Arkansas and Texas

  Here we are in Texas. Where in Texas you might ask? We are about 60 miles east of Dallas at Lake Tawakoni. We arrived here last Wednesday from North Little Rock Arkansas where we stayed at Downtown Riverside RV Park:

                               (This is us in the lower left)

  Little Rock is directly across the river and was very accessible via the Bill Clinton Pedestrian Bridge which was directly behind us (last trailer in the left):

 And we got a light show every night:

A very unique campsite. 

We took a day trip to Hot Springs National Park:

Kind of different for a National Park because the main sites are the bath houses along Bathhouse Row and the town itself:

The main drag is loaded with stores and shoppes to buy a bunch of crap you don't really need. A Duck Boat tour is available also:

The Fordyce Bathhouse is now the Visitor Center:

This is the only bath house that is in its original state inside.

  In Hot Springs the bathing industry was en vogue in the early twentieth century as well as gambling and speakeasies during Prohibition.

   The Ohio Club was the place for casino gambling:

The back bar was carved from a single piece of mahogany in Cincinnati and floated down the Ohio River on a barge, off loaded somewhere nearby and placed on a specially built railroad car then brought by horse drawn cart to Hot Springs where the front of the building was removed to bring in the behemoth.

 We took advantage of the bridge and walked to town for The Fourth of July. We did some sight seeing in Little Rock and stopped for a cold one at the Flying Saucer in the Downtown Market District.

  Next we were off to the old State House and Museum:

This is a great free attraction in Little Rock. I would recommend a few hours to see the entire museum.

Afterward we returned to the Flying Saucer for a late lunch/ early dinner. I also wanted to catch the Pirates and Phillies playing on the Fourth of July on ESPN. The Bucco's were victorious after a rain delay in the eighth. 

We walked back to the RV park and settled in for the fireworks with a cold beer and a patriotic stogie.

 

Everything was nice until the hood rats on the bridge starting throwing down and disrupting the moment.

We left Little Rock the next morning in driving rain. We had to stop to get a new tire on the trailer because there was a nasty bubble on the inside wall of the rear passenger tire. Luckily we found a tire shop on our way out of town and got a new one.

We made it to our next stop at Thousand Trails Lake Tawakoni near the town of  Point Texas. In the middle of nowhere.

Our first excursion was to Dallas and the Sixth Floor Museum. First though we needed some lunch. Our tradition for years has been to dine at a Hard Rock Cafe and we found the Dallas franchise very disappointing.

  The interior decor was very sparse as far as memorabilia goes, and then the service was awful. Our hostess seated us and said Brad would be our server. After several minutes a young lady waited on us. We ordered some adult beverages and waited again. The young lady returned with two glasses of water and said "I have some water for you until the bartender shows up." A few more minutes went by  and we left. No bartender in sight! 

  We proceeded to Dick's Last Resort. And let me tell you the name is very appropriate. I won't be going to one of those again.

We finished our marginally edible meal and proceeded to Dealy Plaza. Our destination was the Sixth Floor Museum in the old Texas School Book Depository where Lee Harvey Oswald fired the shots that killed President Kennedy:

  What a must see destination. There is so much history here. No photography inside but here you can see the window, the last on the right; second from the top, where Oswald fired his weapon. 

An x marks the spot in the street of the first shot:

Another x for the fatal shot:

The grassy knoll:

Abraham Zapruder's vantage point was atop the square pedestal next to the steps.

The Houston St. triple underpass that Kennedy's limousine sped under after the shots:

  For me the most interesting aspect of the museum is the area next to the corner window, which is behind glass and recreated to appear as it did when Oswald was aiming his rifle on November 22, 1963. The view of Elm St. and Houston St. is just surreal. Next to that is an interactive computer display that depicts the motorcade and traces the route. 

  There are many other displays documenting the years, months, and days leading up to Dallas on that fateful day. 

  Useful tip: don't pay the $10 to park at the museum. There is a lot by the Hard Rock for $2 and it is only about a 10 minute walk.

  A few days later we took another day trip, this time to Fort Worth to see the Historic Stockyards:

The Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame and Texas Trail of Fame:

A classic western town:

We stopped for a cold one at Booger Red's in the Stockyard Hotel. Home of the saddle bar stools:

The cattle drive takes place every day at 11:30 and 4:00:

We ran into Wild Bill Hickok. He looks pretty good for 180 years old!

We finished off the day at Cattlemen's Steak House:

A delicious steak and a perfect Old Fashioned:

Unfortunately our trip has not been without difficulties. We had to get a new tire for the trailer in North Little Rock and we have been combating an ant infestation since leaving Alabama. Hopefully the ants are subsiding and no more tire issues will occur.

Next stop: Oklahoma City

Just Getting Warmed Up

  This post finds us in Arley, Alabama. That is in the northern part of the state where the Dollar General is the closest store and the houses of worship have to be about one church per five citizens. We are at Hidden Cove RV Resort where there is no cell phone coverage, no gnats, and no TV reception. The campground is quite large with access to Smith Lake;

Thankfully they provide wifi and I have the portable Winegard Pathway X2 for Dish network.

  Prior to arriving here in Alabama we did do some sightseeing in Georgia while staying at Fair Harbor RV. We took a day trip to Stone Mountain:

  What a day it turned out to be. First off I was partially hungover and so hungry that I didn't know where I was going even with GPS and Google maps. After waiting in line at the entrance gate for what seemed like an hour I joked with the gate attendant that I wasn't going to ask him any questions like all the others before me delaying my entry. He laughed and thanked me. What a mistake! We ended up at the golf course clubhouse where we ate lunch. And the service was not exactly expedient. We drove around the massive property looking for the sculpture and ended up at the west side of the mountain at the Confederate Hall Historical & Environmental Education Center where the walk up trail goes to the top of Stone Mountain. 

No way Doreen, You'll never make it. (we tried but didn't get much farther than this sign.)

  We eventually found the main attraction and realized we could have been here hours before.

Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson as seen from the Florida monument plaque:

  Stone Mountain has to be one of the the largest monuments to the Confederate States. The entire complex is dedicated to all the states of the Confederacy plus the three heroes. 

Our next excursion took us to a very pleasant surprise. Late on Sunday afternoon we decided to head over to the Robins Museum of Aviation on the Air Force Base. This was a free attraction and Google reviews stated an hour was the average time spent there. Well that was too bad because I cold have spent the entire day there. What a great place to see- FOR FREE!. They have the largest aviation collection outside of the Smithsonian, which we had visited some years ago.

  There is the main exhibition hall, Eagle Hall along with hangars dedicated to Vietnam, WWII, and Century of Flight aircraft along with outside exhibits.

 I am a WWII airplane nerd and my favorites are the P-51 Mustang and P-40 Warhawk:

An F-15 Eagle graces the main rotunda of Eagle Hall:

B-52 Bomb bay and Mark III atomic bomb (inert)

  I would recommend a visit to the Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base to anyone that might have any interest at all in aircraft. It is a great unexpected find.

  Today (Wednesday) took us on a day trip to two not so local attractions. We are so far out of the path of interstates and chain restaurants that it took us about 45 minutes to get to Jesse Owens Museum and another 45 minutes to get to Natural Bridge.

  Jesse Owens Museum is in Oakridge, AL. 

I almost made it to his record broad jump of 26 feet, five and one-third inches:

A nominal entry fee of $3 was a bargain. In the exhibit the museum plays a video of the 1936 Olympics where Jesse won four gold medals. Knowing only the basic history of Jesse Owens and the '36 Olympics this was a great find. Once again, an awesome visit for a history nerd.

  Jesse, his ten siblings and parents lived in this three room house until he was nine years old:

  Next was the Natural Bridge near Haleysville.

Another inexpensive attraction at $3.50. (no charge for Doreen on her scooter)

  Not really a major attraction but it is a remnant of roadside attractions of days gone by:

I forgot my camera so I had to use the cell phone's flash:

   This was a good practice run for Doreen to see what she can conquer on her scooter. The trail to the bridge was wrought with large tree roots and loose gravel on the pathway and I am sure we will encounter more daunting obstacles in the weeks and months to come.

  Stay tuned; next stop is Little Rock Arkansas.