Over time, I’ll try to add other places worthy of a stop that we discovered quite by accident.
Alton Museum of History and Art
On the grounds of the Dental School, the Alton Museum of History and Art
The Alton Museum of History and Art is located in Alton, Illinois, at 2809 College Ave. When I visited with my daughter, Sarah, and son, Tsegaye, I’ll have to admit that I wasn’t initially as excited about the museum visit as I was about the prospect of having lunch on the Mississippi River at Grafton. She promoted it as a place to learn about Robert Wadlow, the world’s tallest man – which it is, and that alone makes it a worthy trip. But I’m more of an art museum fan and I didn’t think the art aspect of this little museum was it’s focus.
Well, let me tell you, I’m glad I listened to Sarah and visited this museum. In fact, I’ve come to realize that it is the little musty museums in ancient buildings or homes that contain the priceless artifacts. The best value of a small museum is the human element: a curator or docent who can give you a private tour and share their passion for aspects of the collection you would never have known otherwise. On our visit, we paid our $5 to a nice young man who took us through each room and explained the significance of each collection and shared his passion for old buildings that are rapidly disappearing in the name of progress.
As promised, I learned about “The Gentle Giant”, Robert Wadlow. He grew quickly as a child and at age eight he was already as tall as his father. He grew to a height of over eight feet, eleven inches and weight of over 490 pounds. This produced a great stress on his body and he died at the age of twenty-two. By all accounts, he was a wonderful person.
Of course there were artifacts and information in the Alton Museum about Lewis and Clark. Good stuff. What I didn’t know was that before Lewis and Clark, there was another great explorer, Alexander von Humboldt, who had been all over Central America and northern South America. On his way back to England he stopped by Washington D.C. and only missed Lewis and Clark by a week. Too bad they couldn’t have had a chat.
Completely unknown to me was the story of journalist and minister, Elijah Lovejoy. A man who loved freedom, he was murdered for his insistence of arguing that slavery was wrong. We have our citizen heroes today, who stand up for the cause of right and truth, defenders of the helpless. I’d cite Ricky John Best, Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche, and Micah David-Cole Fletcher as selfless defenders of the attack on two muslim girls in Oregon. Elijah was so persistent in his stand against slavery that after St. Louis mobsters broke his presses and threw the parts in the Mississippi River three different times, he moved across to Alton and set up a fourth press. This time they killed him. There is a monument to Lovejoy in town. Thank you, Alton Museum, for the wonderful visit.
Blue Jacket Ship Crafters is located in Searsport, Maine. We drove past when the store caught my eye and I had to make a U-turn to investigate. It was a good stop. This is the oldest ship modeling company in the United States. The staff was very friendly and informative. I asked before taking the photos and they were okay with sharing. It must have taken an incredible amount of time and skill to make such beautiful model ships. My boys don’t have any experience with model building, but they may have now. I recommend the stop to anyone driving through Searsport.
Old Hwy 18 Bridge, North of Pearson, Oklahoma
Motorcycle rides are, for me, defined by old roads, small towns, Ma and Pa restaurants, no reservations, and frequent stops. Sometimes, my trips involve a lot of U-turns. Anytime I see an indication of the old, abandoned road I’m tempted to take it. That’s how I found this old iron bridge north of Pearson. I though I’d better stop for a few pictures – who knows if you’ll pass this way again or if the bridge will still be here even if you do.
Legacy and Lunacy 
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