Flying Plates

CHAPTER 3: HANNIBAL, MISSOURI

The story so far…on the morning of departure, Goldie the cat disappears. After searching for a couple hours, Mom decides to just wait until the cat gets back. Meanwhile Conner convinces her to wait an extra day so he can play in his baseball game that afternoon. Mom and Ben have a talk, wondering how the trip would be different if Dad were alive. Mom reminds Ben that the trip is to honor Dad.

We were out early the next morning, Nate and I in the back, and Conner in the front, playing on his phone. “Put your phone away and look at the scenery,” Mom said sternly. “I want you to enjoy this experience and not have your eyes glued to a screen.”

She had an atlas on her lap, as well as google maps on her phone. But she didn’t believe in planning out the whole trip ahead of time. She liked to make spur-of-the-moment decisions if something unexpected came up that seemed like fun. Last summer while driving in the northern tip of Wisconsin, she saw a sign with an arrow – “Lost Lake Hike.” She swerved last minute into an overgrown parking area. We found a trail that was practically hidden and took a cool hike down to Lake Superior. It was beautiful, and we watched the sun set. Not a single person was there.

Sometimes her last minute decisions back fired. We hit a few campgrounds that were full, and then we had to try to find another one, sometimes in the dark. Once, we had to settle for a terrible motel late at night, the only one that had a vacancy. It had stains on the ceiling and walls. Smelled too.

But this morning, I was excited to get going. The sun was a red ball to the east, and the corn in the field was growing strong. Mom got to the highway and headed South. “First stop, Hannibal, Missouri.” She announced. “We’ll start the trip with a little history about Mark Twain.” Fact is, Conner had read both Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. But Mom decided I should read Tom Sawyer too, so we read the first few chapters together before the trip. It wasn’t the easiest book to read.

I wasn’t crazy about sitting in the car all day, but soon Nate and I were engrossed in “Connect the Dots” on my ipad, and I lost track of time… until my tummy growled.

“I’m hungry. When’s breakfast?” I asked Mom. She always packed lots of food, so we didn’t have to eat in restaurants. We had picnics for breakfast and lunch, and then she’d cook supper at the campground. It was her way to save money on our trips. “Camping and cooking our own meals is the cheapest way to travel,” she would say. “Money doesn’t grow on trees, you know.”

“We’ll look for a rest stop when we get into Illinois. Still an hour or so. Relax and enjoy the scenery.” Mom loved the chance to be away from technology and spending time together. She called it “good, oldfashioned fun.”

We stopped south of Rockford at a rest area. While Mom carried the food box over to a picnic table, Conner lugged the cooler. After orange juice, hard boiled eggs, and granola bars, we walked around, even threw the Frisbee a few times. But Mom was impatient to get going, so we packed up and switched places. It was my turn in the front seat. “I figure you won’t get bored if we change up the seating every few hours,” she explained.

We followed the Rock River until it hit the Mississippi at Iowa and then headed south along the river. By late afternoon, Mom drove into Hannibal. The campground was right in town, and it was pretty full, mostly giant campers. There was only a small area for tents. But our tent site was nearest the river.

It took us a while to organize our camp. Conner and Nate set up the two tents and put in the sleeping bags. I helped Mom with the meal. After everything was set up, and Mom was stirring the stew; Nate and I went off to explore. We headed right to the river, through tall grass. Taking off

my socks and shoes, I waded out into the water. “It’s cold. Come on!”

“I don’t know if your mom wants us in the river.” Nate hesitated.

“Oh come on! We’ll stay near the shore.” We walked against the current, splashing each other and laughing. When Mom called for dinner, we hustled back, hoping she wouldn’t notice our wet clothes.

“I guess I know where you two were hanging out,” she said sternly, but without anger. We sat and scarfed down the hot dog stew.

“Tomorrow, we’ll visit the Mark Twain house and museum. Then we’ll take a tour of the cave near the Mississippi that Twain used in Tom Sawyer. It should be fun.”

As the evening wore on, more and more people arrived. Dogs were barking, and kids on their bikes were racing back and forth. The guy and girl next to us got in an argument and were yelling at each other, using bad language.

“This is why I don’t like these city campgrounds,” Mom complained, finishing the dishes. “We hear everyone’s business. Might as well be back in Marysville.”

She came and sat next to me with her book and journal. “But let’s make the most of it. People will go to bed soon. I brought along a few logs, so we can have our own quiet campfire.”

Just then, a large camper pulled in nearby. Several young guys jumped out. Someone strung up lights that transformed the place into a bright parking lot. They set up a sound system and turned on music. Soon they were talking loud and dancing. It was hard to concentrate on our small fire. Not to mention, the mosquitoes had joined us.

When two of the guys started wrestling, Mom stood up and said loudly, “This is ridiculous! I’ve never seen anything so inconsiderate! I’m going to find the camp host.” She stomped off and came back with a uniformed man. He went over and talked to the group.

Still angry, Mom said, “This is enough, guys! We’re off to bed. We have stuff to do tomorrow.”

Curriculum Activities 1. Why did Mom tell Ben to put away his phone?

2. Ben commented that his mom’s last-minute decisions sometimes backfired. In your journal, recall a time when a decision you made had an unexpected outcome – for better or worse?

3. What book did Mom recommend to Ben? Why?

4. Why did Mom think that city campgrounds were the worst?

To Be Continued: Thursday May 3

We followed the Rock River until it hit the Mississippi at Iowa and then headed south along the river. By late afternoon, Mom drove into Hannibal. The campground was right in town.