Crossing the Mississippi from Illinois to Missouri

     Galesburg, Illinois is an impressive historic "big town" (doesn't have a city-feel about it).  Carl Sandburg was born here in 1878. There's a great YMCA in this town, so that's why I made a stop there. After a swim, I heard deep-sounding motors in the air; the annual Stearman Fly-In was being held just down the road at the municipal airport.

This is "Spanky". See the hand crank on the prop?

This red one is pretty.

     One crazy pilot was flying upside-down. The announcer informed us his aircraft had no modifications for stunts like this. His loops looked like death-defying near-stalls to me.

The open cockpit looks like fun.

This being corn country, there was a row of colorful antique tractors at the fly-in.

     Antique tractors don't interest me, but this red Farmall tractor stopped me in my tracks!

     A flood of memories came back to me! When I was about seven years old (1958), our family went to the Pennsylvania State Fairgrounds near Harrisburg for an agriculture-related show (we had a poultry farm). One exhibit was new tractors. About every couple hours or so, there was a kiddy race on little trikes that looked like miniature tractors. A bunch of boys were hopping on the trikes for the race, no girls. My parents asked if I wanted to join them. Sure I did! And the little girl in the flowery dress wins!
     For a prize, I got a metal (nothing was plastic back then) miniature replica of this red Farmall tractor with movable levers and wheels and rubber tires, the whole nine yards of a working-parts tractor. I played with it a lot; I got farm implements to attach to the rear tow bar. Still have it, one of the few sentimental things I've kept throughout life.
     Continuing south across the Mississippi River into Missouri, the view didn't change much . . .  more cornfields. This beautiful field enhanced by a sunset looks like it's dried out enough to harvest.

     While headed to the Mark Twain Lake early one morning, the road ahead of me looked like I was driving into a foggy abyss.

     Now that autumn's air temperature is cooler than rivers and lakes that have been heated all summer long, thick patches of fog are common during morning drives.
     Guess what, Missouri has those lettered county roads too! I wonder who started this odd practice, Missouri or Wisconsin?

     Took a short cut to the Mark Twain Lake; Mark Twain was raised nearby in the town of Hannibal, Missouri. This short cut to the lake was one of the more quaint dirt roads I've been on for awhile.

     Since I'm in central Missouri near Columbia, my sister and others say I must bike the very popular Katy Bike Trail.  This afternoon I'm going to see for myself why bicyclists rave about this trail . . .

     Addendum, October 13, 2016, photo of my Farmall Tractor which is nine inches long (and missing it's exhaust pipe on top).