! Sincerest apologies over the pork chop: Casey's is our fine dining go-to and is renowned for pizza. Small restaurants all over the state compete annually for best pork chop, Casey's is never a finalist. So nice to have someone appreciate our miles of waving corn and soybeans ;)
ReplyDeleteI nearly chose the pizza, but my son told me that he had had the pizza there before and warned me to avoid it. There are no fast food places in Nauvoo, except for Casey's
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