Day 7, and the last stop on our American Serenade cruise of the Upper Mississippi finds us in Red Wing, MN. Settled in the 1850s, Red Wing at one time produced more wheat than other county in the country. It is the home of Red Wing Shoes, where you can see the world's largest boot in their museum, and "the best bakery in Minnesota" -- Hanisch Bakery.  Charm, history and donuts -- sign us up!

On Day 6 on our American Serenade cruise on the Upper Mississippi, we reached Winona, MN., a longtime stop on the river. In fact, in 1856, 1,300 steamboats visited here. A major rail hub, it also is great for eagle watching. A group of us took the Winona Boat Tour into the Mississippi backwaters, where we saw eagles, eagle nests and more. 

Our tour of Dubuque included a stop at the Convivium Urban farmstead, whose mission is to "improve life through food."  We visited their demonstration and community gardens and sampled fresh vegetables right off the vines. It proved a delicious learning experience, p;lus they are doing great work for the communities and people they serve.,

Day Four and we are in Davenport, IA., an important rail center here in America's Heartland. Outside the ship we hear music and volunteers cheering on runners. Today, we're doing the "hop on, hop off" bus tour of the city, and have our sights set on the riverfront Freight House Farmers Market, operating out of an historic freight house where back in the day farmers brought goods here by rail. Today it houses  over 150 vendors from both Iowa and Illinois.  Did I see a stand selling funnel cakes? -- Gerry Barker

As we made our way up the Mississippi, our third stop was Fort Madison, IA. This town of around 12,000 was built around the first U.S. military fort -- which stood from 1808-1813 -- in the upper Mississippi. You can walk from the ship to a replica of the fort. Fort Madison is also the home of the Sheaffer Pen Co. and the Iowa State Penitentiary. Trains, including Amtrak's Southwest Chief, come through here as many as 80 times a day. -- Gerry Barker

By GERRY BARKER

Day 2 of our American Serenade cruise on the Upper Mississippi finds us in the hometown of Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, whose name is synonymous with the Mississippi River. We started our day listening to a Mark Twain actor who came aboard the ship. Afterwards, we walked along the  historic district and visited Twain's boyhood home and museum. In the afternoon, we took the tour to the Mark Twain Cave. It doesn't get more Americana than this. Take a look:

By GERRY BARKER

Our American Serenade cruise on the Upper Mississippi started in Alton, IL., just outside St. Louis. Before boarding the ship, we got a tour of Alton, a city of some 30,000 with both charm and a rich history. A few things we learned:

• The world's tallest man -- Robert Wadlow  -- was born in Alton in 1918. He was 8 feet, 11.2 inches, and we saw his statue and a reproduction of his chair in a park. Sadly, he passed away at the young age of 22.
• The Elijah P. Lovejoy Monument, standing 110 feet overlooking the Mississippi River. a memorial to Lovejoy, free speech and the abolition of slavery advocate.
• Alton was the site of the last Lincoln-Douglas debates.

By the way, if you visit, take time to drop by the Duke Bakery. We hear the donuts are the best around.

By GERRY BARKER

It’s called the Mighty Mississippi for a reason. Steeped in legend and lore, this major waterway continues to play a vital role in our nation’s commerce. And just as they’ve done for almost 200 years,  riverboats make the journey from New Orleans in the South to Minnesota in the North.

But make no mistake — those riverboats of yesteryear can’t compare to American Serenade, one of the newest ships from one of the leaders in U.S. river cruising, American Cruise Lines, which has been sailing U.S. waters for over 50 years on American-crewed and American-flagged ships.

We are taking their Upper Mississippi, fall foliage cruise, which starts in Alton, Illinois, just outside St. Louis, and ends in Red Wing, Minnesota. This is where the river is the most scenic, flowing by tall bluffs and through habitats populated by bald eagles. Along the way, we’ll stop at towns embodying both history and charm.

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