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Showing posts with the label Route 61

Mark Twain's Boyhood Home



Samuel Clemens, the American author and humorist known best by his pen name Mark Twain, grew up Hannibal, Missouri. Clemens' boyhood hometown provided the setting and basis for the characters in his stories about Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer.

The home in which he lived as a boy is now part of a museum. Each room contains a statue of Mark Twain with a quote taken from his commentary as he visited the home late in his life.  









Huck Finn House




This house was the home of Samuel Clemens' boyhood friend Tom Blankenship, on whom the Huck Finn character was based.







Tom Sawyer & Huck Finn






Old Brick House




The Old Brick House restaurant is housed in the oldest brick building west of the Mississippi River. We chose them because they appeared to be the only place open and some online reviews suggested they had great fried chicken. 

We opted for the dinner buffet, which includes their fried chicken. The food was nothing special, but satisfied our hunger. The menu and buffet reminded me of what I remember of restaurants 30 years ago. If we pass by here again, I think I'll look for another option.



Sikeston Explosion




As we drove north in US Route 61 towards Sikeston, Missouri, a pillar of smoke appeared ahead of us. Just east of the town of Matthews, we were directed into another direction and had to adjust our plans for the day.




Credit Card






Did taping photocopies of your credit card to gas pumps in order to demonstrate how to insert a card seem a good idea at the time?

Blytheville Greyhound Bus Station



The old Blytheville Greyhound Bus Station is a prime example of the  Art Moderne style.






Corvette exoskeletons




Computers and Corvettes -- a match made in Osceola.


The Far Side of The River




Ahead lies a bit of Tennessee that is on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River serves as a border between most of the states it touches; however, the river has moved since the borders were officially surveyed and recorded.  This results in pockets of these river-border states being on the far side of the river -- cut off from the rest of the state.

Flooded roads kept us out of this particular pocket of Tennessee.





Levee Llama






Dead Tree, Live Tree






Turrell











Truck


Watch For Turns

Watch for turns. They can sneak up on you without warning.


Grain Elevator


USS Cairo

Vicksburg National Military Park > USS Cairo Gunboat



The USS Cairo is one of seven steam-powered ironclad gunboats designed and built by James Eads for the Union Navy during the US civil war. All seven gunboats were built within 100 days.  The Cairo was sunk by a mine in December 1852 on the Yazoo River.  The wreck was discovered in 1956, and raised -- in pieces -- 102 years after she sank.