Floodwalls in river towns certainly perform a very useful service. But they also can be a blank canvas for creative people.

One of the floodwalls I always enjoy seeing is located in Cape Girardeau where riverboats tend to stop.

In the 1730s, a young Frenchman named Jean Baptiste Girardot established a trading post at a rock promontory jutting from the west bank of the Mississippi River. This large promontory was referred to as “the cape,” a significant headland projecting well into the river. Read more...

The woman next to me described it as climbing into a gigantic clothes dryer and slamming the door shut. She had a point.

In fact, visitors have been known to balk when it came time to scrunch into the space-capsule-looking gadget. Some prospective riders have turned and walked away when faced with the claustrophobic prospect. So why do it? Read more...