As I continue my trek down the Mississippi River, yesteerday I was in Clarksville, MO. In the second photo, I am sitting on a monument dedicated to the people who helped save the town from the flood of 1973. The mark on the monument just below my feet indicated the high water mark from that flood. 
On Saturday, I attended the Colorfest Parade in Louisiana, MO. The parade came right down the street through the three blocks of booths. There were several bands and lots of fire trucks. 
While I was in Hannibal, the new paddlewheeler "Queen of the Mississippi" stopped for a few hours on its trip from St. Paul, Minnesota, to St. Louis, Missouri.
Last week I was in Hannibal, MO, and visited the boyhood home of Samuel Clemons (Mark Twain). Twain lived in the house behind this fence from the time he was about four years old until he was 17. I did not pay to whitewash the fence!!
I went for a bike ride today along the Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa, with cousins Jim and Pat. This tug boat and barges were near the bank, waiting to go through the locks. 
Today I spent some time in the Oelwein, Iowa, area, and visited the Amish country. They seem to take good care of their horses.
On Tuesday, I visited the Pony Express Home Station in Marysville, KS, This was the first station west of St. Joseph, MO, where a rider could get some sleep while passing the mail onto another rider who would continue the journey. The young rider had already changed horses about 10 times. In ten days, the mail would make it to Sacramento, CA by horseback and then by boat to San Francisco.
Warmest regards, Gus
