Meandering down the Great River Road

In 2010 and 2011, my best friend and I embarked on journeys down the Great River Road National Scenic Byway. We began in Prescott, of course, and between the two trips, made it as far as Gunnison, Miss. One day we will complete our journey all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, but that will have to wait for now. There is nothing I love more than a good oldfashioned road trip. We are so fortunate to have a national gem literally in our back yards. That magical ribbon of asphalt winds between Pierce County’s bluffs and coulees, through historic river towns like Prescott, Diamond Bluff, Hager City, Bay City and Maiden Rock. The route in its entirety meanders for 3,000 miles from northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico through 10 states.

The Great River Road Visitor & Learning Center and Freedom Park in Prescott are beautiful. Executive Director Israel Haas and his team do a marvelous job at the center. Since she was small, it has been one of my daughter’s favorite places. She loves to visit the mosaic Art Bench and look through the viewers to see the confluence of the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers.

Branching further south, I will never forget many of the small towns we visited. The history was palpable in the air; time seemed to stand still. Some of the best places were off the beaten path, away from the touristy destinations.

In Illinois, we came across the village of Nauvoo. Imagine our surprise when we crested a hill and an enormous Mormon temple was gleaming white in the distance. The sky roiled with angry, black storm clouds, which provided an eerie backdrop. It was a bit surreal. We learned that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints founded the city in 1839. In 1846, Brigham Young led them from their beloved city to Salt Lake City, Utah, to escape persecution. Church members began buying back their ancestors’ Nauvoo properties beginning in 1954 and began restoring them as a memorial. The temple, which had been burned down during raids in 1848, was reconstructed in 2002. Moving south, we rolled into Ste. Genevieve, Mo., one sultry, July evening. We were the only guests in the historic downtown hotel we stayed in, and the place wasn’t staffed at night, so it was eerie knowing we were the only people in an old hotel filled with centuries of history. I’ll never forget the creepy, iron crib in the corner of the hallway. It looked like a death trap more than a child’s old bed. I’m pretty sure ghosts roamed the halls at night, but I didn’t venture out to look.

If you’re ever in Cape Girardeau, Mo., make sure you stop at Broussard’s Cajun Cuisine. It’s a flashy, Mardi-Gras theme restaurant with the best Cajun food I’ve ever tasted. The shrimp etouffee and duck gumbo were my favorites.

When we were in Arkansas, I was astounded by the diverse landscapes and the historical significance of sites we encountered. From visiting Johnny Cash’s hometown of Dyess, Ark., to learning about the origin of the blues, to trekking through cypress bogs, it was like another world. I’m also not ashamed to say we pulled the car over so I could walk through a millet field. Millet is a small cereal grain and I had never heard of it.

I could write about our adventures on the River Road for pages. But rather than take my word for it, check it out for yourself. After all, it starts in our own county. Whether you take a few miles at a time or the whole route, you will never forget the sights of the Great River Road.