Small town surprise

Like many people from a small town, my plans were to leave town after high school and very rarely look back (except for the visits to my parents, of course). Somewhere along the way that changed and I find the visits to small town Missouri are more fun than I remember and the drives along rural highways are prettier than I remember. It’s not for everyone and I am not packing up the house to move to a secluded plot of land just yet, but I think my recent trips to and through small towns along the Mississippi river* have taught me a lot that I should have already known as a Missouri native.

Looking down the Mississippi River at Saverton Lock and Dam - taken this weekend.

• Rivers freeze.
  Rivers are made of water and water freezes when temps get low enough. This cause and effect only recently registered when I went to a river town during the winter and witnessed large chunks of ice floating with the river. I never said I was the sharpest tool in the shed.
  
  
• Eagles gather along the rivers during the winter months.
  You can go see them in small, charming river towns like Clarksville, Louisiana or Saverton – all in Missouri (yes, Louisiana is a town in Missouri). During particularly cold winter months, the number of eagles around locks and dams can be phenomenally high. A store owner in Clarksville, MO explained this is because the river freezes (see bullet point one) in the cold winter months, except near the dam, where water movement prevents the river from freezing. This, coupled with the fact that the fish are stunned once they go through the dam, provides a veritable buffet for the eagles. Also of note: the eagles will land on the ice chunks and ride the floating ice down the river for a bit, then take off again.
  
  
• When it comes to corn, there are some height expectations.
  During a good planting year, the saying is “As high as an elephant’s eye by Fourth of July.” So you want corn to be as tall as an elephant’s eye by July 4th for the crop to be on-track for harvest. Elephants are not native to Missouri (at least, I have not found that to be the case) so I am not sure what liberties can be taken when measuring corn during the Fourth of July.
  
  
• Many small towns have an impressive art community.
  From glass blowers and weavers to furniture makers, sculptors and painters, art galleries and studios are sprinkled in the small towns and along the scenic countryside. For me, this was an unanticipated population nestled amongst the farming community. I guess artists go where the inspiration is and some are inspired by the seemingly slow moving river and quiet, rolling hills.
  

* Geography lesson: the Mississippi forms the eastern border of Missouri.