Hannibal, Missouri was a 2 hour drive north of our campground in Cahokia, IL. We arrived in town close to lunch time. Since we were experiencing problems with the trailer AC we took Roxie with us. By phoning the Mark Twain Museum we found out a local groomer was available to "board" her so she'd be safe from the afternoon heat. As a bonus, the groomer had a cancellation and Roxie got a bath, haircut and nails done - what a spa treatment!

We had lunch in one of the original old buildings downtown, with a lot of ambience. We picked up tickets for a trolley tour of the entire town, and since there was time before the tour we walked over and began our tour of the Mark Twain Museum. It was an in depth presentation of his life and roots there in Hannibal. Scattered throughout were quotes from Mark Twain -- such a witty and insightful person. They made us want to go back and read the books we read as youth.

The trolley tour was in an open trolley, and the wind felt good on a hot afternoon. We saw the town and also went out to the cave where Samuel Clemens no doubt explored and fueled his young writer's imagination. We did a pass through River View Park, where we enjoyed the view of the Mississippi from an overlook. Our guide pointed out the unusual black squirrels inhabiting the park.

Following the trolley tour we resumed our museum tour and saw the Clemens family home and surrounding neighborhood much as it would have appeared when Sam was a child. We toured his family home and a reconstructed home where his friend Tom (later known as Huck Finn) lived.

It was a fine day trip and we enjoyed being reminded of why Mark Twain is such a beloved author.