Crossings

When the brand new Greenville Bridge opened to traffic last year, it replaced an old two lane bridge built in 1940. The new bridge is the longest cable-stayed span on the Mississippi River and its 4 lanes of traffic carries passengers across a two and a half mile stretch of river connecting Mississippi to Arkansas. 

The first time we crossed the Mississippi, we were heading west and visited Hannibal Missouri, hometown of Mark Twain. The town is situated right on the Mississippi and its influence on Twain’s life could not be overemphasized. 

I was a little hard on myself because in my mind we were behind the reading schedule. The kids and I had completed Tom Sawyer just in time for our arrival in the small town along the mighty river, but had not even started Huckleberry Finn.  I was excited to be there, but there were also small pangs of guilt.  It  was my fault we had not finished both books.  If I had only been  more insistent that we listen to the audio book for longer periods on our drive.  Often, days would go by that we would not listen at all.  

We started the audio version of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn just as we left Hannibal and just as our trip “East of the Mississippi” began.  Maybe, I reasoned, that after visiting Hannibal,  Huck Finn would mean even more.  

 It is a long book, and, just as with Tom Sawyer, we had several starts and stops. There were times we weren’t in the car very much like when were with cousins in Ohio or the week we were in D.C.  

Also, when we did listen to the book, I would routinely pause the story to check for understanding and discuss what was happening. We touched on the themes about questioning societal norms, grappling with one’s conscience, and the true meaning of friendship.  Additionally, there are several different southern dialects in the book, plus it was written in the 1880’s. Rushing through, we would miss too much and I didn’t want the kids to miss Twain’s brilliant humor. 

Needless to say, the book took longer than I thought to get through and I felt the pressure of the long list of books I wanted to read with them.

 

I vocalized my feelings on several occasions, “Come on, you guys, we are going to get home from this trip and I am not going to let anyone out of the car, because we are going to be sitting on our driveway finishing Huckleberry Finn.”

Then the single most magical moment of our trip happened.  There is no way I can think of that we could have planned it better. 

We did finish Huckleberry Finn – literally on top of the Mississippi River!  We were on the last chapter as we found ourselves approaching the Greenville Bridge by complete chance.  I slowed my car down as much as possible to savor the odds defying occasion. 

As the final words of the book were read, we looked out on the darkening river, the trees covered islands, and the orange sky. It was effortless to imagine Huckleberry Finn and Jim on the raft somewhere out there.   

“We said there warn’t no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft.”   

 Chapter 18

"It's lovely to live on a raft. We had the sky up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made or only just happened."   

Chapter 19

We were about midway over the bridge as the last words of the book came through the speakers of my car.

We erupted in cheers and high fives.  “We did it!”  “Yes!”   “Whoo Hoo!”

We marveled at how we could have finished that book anywhere; in a city, along a stretch of freeway or a country road in any of the many states we had been listening to it.  But what better place to finish than on the Mississippi itself. 

We crossed the Mississippi River two times on our trip. Both times with Mark Twain 

And look at that. I was so worried about finishing Huckleberry Finn, when really, it all worked out in its own time and in its own way.  Way better than I ever could have imagined.

As I think of the moments suspended above the river now, I think of the flood of emotion that came with the crossing.  

As the trip is coming to a close, I asked Payton if he feels he has changed.  “No”, he answered.  And then upon brief reflection said, “I feel more aware” 

The Great American Field Trip has been a bridge between before and after.     A crossing which has change each of us forever more. 

Below is the only photo I have of us crossing the Greenville Bridge. I grabbed my phone and shot this throught the windshield.