We woke up this morning, packed and headed straight to (well, after coffee at Parengo Coffee in Sikeston, which was pretty good) the New Madrid (MAD-RID) History Museum to learn about the earthquakes of 1811-1812. This museum was high on my list of must-sees just because of how epically horrible the earthquakes were in this area (mitigated only by the fact that there were almost no people in the area at the time). The museum had a good amount of information about the quakes including eyewitness accounts of enormous waves on the river, acres of land collapsing into the river, fissures opening up, etc. The museum director was very enthusiastic and gave us a good deal of background information before letting us wander on our own. Also, there was an earthquake simulator with blocks and straps that the kids enjoyed playing with. The idea was to assemble the blocks and straps in a way that they wouldn't collapse. As it turns out, it takes a lot of straps to keep the structure from collapsing when the earthquake machine is set to its highest setting.
Following the New Madrid museum, we decided to visit Reelfoot Lake in Tenesee. This was on the opposite side of the river, and in the part of the world, there aren't all that many bridges. So, the options were to go significantly South to cross the river, then head back North to Reelfoot, or, go North a little ways from New Madrid, cross at the Hickman Ferry, and then continue South to Reelfoot. We decided on the latter.
The road that the GPS sent us on to get to the ferry ran right along the river levee almost the entire way. It was not all that well maintained and was dirt in places, in other words, awesome adventure. Along the way, we saw a pull-off for a river access area. We stopped and took a look. The river was so peaceful. No big cities (no cities at all, actually, since we were between small towns), no barges, just quiet (and the rain). Anyway. We continued on and arrived just as the ferry was docking. So, the timing was good AND this ferry was actually running. Interesting things about the journey: when the ferry arrived it was carrying a semi (no trailer), there was a soda machine on the ferry, the tow boat (?) part of the ferry is connected to the part of the boat that hauls the cars by a big ol' hinge. When they change directions, they don't actually turn the whole ferry around, just move the tow around on the hinge so it is facing the other direction.
That accomplished, we looked for lunch. We found Memaw's in Hickman, KY. This was the only restaurant (I think) in the small town. It was in a pretty dilapidated building but the people were friendly and the food was good.
When we got to Reelfort Lake, we had a bit of an adventure because the route the GPS suggested was something like a forest road to nowhere. We followed the road to nowhere to its end (it was a fun adventure, even if it got us nowhere near the lake) and then backtracked and drove to the visitors center. The visitors center was rather diverting since it had owls and other raptors that were injured or could no longer live in the wild. We spent some time looking at, and imitating the sounds of a number of owls before proceeding to the lake.
There was a boardwalk near the lake that let you explore through the swampy section and out to clear water. This was our first real encounter with cypress trees on this trip. The cypress (and other) trees growing in the swampy area and in the lake give it a different appearance than Minnesota lakes. The only wildlife we saw on the walk were turtles and some insects (mosquitoes were not too bad).
We continued South to Blytheville. The only reason for stopping in Blytheville was That Bookstore which is an independent bookstore that had somehow gotten on the list. The historic downtown area of Blytheville looked pretty dead so we had our doubts as to whether the bookstore would be open or not, but it was. We were greeted by the store owner when we entered and the started to browse books. While we were browsing, we overheard he owner plying Ira with gifts (bookmarks, some sort of puzzle) and talking to him about an author visit this weekend (we will not be here). He was very enthusiastically promoting his wares to Beth as well. Between the kids and Beth, they had assembled a fair stack of books. When Beth checked out, he insisted on giving her two books for free (we are both pretty sure we have never received a free book from a bookstore, and we buy a lot of books). So, he included two books signed by John Grisham. Apparently the bookstore had supported him while he was attempting to get published and signed copies of his book are part of his payment in gratitude to the store.
One interesting note. I never heard the owner promote a particular book for its contents. He mentioned a lot of books and a lot of aspects of the books (signed, very large, author coming, etc) but I never heard him discuss plot, ask what books anyone liked reading, and suggest a book based on that, etc (the more typical pitch in independent bookstores). This seems to be a pattern in the South, of selling through personality, or, maybe selling goods more like a carnival barker. Anyway, an aside, and I'm done.
We worked our way the rest of the distance to Memphis. We stopped at Jim Neely's Interstate Barbecue (a Roadfood suggestion) to try out the ribs. They were pretty good. Beth and I shared a combination plate which had pork ribs, beef ribs, pulled pork, and brisket. I didn't think the pulled pork or brisket were that great. The ribs however, were pretty good. Somehow, the pork ribs tasted porkier than ribs normally do. And the Beef ribs were beefy. These shouldn't be extraordinary things, but they kind of are. Sides were good as well.
After that, we called it a night. It was a long day.
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