The Long Drive to Arkansas

Tuesday, April 5th – Cheaha State Park, Alabama to Hot Springs, Arkansas– Day 56 

We were looking for a way to get to Dallas, Texas to see the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Dallas Stars. We could stop in one spot along the way and Gen thought that Hot Springs, Arkansas would be nice. It only added two hours to a straight path from Cheaha to Dallas. 

Therefore, today was a driving day. The longest drive we have had in a long time – eight and a half hours. Florida was easy, everything is close and two-to-three-hour drives were the norm. Our drives have extended as we have wanted to cover states at a faster pace. To compensate for being in the car all day, we tend to stop for meals and gas which increases costs. 

Our stop was a Mongolian grill/Chinese buffet. Mary and Gen are big buffet eaters and this one was very good. The prices of buffets tend to be inexpensive, so it makes the stop reasonable. We ate our fill and just had snacks for dinner because everyone was still full. 

The funniest part about our decision to go to Hot Springs Arkansas is that we travelled back through Memphis, Tennessee on the way. The way this trip has gone has been odd as we have crossed our paths so many times, especially in Florida. To go through Memphis as our third stop and come back to it 2 months later might be considered poor planning but I prefer to view it as the odd result of having the flexibility to do whatever we want. Plus, I love Memphis and Beale St. and we are back again! 

Gen went to pick up some groceries with the girls and dropped John, Mary and myself off to have a drink on Beale Street. Mary had a fantastic meal at B.B. Kings last time and most other bars were full, too loud for John to attend or didn’t allow children so we went back. When I found out that they had a $10 cover, I thought, I can’t do this Gen will kill me, but Mary stepped to the plate and offered to pay. I didn’t want to take her money so I just paid (kids were free so John got in) and we made a promise not to tell Gen. 

Of course, Gen shows up with the car, trailer and kids in tow and is wondering where we are so she can stop by. I told her about the cover and she was suitably disappointed. I talked to the door person and she agreed not to charge Gen because she was just coming in for a minute. I parked the car and over the next two hours we had a drink, some chicken fingers and listened to a fantastic blues band play everything from Aretha Franklin to the Fugees. 

At this point it was 10pm and we had a four hour drive ahead of us so we got back into the car. The drive kept being extended and extended, Google Maps can be untrustworthy at times, but after a long, long drive we reached Lake Catherine State Park outside of Hot Springs, Arkansas, our 13th state. 

We reached our lake side campsite and looked directly across the lake at a massive power plant that was fully lit up in the middle of the night. It ruined the view somewhat. Mary joked that we had a fantastic view of the oil refinery.