I just completed a two night driving class. So, I am just about the safest driver around. I was ticketed in Missouri for making a left-hand turn into a 7-Eleven parking lot from a u-turn lane; a maneuver that I still think should be legal. Missouri is the only state where I have even seen u-turn lanes. If they would design the roads better, there wouldn't be any need to make a u-turn.
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The driving safety class was actually not bad. We mostly just watched videos about how to drive safely with a few thrown in to discuss road rage, drinking and driving, and other pertinent topics. The instructor seemed to enjoy teaching, but he had the peculiar habit of telling us all about his driving habits. Like how he got stopped for speeding in Illinois and ended up paying $75 for not wearing his seat belt. If an eight year veteran instructor of a safe driving class is getting tickets, what chance do the rest of us have.
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I never thought I'd say this, but I think that the police officers in Chicago may be nicer than the ones in St. Louis. When I was stopped in St. Louis, the officer didn't even tell me the infraction. He just asked for my license and started writing out a ticket. The last time that I was stopped in Chicago, it was for going the wrong way down a one-way street. Not only didn't the cop give me a ticket, but he helped me with directions. Way to go, Chicago! A friend told me that when the cop informed me that the street was one way, I should have responded that I was only going one way. I'd probably still be sitting in jail, if I had used that line.

How dry I am.
How wet I'll be.
If I don't find,
the bathroom key.

I went to the Casino Queen on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River across from St. Louis. I didn't win any money, but it was fun anyway. The river is fairly wide at this juncture. Wider than I would want to try swimming. When I was in Memphis last year, there was an in-ground exhibit on Mud Island. It traced the river from its beginnings up north, all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. The exhibit was outside and several hundred yards long, so you can kind of pretend that you're Paul Bunyan and walk the length of the river. Towns and landmarks are marked along the way. There were a lot of young kids playing in the water. They had paddleboats to rent at the Gulf. It's amazing how many twists and turns that the Mississippi takes. It is not a straight route like you might expect. I think it would be fun to take a riverboat ride down the river sometime from St. Louis to New Orleans. I don't think that I would want to be like Huckleberry Finn and take a raft, though. Like I said, it can be a long swim to the banks of the river.