Not Silence of the Lambs Buffalo Bill

Resuming the second part of Chris's leg, we continued to head south along the Mississippi River, everyone slowly waking up and having absolutely no idea where we were headed. Approaching our exit, some of the passengers caught view of the brown historical sign which said, "Buffalo Bill Museum," and became excited.

The unassuming museum along a quaint street, right on the Mississippi River, was also surrounded by a few cannon statues aimed at Illinois, for what reason, we do not know. We were welcomed by a jolly lady and an old gentleman who sat quietly in the corner, later introduced to us as a past mayor of Leclaire "who was mayor for a long, long while." Although titled the "Buffalo Bill Museum," it was filled with many other more interesting memorabilia, significant of Leclaire, IA. To get our Buffalo Bill fill, we watched an 8-minute black and white film showcasing his life and some of the showmanship which made him famous.

Although proud of being the birthplace of Buffalo Bill, Leclaire, IA is home to many other fascinating features. The group immediately flocked to the giant cross section of the trunk of the Green Tree, the largest Rock Elm on record. In its heyday his massive tree served many river workers as shelter for the night after closing the town tavern, giving the giant Elm its nickname "The Green Tree Hotel." At a whopping 225 years old, this monumental tree died from Dutch Elm disease and was cut down in 1964.

The director of the museum (of only four months) then chimed in and proceeded to tell us how Robert E. Lee chilled in Leclaire for a while, living on the second level of a sunken ship in the Mississippi River, to map out the river rapids and the locations of the rocks. The resulting map eventually led to Leclaire river captains being the only ones to guide riverboats on the Mississippi River from Leclaire to Davenport for a hefty $10 in gold. Leclaire is also home to the person who invented the seat belt, FYI. And finally, the director of the museum took us on a tour of the Lone Star Riverboat, the largest and oldest wood riverboat to run along the Mississippi River, retiring at 98 years old, and now an official historical land mark. We took turns pretending to drive the boat in the captains nest and ringing the bells and gong.

After a fascinating and very educational visit to the Buffalo Bill Museum, we stopped in a local coffee shop for some caffeine before hitting the road again. The owner of the stop, strongly resembling Doc from Back to the Future or Garfunkel, talked up Kate and Chris about his beloved town. Leaving Leclaire, IA with Kate navigating to her destination, all we know is that it will be outdoors. Hoping the rain holds off for the next couple of hours, we start jamming to Chris's iPod and are on our way.