Road Trip - day 13 - Wednesday

So you're wondering if we got any sleep with all the ruckus the passing
trucks were making last night? Amazingly, yes! Deb did wake up about 6
and was awake until 7:30, but she fell back to sleep eventually and we
both sort of started awake at 8:45!
It wasn't long before we were in Arkansas. The further we drove, the
more scenic it became. Original plan was to head north a little for a
scenic drive through the Ozark Forest but friends had recommended the
Hot Springs National Park and we opted to go there instead. We headed
south from Russelville down a winding road that curved its way through
mountains populated with lots of trees. About every couple miles we
would encounter another truck carrying huge logs, obviously from a
logging camp. I must admit that the speeds they were driving made me
nervous on those winding roads. We did eventually pass several entrances
to Weyerhauser tree farms, signs boasting of when they were planted and
when they were "thinned." They sound like a pretty responsible company -
good for them!
When we got to Hot Springs National Park (boyhood home of Bill Clinton)
we ended up driving through a town with these big old hotels and bath
houses. The town was just packed with people, which I thought strange.
(Deb had noted signs for a basketball finals, so that may have been par
of it.) There were people everywhere and no where to park and as we
drove through the center of the really congested spot, I noticed the
Visitor's Center. I thought this strange but figured we'd see a sign for
the springs themselves, and the National Park part of the area. Soon, I
looked at the map and discovered we'd already driven through the park!
We decided we'd turn around and try to find somewhere to park so as to
figure out just what this whole thing was about.
Things started to get very congested again and then we noted that it was
opening day at the racetrack in town (don't think it was cars, maybe
horses or dogs?). So we tried moving a little further south to turn
around only to encounter a tractor trailer that had spilled a load of
lumber all over the Northbound lanes. At that point we just gave up and
continued out of town but stayed on the smaller route, headed towards
Pine Bluff while I tried to get an internet connection and see if that
was where Lum and Abner's General Store was located (Lum and Abner was
an old time radio show and there is a store by that name that is a
tribute to the show). (Oh! And I can tell you now, its Pine Ridge, not
Pine Bluff.)
Eventually we took a route that led us back towards Little Rock and then
continued west to, and through Memphis. This time we got to see the
Mississippi River. I was disappointed that I could not find any day
trips on Riverboats on the Mississippi (there is a place in Nashville
but its a 4 hour cruise - we'll see...). We were driving through Memphis
at 6 pm and there was construction, but all in all it was pretty
painless.
We drove for almost an hour and then stopped outside a town called
Brownsville. Deb watched her shows, Survivor and American Idol, while I
ran down the street to fetch some Pizza Hut to eat in the room. Just as
we were falling asleep, someone came into the room above with little
children that were running back and forth (or maybe along the balconey,
it was hard to tell). It finally got quiet about 11:30.

Bruce and Debbie

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