Birthday Cruise

We got permission to take off a bit early on my birthday to go to Hannibal, MO to do a river cruise.  It was a cool, rainy day in Nauvoo when we left.  By the time we were north of Quincy, the skies were clear and sunny.

When we went to buy our tickets for the cruise, the captain saw our missionary name tags and asked if we were coming or going.  My husband explained that we got here in June but today was my birthday and we came to do the cruise.

Here's a shot of the pilot house from the top of the boat.

When we got there, we had lunch and ate it on the deck of the boat.

It was really warm.  I believe I got a bit of sun on my neck and arms as well as the tops of my feet.  When we got back in the truck it was 91 degrees.  The Mississippi river is so muddy and dirty.  Perhaps that's because of all the barge traffic.  Or maybe its just dirty.

We had our portrait taken before entering the boat.  I paid more than I should have for the picture, but it turned out so nice and we both wanted it.

There were a few very nice homes up on the bluffs above the river.  Look at all those windows!

It really was quite windy as the flag testifies. 

Because the captain was told back in the ticket office/souvenir shop that it was my birthday, he asked me to come into the pilot house as we were getting back to the dock and asked me to steer the ship.  I don't think I really did anything, but it was really nice of him to ask me to come in and do something special. 

We've seen this lighthouse both times we've been in Hannibal for touring.  There are 250 steps to the top and I want to climb them.  Last time it was probably 98 degrees and this day wasn't much cooler although the humidity was a bit less.  I'm going back to do it yet.

One of the things I found really interesting was the numbers on the bridge.  It tells how much clearance there is to the bottom of the bridge.  Smart!  I knew it couldn't be water depth because the numbers were getting lower instead of higher as they went up. 
It was such a wonderful day!  I'll remember it always.