Day 3 -- Announcement

Lucky Ducky

Just in -- over the last two days, Gabby has been finding pennies, and today he announced that he is changing his name. From now on we are to call him "Lucky Ducky" or just "Lucky" for short. Lucky found today's penny in the parking lot outside the motel. Yesterday he found two. We're hoping this is a good omen for the trip! You can see that Lucky likes to carry that penny with him.

Today we stopped to see the Piasa Bird painted on the bluffs near Alton, Illinois. The Piasa Bird, which has a rich history in this area, was first sighted by 1673 by Father Jacques Marquette, as he journeyed down the Mississippi River with Louis Joliet. You can read more about the Piasa Bird at http://www.altonweb.com/history/piasabird.

Piasa Bird painting on bluffs near Alton, IL

—Shann