Live in the Midwest and looking for something fun to do this weekend? This weekend, Jan 23 - 25, 2009 is the annual Eagle Festival in Clarksville, MO. Over 1200 bald eagles in one spot this year and from my past experience, you'll see them everywhere. This is the largest concentration of bald eagles at any one time in the entire world. Driving into Clarksville on Hwy. 79 from either the north or the south puts you on one of the top 100 scenic roads in the United States. It is referred to locally as the Great Mississippi River Road and as a bonus, the weather should be clear and sunny this weekend.
Clarksville has a twofold draw for Hummer owners. It's steep streets (many of them 35% and higher grades) make the ones in San Francisco look puny and are just made for Hummers. They are so steep that there is a city law prohibiting U-turns on all streets because cars and trucks have rolled over sideways making U-turns on them. Some streets up the hills are so narrow that making a U-turn in a Hummer would be impossible.
The residential streets are one Hummer wide and pass numerous brick homes restored from the 1800s, and if you meet someone you better be proficient at driving in reverse. The second draw is the old railroad trail down by the river - it's dirt and mud and just made for Hummers with breathtaking views of the Mississippi.
The bald eagles come from as far north as Alaska and the Yukon to do winter residence in Clarksville. They come back every year. Why do they roost in Clarksville? Clarksville has steep wooded terrain with natural roosting spots for the eagles, but the main reason is that the Mississippi never freezes at Clarksville, because of the dam upriver and a continuous flow of water from the spillway. There is an abundance of fish and you will even see sea gulls and white pelicans on the river. There is good parking along the river and your senses will go on sensory overload watching all the bald eagles. For more information:
http://www.clarksvillemo.us/eagledays.html
Need a place to stay? Elsberry and St. Louis are to the south and Hannibal is to the north. Elsberry, MO also lays claim to the cheapest gas in the United States.
2 comments:
I have been to the Eagle Festival and it is incredible. I love all the pictures of Hummers on your blog. I hope to own one someday.
We made the trip from Des Moines yesterday and it was well worth the drive. We saw about 70 bald eagles the first ten minutes we pulled down to the river. As for the river trail, it's beautiful, but they had the 4 mile section by Clarksville closed for the festival.
Red Hummer H1 Owner
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