America's birthday. A great day to spend in the hometown of perhaps America's best author, Mark Twain. We had camped about 15 miles North of Hannibal, MO the night before and the plan was to meet up with Anders' friend, Tad, and stay the night there. We pulled in around 9:00 AM and the town looked desolate. Was this a joke? Tad had said the town would be hustling and bustling, putting on one of the best 4th of July parties (Tom Sawyer Days) we would ever witness. We pulled the canoe out of the water, waded through the flooded park/marina, and climbed over the levy. Tad was right. People were everywhere and despite it being fairly early there were three separate games of mud volleyball going on. The reason everything looked so empty from the river was because of the high water. Even the concrete flood walls were closed, obstructing any views of the river from town and vice versa.
After Tad's game we went to his parent's house and started meeting people. So many people. All of them were very nice and most were pretty interested in our trip. It's always a treat to talk to people who appreciate the adventure. The night was filled with chatting, great food, drinks, volleyball, beersby, fireworks, a bonfire, and most importantly a slip n slide. Oh how I love slip n slides. I had been excited ever since Anders told me they were going to have one. Every once in awhile on the river, when there was a long period of silence, I would say, "You know what Anders? I'M SO EXCITED FOR THE SLIP N SLIDE!" It didn't disappoint. I slid down that thing so many times I somehow hurt my back and ended up with an abnormally concentrated welt on my hip. It hurt to walk the next day and I had to lift my right leg up with my arms to get into a vehicle. Worth it.
A few takeaways from the mud volleyball tournament: People dive all over the place and get extremely muddy, Tad included. There were people that ended the game without mud above their knees. Were they that good or just really lazy? Everybody was required to duct tape their shorts on. Apparently heavy mud and jumping isn't conducive to keeping your shorts on your waist. A girl was wearing hoop earrings. She is one who came away from each game clean. I severely question her effort. This was the 35th year of the tournament. It's capped at 65 (I believe) teams which is extremely impressive.
A special thank you to Tad, Debra and Henry Wasowicz. You folks sure know how to throw a party. Thank you for letting us be a part of it and for letting us turn your yard into our campsite!
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