Chapter 16 Hannibal, MO, Mark Twain, Spooky caves and a Birthday

I cross into Missouri for the first time on the only stretch of Interstate it is legal to ride a bicycle on in the state of Illinois. I-72 is the only way for the MRT to cross to Hannibal, MO so apparently somehow the bicycle restrictions were suspended.  I recall once driving on the interstate in Montana and seeing a bunch of loaded down cyclists riding the shoulder and I thought what idiots they were.  You mean they could not find a better route?  Well it was my turn now to be the idiot.  It is a strange feeling as the monstrous green exit signs pass overhead.  You are out of place but the reality is that with a broad shoulder it is better and safer than ordinary highways.  

Interstate 72 Bike Path

Snookered into whitewashing Tom's Fence

 Hannibal is of course the home of Sam Clemens where he lived as a boy and later became one of America's most famous authors using his alias Mark Twain (which is actually an adopted steamboat navigation term).  We stayed a the Mark Twain Campground /Secret cave / Winery.  That pretty much covered it.  I toured the cave the next morning. It was a crisscross of passageways formed millions of years ago but more significantly was the boyhood playground of young Sam who later featured it in many of of his stories.  The interior is covered in graffiti that goes back to 1886 when it was first discovered and includes the signature of outlaw Jesse James who holed up there after robbing a bank. The fame obviously became a gold mine for a series of subsequent cave owners who currently charge the  princely sum of $20 for a 60 minute tour.  Hannibal has smartly played up its Mark Twain connection and has many building linked to him.

Mark Twain Cave

Lesser known is that Hannibal is also the home of Molly Brown, aka "Unsinkable" who became a progressive women's right advocate and even ran for Senate before women could vote.  Kathy Bates played her in the film "Titanic".
I studied the guidebook and gleaned the information that I would avoid yet more hills outside of Hannibal if I backtracked to the Illinois side avoiding 40 miles of roller coaster terrain.  Illinois was easy and flat and my only challenge was to cross back into the town of Louisiana, MO across a steep, narrow bridge that was not that fun.  As today was Sue's birthday we celebrated by staying in a cozy cabin on the edge of town and dining out at the Golden Corral buffet.  OK, it is pretty lame but it was the best I could do with what was available.  I could have bought her a "Mark Twain Cave" t-shirt at the gift shop but thought better of it.