Hannibal, Missouri
Hannibal
We had visited here before, in 1994 when Sam was a wee babe. Exactly nothing was familiar.
Pretty much every cell in our bodies has been replaced since then, because exactly nothing was familiar.
Deep thought: if that’s the case, were “we” really here, or were those different people? Discuss amongst yourselves the through line of consciousness.
We toured all the Mark Twain sites, except we did not go into the cave this time. Always enjoy his wit and wisdom, and this is authentically an important place to know Twain.
We took a riverboat dinner cruise which, despite being a fake paddle wheel with mediocre food, was a pleasant more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts excursion. Glad we did it.
Jim’s Journey
A small museum covering the African American experience in Hannibal, with a focus on the real-world inspiration for the character of Jim in Huckleberry Finn: enslaved man Daniel Quarles.
The museum’s creator, Faye Dant, is a dynamo of a woman who had a singular vision and a mission to unearth this history and bring it to life.
We spent over an hour listening to her stories and viewing the museum. We had a great time, and then met again in the evening at a wine bar for some music, laughter, history, and fun.
Now that’s how you do history!
Using voice commands while on the road, you can ask it pretty much anything, and it will read aloud—with engaging inflection—any information you want about the trip. This has long been a dream I have had about what tech could do for a road trip.
Questions like: “We are traveling from Cameron, Missouri, to Hannibal. Is there anything cool on the way that we should stop and see?” “Tell us about the geology of this area.” “Give us a ten-minute refresher on Tom Sawyer.” “Give us three local eateries in Hannibal to choose from.”
The resulting readings were all spot-on and engaging. We will be using this a ton on this trip; it’s just fantastic. I am aware that, “because reasons,” some folks are anti-AI—but this is a fantastic use of the tech.
Music, laughter, history, and fun. Now that’s how you do history.
Time to head south to visit friends and enjoy music in the exurbs of St. Louis!