Day 3 – Mississippi River

After we left Springfield, Illinois, the landscape changed pretty quickly from industrial midwest – which is very similar to the landscapes in New England – to flat farming country. The speed limit went up to 70 and so we used this opportunity to see if the Expedition would do 100, which it did rather easily (see image). It was here where we began to pass signs that were related to Jesus, Trump and guns. A pattern that would continue through Missouri and Kansas. This would be the first time that Lauren and the boys crossed the Mississippi River (Lauren had done it in the air but never on the ground) so we decided to find a place to take some pictures before crossing.

We found John Jay Recreational Center right on the eastern border of the Mississippi. It was a small picnic area that was empty. It was still a bit early, so it was cold, but we stayed there for about 1/2 and hour as the boys explored and threw rocks into the river. The name of Huck Finn is memorialized on the western side of the river, as you can see from the photos.

One thing that was interesting about our stop on the Mississippi was finding that it had sandy beaches. After we finished having our fun on the banks, we headed back to the highway and crossed over the river and into Missouri, a symbolic indicator that we were leaving the eastern half of the country behind us.