Pan and Syrinx

Depew Memorial Fountain

Rocket Slide

A neighborhood park in Keokuk, Iowa, contains a blast from the past: a rocket slide. I was surprised to see one of these still in use. This brought back fond childhood memories of a rocket slide elsewhere -- including memories of being afraid to go down the rocket slide.

A bit of web searching reveals that the slide was recently restored, brought into compliance with current playground safety requirements, and placed in Keokuk's Triangle Park. I'm glad to see that new generations get to enjoy the slide while past generations recall memories of playing on the rocket slide. 

Avian Travelers

Warsaw Riverfront Park

We came across a nice little park by the Mississippi River in Warsaw, Illinois.  The Warsaw Riverfront Park is available for day use and overnight camping. We found the park to be filled with avian travelers -- geese.

Glascock's Landing

Alton Riverfront Park

Alton, Illinois, is one of the few river cites we've encountered so far on our journey up the Mississippi River from which views of the river are not obstructed by levees or flood walls.

Malcolm Martin Memorial Park

The 43 foot tall Mississippi River Overlook in East Saint Louis' Malcolm Martin Memorial Park provides great views of the Saint Louis skyline.

The Graveyard

We encountered another flooded riverside park on the north end of Thebes, Illinois.

A sign at the park explained that the stretch of river passing by here was once known as "The Graveyard" due to the large number of steamboats that sank in this congested stretch of river with frequently changing depth. In was reported in 1867 that there were 133 sunken boats sitting on the bottom of the Mississippi between Cairo and Saint Louis.

On the day we visited it wasn't boats that ran aground. It was the river itself that had run aground -- consuming this park and other parts of the small river town of Thebes.