July 21, 2019

I’m back in Missouri. Actually, I’m back in Illinois, driving north to Quincy, where I’ll spend the week working in Hannibal, Missouri. I’ve been working on and off in Hannibal for the past four years. Some things remain the same. But some things change all the time. The roads I take from St. Louis to Quincy are a good example.

Today starts the fifth time I’ve worked in Hannibal this year. I always drive from St. Louis and I always take the less-traveled roads. My favorite itinerary takes me across the Mississippi River into Alton, Illinois, where I find farm roads that eventually take me north to Quincy. The last three trips I’ve made to Hannibal were during the flooding season, and the bridge from St. Louis to Alton was closed due to high water or damage to the bridge. Today the bridge was open. I crossed into Illinois, stopped in Alton for a beer and burger at Fast Eddies, and then wandered small roads northward. I followed Highway 100 to Elsah, and then cut inland for a while, paralleling the Mississippi River, as I ventured by cornfields and vineyards. I jumped back onto Highway 100 at Grafton, and drove north toward Pierre Marquette State Park.

One of my favorite roads is near there. One must take the Brussels Ferry across the Illinois River to get to the “Land Between the Rivers”. An inland peninsula is formed between the Mississippi River on the west and the Illinois River on the east. It’s almost a different state. There are no major roads, no large cities, and no real reason to travel between the rivers unless you live there, work there, deliver goods there, or want to see some beautiful scenery.

The ferry crosses near the town of Quarry, and dabbles along Highway 1 for thirty-some miles, eventually passing through Brussels and Hardin, then past Michael and Kampsville. Highway 96 then traverses west and north past Mozier and Belleview on its way to Quincy. I’ve made this trip two or more times and love the solitude. Not many cars drive along Highway 1 between Quarry and Hardin. It was an hour before dusk, and I had the road almost to myself.

I passed through Brussels around 5:00 PM, heading north to Michael. I am usually not a creature of habit, but I always stop at the Michael Tavern for an ice-cold glass of Stag Beer. Just so you know, Stag is not the best beer in the world. It’s actually not that good at all. I stop in Michael not for the beer, but for the memory. Back in 2016, I was driving down from Quincy to St. Louis. It was the first time I’d taken this route. It was mid-July and the temperature hovered around 103 degrees Fahrenheit. I rounded a bend in the road and found myself in Michael. The town of Michael consists of a bar and a bait store. The bar has a large logo for Stag Beer painted on the side. I was hot, the beer was cold, and I stopped. For two-and-a-half bucks, I got a glass of Stag in a chilled glass. It was just what the doctor ordered.

I digressed. Where were we? Right. I was heading up the road toward Michael. I passed a sign for Batchtown, a small town on the Mississippi River side of the peninsula. I had never driven that side before. A voice in my head said I should have turned left onto Highway 6. Three seconds later, another voice in my head said “Make a U-turn.” I did.

Highway 6 travels west into Batchtown and turns into Main Street. This is where I passed Batchtown Motors. At one time, it was the largest car dealership between the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. But hard times hit Batchtown, the six-lane expressway was never built, rusted-out minivans lost their appeal, and Batchtown Motors is not what it used to be. (I made all that up, by the way).

After Batchtown, the highway turns north and becomes Highway 2 – The Mississippi River Road. Calling it a road is a stretch. It’s mostly paved, with a few areas of loose gravel, probably due to the recent flooding. The road is barely one-and-and-a-half lanes wide all the way up to Hamburg and beyond. It weaves and bobs and curves through woodlots and cornfields and by small farms and houses. Approaching curves at a slow rate of speed is a must. If a semi-truck hauling a mobile home or a bunch of cows or perhaps an ICBM is coming from the opposite direction, you either need to back up for a while or drive sideways in a ditch.

I didn’t see any semi-trucks with mobile homes or cows or missiles. In fact, for close to an hour, I only saw two pickup trucks. Both old and both driven by old men. One truck was a Ford and the other a Chevy. The area is quite diverse. And lonely.

I made my way past Gilead and through Hamburg. By 6:00 PM, I intersected with Highway 96 at Mozier. From there, the road for me was familiar; one I had taken several times before. I made Quincy by 7:30, ready for another week of work in Hannibal.

Safe travels, my friends.