The Great River Road – The Road Less Traveled

“We rode 200 miles & it took us 7 hours!”  Rich

So many things to see on the Great River Road (GRR). We travel on the GRR from Muscatine, Iowa to Hannibal, Missouri.  From old diners, to older banks, to older forts and finally to very old Mormon settlements, the GRR doesn’t disappoint in revealing its past to us as we traverse its amazing byway.

First stop is Ft. Madison, Iowa where you can still grab lunch at a local diner, Jake & Walt’s Fort Diner – a greasy spoon of a diner that stands out from the rest with huge portions and affordable prices.

From there it’s a quick walk to Fort Madison, (time to wear off that lunch) - the first permanent US military fort on the Upper Mississippi River.  The original fort was built in 1808, however the soldiers, forced to abandon it, set fire to the fort rather than leave it intact.  The structure which stands today was rebuilt in 1980.

After that we rode to Nauvoo, IL which was a former Mormon settlement from 1838.  The Mormon’s only lived there for 7 years before being forced out by the locals.  They had to abandon their homes and businesses, and those who could sell did at rock bottom prices – leaving very nice homes and businesses behind them.

After a quick stop in Quincy for groceries, we ended up in Hannibal at the Mark Twain Cave & Campground for the night.

Thanks for coming along for the ride down the mighty Mississippi River!  Still more Mississippi road to come.  See you next week.

Rich & Chris ❤️