Another COE Park and Mark Twain

We really like staying at the Corps of Engineer parks. Especially since, with the Golden Age pass we can stay for half price. The parks were we stayed on the Mississippi River cost us $9.00 a night. This park in Missouri on Mark Twain Lake is only $8.00 a night. They do have some full hook up sites here at Ray Behrens park, they would be $12.00 a night, but they were all full when we came in last Saturday. The parks are sometimes out of the way, we are about 25 miles from Hannibal, but they have all been well cared for, clean parks. I had bought the book RVer's Guide to Corps of Engineers Campgrounds before we started this life style and have just now started to look for these parks. I will be using the book a lot more now. You can make reservations through Reserve America, but we would rather just take our chances since they do have about half of the sites as non-reservable sites.

We have been touring the area for the past couple of days. Yesterday we went to Hannibal and toured the area of Mark Twain's childhood and today we toured his birth home in the little town of Florida, Missouri. Here are some pictures we took in Hannibal.


We toured the interpretive center, his home, and the museum. I never knew that Norman Rockwell did the illustrations for Tom Sawyer and Huckaberry Finn. His original paintings are in the museum. I think I need to go back and read his books. He never finished school, his father died when he was 10 and he was sent to work for his older brother is his printing shop.

He spent some years as a riverboat pilot. Years later he remembered how they measured the depth of the water. A lead weight attached to a rope was tossed out in front of the boat. A series of knots were tied in the rope at measured distances, A mark is the same as a fathom on the ocean - six feet. Twain means two. A knot at 'mark twain' thus meant twelve feet, a safe depth for riverboats. Thus he interpreted Mark Twain as "safe water ahead".

In Florida, his birthplace we toured the museum that actually has his birth house inside. The museum was designed by his only living daughter, Clare. It was built around the original house.

Mark Twain was born 2 months early in November 1836 with Haleys Comet in the sky. He died 74 years later in 1910 again with Haleys Comet in the sky!

Reagan Birthplace and Boyhood Home

We have been here at Sunset Lakes RV Park since last Saturday. This is the view out our front window. That's Ed over there fishing!



Monday we finally got the motorhome washed and we were going to start waxing, however it started to rain yesterday morning and it rain all day!!!




So we decided to go for a ride. I knew that Ronald Reagan had grown up in Dixon, Illinois so that was where we were headed. Before we got to Dixon though we started seeing signs for his birthplace. We arrived in the small town of Tampico and got to see the apartment where he was actually born.

There is a picture of this apartment with a rainbow that seems to end at the building. This rainbow appeared after a local thunderstorm on the day he was elected president. Its said that he kept that picture for inspiration during his presidency.

When he was just 3 months old, his father got a job in Dixon. Ronald Reagan lived in Dixon until he went to college.

Both the apartment in Tampico and the house in Dixon have been restored, however the furnishings are of the era but did not actually belong to them.

It was an enjoyable drive and we arrived back at the RV park to see that our neighbors had left. We were very happy about this, as these people would get up at very early to start a fire and would keep this fire burning all day long! It was very close to the rear of our motorhome and the wind would carry the smoke right over the motorhome. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a fire in the evening also but I see no reason to have one going all day long. They were not using this fire to cook, just sitting around it all day. We are very glad they are gone.

Today it is still very cloudy and shows signs of raining again so we are going to the casino for a while. Wish us luck!!

Another Corp of Engineers Park

We left Thompson Causeway COE park last Monday and spent 3 nights at the Isle of Capri Casino. We had no hook ups, we were boondocking but the lot was quiet and level so we stayed. Monday Ed played in a poker tournament but didn't do well.

Tuesday we traveled the area some and discovered that William F. Cody, aka Buffalo Bill was born right here in LeClaire, Iowa. We toured what was supposed to be the Buffalo Bill Museum but actually it turned out to be more of a museum of antiques from LeClaire. They also have an original steamboat that they are restoring.

Wednesday Ed went to play poker and won back what he lost in the tournament so we enjoyed dinner at the buffet. Prime Rib and peel and eat shrimp that was excellent!! We did stuff ourselves!!

Thursday we moved over to this COE park, Fisherman's Corner. It is a much smaller park than Thompson, but it is just as nice. Here is our site. Not on the river but you can walk to it.


Here is a white pelican fishing amongst the lily pads.

And the lily pads have big yellow flowers.


Tomorrow we move to Sunset Lake RV park. We need to take some time to wash and wax the motorhome before moving on.