Celebrating Colby Gardener

“There ain’t anything that is so interesting to look at as a place that a book has talked about.”

— Huck Finn in Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer Abroad

Exploring Mark Twain Caves

We edged through the rough stone passages. We had to pay attention since there was just enough light for shadows to frighten us. As we spelunked through the playground of one of my earliest novelist heroes, we searched the scarred walls, covered with 200 years of graffiti, most of it chicken scratch from the dull pocketknives of pre-teen boys leaving their mark in the soft sandstone. The coveted signature we sought was protected under a small frame of plexiglass: Samuel Clemens. Our adventure in Hanibal, Missouri, was complete with our visit to the Mark Twain Caves.

Traveling With Shawn

Colby Gardener joined me on an Educational Journey for a week in St. Louis. Excited to be out with Colby for the first time, I determined to visit Mark Twain’s home. The house is the authentic setting for his most famous characters, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. 

I read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in the fifth grade. To say I was remade is an understatement. I wanted to be Tom Sawyer. His desire for adventure, with a pinch of chaos thrown in the mix, made him my avatar, a new way to look at the world. I’ve read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer a dozen times, so when the opportunity arose to make a day trip before we met our school team, I jumped on it. 

Colby’s Intro to Wonder Voyage

Initially, I met Colby when he led our staff on a 20th-anniversary adventure in Cuba. Colby is the best and most unlikely Cuban guide. He is East Texas bred and born. With a sharp mind, country sensibilities, overactive humor, and a potent storytelling gene, he was instantly embraced by our Wonder Voyage staff as part of the family. Though he doesn’t have the mouth of a Mississippi steamboat sailor like Huckleberry Finn, he does have a weakness for tobacco (Cuban cigars will do that to you) and a sunny disposition that can light up any room. We can also pull jokes over on him with ease. After our time in Cuba, we asked Colby to utilize his unique guiding skills for Wonder Voyage. 

Shawn’s Huck Finn

After a day of visiting Mark Twain’s haunts, I realized I may have found the Huckleberry Finn to my Tom Sawyer. Colby is a gift to Wonder Voyage, and we are thankful he brings his personality, unquenchable sense of exploration, and silly humor to our ranks.