Day 13 - Muscatine, IA to Wapello, IA (39 miles)

Dawdling the morning and part of the afternoon away in Muscatine coupled with stiff headwinds (gusting to 25 mph) kept the mileage down today. That along the fact that there are no campgrounds or anything else at all for the next 31 miles of the route! So looks like I am going to have some time to kill here at the Wapello libary. But those headwinds did bring with them mid-summerish weather with temps in the mid-80s.

The story on the pearl button capital of Muscatine is that a German button maker moved there in 1890 when German tariffs became prohibitive. Turns out that mussel shells from The River make superb pearl buttons. Next thing you know there are 45 button factories in town that control 37% of the world's pearl button market. But then in 1910 the guy cuts his foot in the river while collecting shells, develops a severe infection and dies. Within 2 decades of his death zippers have become popular, styles are changing, international competition has entered the market (imagine that) and plastic buttons are not too far off on the horizon. So Muscateen is left with mountains of shells with multiple holes punched in them and a really cool museum depicting an interesting phenomenon in its history.

I am including photos of some friends I met on the road today. Can't figure out why all those caterpillars want to cross the road. Then again, they probably can't figure out why I want to ride the Mississippi River Trail!