The Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
in Hannibal, Missouri
May 21, 2012
USA state showing loction of Missourimap of Missouri showing location of Hannibalsign: Missouri welcomes youwater tank: America's Hometown

Hannibal. Missouri has a total area of 15.1 square miles of which 14.6 square miles is land and 0.5 square miles is water. Hannibal is located by The Mississippi River in Marion and Ralls Counties and approximately 100 miles northwest of St. Louis. The site of Hannibal was previously occupied by early settlers and Native American tribes. It was laid out as a town in 1819 by Moses Bates. Hannibal had gained city status by 1845.

The community is best known as the boyhood home of author Mark Twain and as the setting of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, with numerous historical sites related to Mark Twain and sites depicted in his fiction.

sign about the City of Hannibal
Sign - Welcome to Hannibal
Below: The Mark Twain Memorial Bridge
The Mark Twain Memorial Bridge is the name for two bridges over the Mississippi River at Hannibal, Missouri, childhood home of Mark Twain, for whom the bridge is named. The current bridge, north of the original site, was finished in 2000; the original bridge, built in 1936, was demolished. The bridge currently carries traffic for Interstate 72 and U.S. Highway 36. The state of Missouri has put up a stone picture of Twain on the Missouri side of the bridge. This is a Truss bridge and the total length of the bridge is 4,491 feet and the longest span is 640 feet.
sign about the Mark Twain Memorial Bridge
The Mark Twain Memorial Bridge
Below: The boyhood home of Mark Twain in Hannibal, Missouri
sign about The boyhood home of Mark Twain
The boyhood home of Mark Twain
sign for the tour of the Mark Twain Museum
sign about Tom Sawyer's fence
Below: Mark Twain's Father's Law Office
sign about Mark Twain's Father's Law Office
Mark Twain's Father's Law Office
Below: A view inside Mark Twain's Father's Law Office
- photo taken through glass so notice Lee's outline in the photo below.
view inside Mark Twain's Father's Law Office
sign about Becky Thatcher's Home
Becky Thatcher's Home
sign about The Hatten House
A rotating coffee cup above a diner.A rotating coffe cup above a diner.
Below: Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse on Cardiff Hill
View of the Lighthouse as seen from downtown Hannibal, Missouri. The lighthouse on Cardiff Hill has a panoramic view of Hannibal and the Mississippi River. It is reached by 244 stairs which begin at the north end of Main Street, OR you can also drive your car close to the lighthouse and avoid all but a few stairs.
sign about Cardiff Hill Overlook in Hannibal
View of the Lighthouse as seen from downtown Hannibal, Missouri
Below: The bronze statue sculpted in 1925 of Twain's most memorable and mischievous characters, Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn walking along the banks of the mighty Mississippi River can be seen at the bottom of the stairs.
Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn statues
history bookHistory of Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse on Cardiff Hill, Hannibal, Missouri
The Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse sits on 10 acres of park on Cardiff Hill, Mark Twain's boyhood home town, on the banks of the Mississippi River, a favorite play area of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, and the gang.

It is the furthest inland lighthouse in the world and was first lighted in 1935 by President Franklin Roosevelt from the White House in celebration of Mark Twain's 100th birthday. It was re-lighted by President Kennedy in 1963, and rededicated and re-lighted by President Clinton in 1994.

In 2001, the lighthouse underwent additional renovation through grants from the National Park Service and the Missouri Division of State Parks. The lighthouse's beacon has served to remind visitors from around the world of the spirit of adventure chronicled in Mark Twain's books. This spirit was brought to life in Twain's characters Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, and Becky Thatcher.
A Flower Garden at the bottom of the lighthouse - with lots of butterflies.
A Flower Garden at the bottom of the lighthouse -
A Flower Garden at the bottom of the lighthouse -
Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse
Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse
Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse
Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse
Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse
Below: The Mississippi River as viewed from
Cardiff Hill in Hannibal, Missouri.

Below: Downtown Hannibal as viewed
from Cardiff Hill
The Mississippi River as viewed from Cardiff Hill in Hannibal, Missouri.
Downtown Hannibal as viewed
a wild rabbit
flowers
Below: The two RV Gypsies in Hannibal, Missouri - by the Mississippi River
Karen Duquette by the Hannibal sign and railroad
Lee Duquette by the Mississippi River in Hannibal, Missouri
Below: The Mark Twain Riverboat * Center Street Landing * Hannibal, MO 63401

The Sightseeing Cruise consisted of a one-hour cruise with commentary on the river's history, legends and sights. A snack bar with sandwiches and beverages was available on this trip.

The Dinner Cruise was a two- hour cruise with a one-time-go-through buffet, live entertainment, dancing and beverages. On the dinner cruise everyone was escorted to a table, then everyone was free to roam the boat until the Captain announced that dinner was ready. At that time everyone returned to their assigned table and the cruise director directed everyone to the buffet table.

After dinner everyone was free to roam the boat, dance and/or sit back and enjoy the entertainment. On weeknights LA Suess plays a banjo and harmonica and plays showboat era music, Dixieland and a little bit of gospel. The dress was casual. Sunday-Friday 2 hours - $37.95 plus tax- Saturday - $39.95 per adult plus tax Child - $21.95

a wood carving by the Mark Twain Riverboat
the Mark Twain Riverboat
Below: The Mark Twain Statue and plaque in Riverview Park
The Mark Twain Statue
plaque on the Mark Twain Statue
sign: Welcome to Lovers Leap
Lover's Leap
in Hannibal, Missouri
sign about the Legend of Lovers Leap
Lovver's Leap sign
Lovver's Leap in Hannibal, Missouri
view from Lovver's Leap in Hannibal, Missouri
view from Lovver's Leap in Hannibal, Missouri
Lovver's Leap in Hannibal, Missouri
close-up of the colorful rock of Lovver's Leap in Hannibal, Missouri
a big bird flying overhead
The Indian Brave and Indian Princess
The Great Flood of 1993
The sign on the building below showed the water level during The Great Flood of 1993.
water level of the Great Flood of 1993

The size and impact of the Great Flood of 1993 was unprecedented and has been considered the most costly and devastating flood to ravage the U.S. in modern history, as of this date. The number of record river levels, the aerial extent, the number of persons displaced, amount of crop and property damage and its duration surpassed all earlier U.S. floods in modern times.

Uniquely extreme weather and hydrologic conditions led to the flood of 1993. The stage was set in 1992 with a wet fall which resulted in above normal soil moisture and reservoir levels in the Missouri and Upper Mississippi River basins.


These conditions were followed by persistent weather patterns that produced storms over the same locations. Their persistent, repetitive nature and aerial extent throughout the late spring and summer, bombarded the Upper Midwest with voluminous rainfall amounts. Some areas received more than 4 feet of rain during the period.

In the St. Louis National Weather Service (NWS) forecast area encompassing eastern Missouri and southwest Illinois, 36 forecast points rose above flood stage, and 20 river stage records were broken. The 1993 flood broke record river levels set during the 1973 Mississippi and the 1951 Missouri River floods.

In April, the Mississippi River had crested 6 to 10 feet above flood stage and once again near the same levels during the month of May.

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Hannibal, Missouri:
Boyhood home of Mark Twain,

Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse on Cardiff Hill,
Lovers Leap and more

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