Mystery Day 2: The Dam Tour

Last night, after our evening tour of Alton and returning to Pere Marquette Lodge, a few of us had a cool drink in the lobby and chatted about the day's events. The Lodge is noted historically as being haunted and as we sat in the great lobby sipping our drinks the lights suddenly came on brightly illuminating the lobby (and us). As we were the only ones in the lobby we decided to call it a night and retire to our rooms.....quickly.

This morning we started with a nourishing breakfast buffet at the lodge. That much- needed jolt of caffeine from our coffee got us wide awake and ready to face today's fun.  A number of us walked the 300 yards or so to the Pere Marquette State Park Visitor Center and were treated to a very interesting and interactive presentation by Scott Isringhausen, an Illinois State Park Ranger. From eagles to owls, water fowl to beavers and the feeding habits of much of the migrating wildlife, Scott spoke in such as way that captivated us and held our attention throughout the presentation.

After checking out and saying goodbye to Pere Marquette Lodge we made the 20-mile drive along the Great River Road back to Alton. The Melvin Price Locks and Dam awaited our arrival.  A movie presentation about he locks entitled "The Power of he River" prepared us for an interesting tour of the locks. An Army Corps of Engineers employee led us on a short walk along the top of the dam with information on the construction of the dam and a practical view of a boat traversing the lock.  Marsha and Tami took a moment for a photo op in a fountain outside of the museum and then we were on our way......to lunch.

It was a Dam Blast lunch at My Just Desserts in Alton capped off a relaxing and informative morning. Soup, sandwich and a delicious choice of desserts at this quaint restaurant on East Broadway was just what we needed.

A four-hour drive to our hotel in LeClaire, Iowa was interrupted briefly by a stop at the Lincoln Heritage Museum on the campus of Lincoln College in Lincoln, Illinois. Among the artifacts was an 1860 "railsplitter" candidate banner, the ballot box where Lincoln cast his vote, an extremely rare copy of Lincoln's favorite poem, "Mortality" written in his own hand as well as several of his law books and personal family items.  Civil War rifles, soldiers' items and a Civil War Congressional Medal oh Honor awarded to a Civil War soldier. it was a small place with large amounts of history.

The Travel Masters always seem to find the unique, the interesting and the wondrous gastronomic places to visit and enjoy. Tonight's dinner will be enjoyed at one of the many fine food establishments available at "The World's Largest Truck Stop" in Walcott, Iowa. Here we go!

OK, so now you know. Our Mystery tour is taking us to Iowa. But maybe not all of the tour will take place in Iowa. To find out, come back and visit our blog.