June 29, 2003 FORT BENTON The bike takes you down the road, and suddenly your eyes are drawn left. Nestled in a little valley, is a town full of history. Just west of town is a Missouri treasure, The river bends 180 degrees. And in that space some creative farmer Has planted several crops. It is not the planting that catches the eye, It is the great big circle. A circular irrigation machine, Makes green when brown would be. That green does fill so nicely, The center of the horseshoe. And the marriage of nature and man, Creates a wonderful juxtaposition. The town is a study in contrasts, And maybe that's why it survives. The mix of nature and man, Has already been explored. What hasn't, however, concerns past and present, And the town has been best in both. In the past it was the best of the ports, And now it is best of the attractions. In the past it played a strategic importance, And now it helps explain it. Ron