Winnebago Voyage: Mississippi and Antique Archaeology

We only had about 120 miles to drive to our next planned stop: LeClaire, Iowa. We had picked a Corps of Engineers campground across the river in Illinois which is first-come-first-served, so knew we had to arrive early, especially since this is a Friday. We got here shortly after 10:00, and got the next-to-the-last site! It's right on the banks of the Mississippi, has trees, grass, hookups, and costs $9.00 a night! (with the Golden Age Pass)

We got settled and then stopped by a visitor information office and then went back over the river to LeClaire, home of the American Pickers. We had visited their shop in Nashville in June, but none of the cast was there. This time, we got lucky! They were inside their little shop filming a commercial for the History Channel. It was shortly after noon, and some people who had been there for a while said they had not taken a lunch break. There was food set up outside for them, so we waited. Soon, they broke for lunch and Mike Wolf came right out and started talking to the group and posing for pictures! He's just as nice and down to earth as he seems in the TV show. Danielle also came out and really worked the crowd! She posed with everyone who wanted a picture. Unfortunately, Frank wasn't there.

We finally left and walked around the lovely town of LeClaire. They have done a great job of updating it and preserving historic buildings. We then drove around what they call the Quad Cities: Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa, and Rock Island and Moline in Illinois. We crossed the river a few more times.

Then, we drove up the Mississippi a little way on the Illinois side, through Port Byron and Cordova, where we found a grassy park for some Frisbee for Baxter.