The Rundown
Low point of the day: After driving an hour and a half outside of Hannibal toward St. Louis, I realize that I forgot my reporting notepad back at the hotel. We retrace our steps and drive an extra 150 miles. Ugh!
High point of the day: We break for lunch in Clarksville, 50 miles south of Hannibal. The town appears tiny so we're surprised by all that we find: a group of people taking a class on how to make chairs from willow branches, the highest point along the Mississippi that's accessible by an old-school ski lift, several high-end art galleries, and a fabulous restaurant with its own vegetable and herb garden. All of this in a town with a population of 490.
Sound bite of the day: When we first arrive in Clarksville, we drive up to the waterfront where some folks are loading sandbags into the trunk of the car. No, there wasn't a flood (at least not when we were there). The bags were "decor" at the thank-you dinner the town threw the night before for the volunteers who helped with last summer's flood. Apparently, this area was one of the hardest hit in the 2008 Mississippi flood. The National Guard showed up. Reporters from Tokyo and Germany. People magazine. And hundreds of volunteers who saved the town by filling sandbags.
Later, we talk to Dale Appel, who lives eight miles inland from Clarksville. Last summer, he brought his family to the riverfront to help fill sand bags and he told us about the experience.
Most interesting person encountered: When we meet John Whitt (pictured above) in Clarksville, he's teaching a chair-making class. In the driveway of his daughter's 1800s home, he's showing a group how to bend willow branches into a form that looks like a piece of artwork yet serves as a comfortable chair. We later visit the Bent Tree gallery, which Whitt runs with his wife, Marcia, who hand-weaves baskets, and his daughter, Stacy, who makes leather purses.
Photo of the day: Cat fish skeletons decorate a fence somewhere in between Hannibal and Clarksville.
Total miles: 1559
Hours in car: 5
Total hours in car: 32
Weather: 85 degrees. It's a lovely day.
Expenses
Hotel: $89.99 (Best Western on the River; newly remodeled hotel that's right in town and only one block from Mark Twain's boyhood home)
Breakfast: free at hotel
Lunch: $30.49 (Clarksville Station; more on this restaurant in an upcoming post)
Gas: $17.63 (only $2.49 in Louisiana, Mo.; the cheapest yet)
Dinner: $24 (Hodak's in St. Louis; perfectly crispy fried chicken)
Total for the day: $162.11
Total for the trip: 1280.02
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