H-88 T-STORMS L H 77 L 64 H H 75 L 61 M H79 L 57
L-66 C H 95 L 75
Bear update: The Bear says I Won The Food Fight At The Memphis Cracker Barrel Party. TR says, “I won the Peg Board Contest, too.” Moose say, “Here’s crumbs in your eyes, Bear!” Lou says we will have a We Will Carry Julius McCoy’s Confederate Flag In Triumph Party. We will serve Foods In A Triumphal Procession. Mary says, “Friday we’re gonna find out what damage the pirates did to the Western White House.”
We woke up to clouds. Will they last? No! It rained during the morning but dried up after lunch and got hot. By the time we checked into the La Quinta it was 88 and sunny.
Tucson 87/71 T-STORMS Brooklyn 88/70 T-STORMS
We woke up at 7:30AM. We got dressed and went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. We checked out of room 144 at 10:24AM. We did some fancy maneuvering to get into the right lane. We took exit 10B to go to Little Rock. Then we drove through downtown Memphis. We saw the pyramid. We crossed the Mississippi River. They don’t have the sign in the middle of the bridge that you’re entering Arkansas, the home of President Bill Clinton, anymore. The last time we crossed the bridge going west was 1998 when we were moving. They still had it up then. It was raining and kicking up water from the pavement reducing visibility. The Arkansas Visitor’s Center, where we’d planned to stop, was closed. We stopped instead at the first numbered exit on the Arkansas side of West Memphis, exit 275, for our first pit stop. Gary got gas at Shell. So did Kenny. I bought the USA Today. The dog barely managed to get out before it started to pour again. Our 2nd pit stop was at exit 260 TA/Burger King. Once again it started to rain. Our 3rd pit stop was at McDonalds at exit 241A Forrest City. There was a Bonanza next door, but we preferred the internet. Our 4th pit stop was at the McDonalds at exit 216 Brinkley. There was the same peach stand set up next door. This time we didn’t buy any more peaches. We just took a photo and left. Kenny said it was too soon for dipped cones. Everywhere we keep on seeing burned out fields were corn used to be. Gary says it’s the drought. I say they ought to irrigate the crops. Anything else is wasteful. Gary says I’m used to being out west where they have to irrigate everything. I say if they have rain good, otherwise set up the irrigation. We came to the road construction area around 202. This may be the subject of my travel blog for today. The rest areas on both sides of the highway were closed due to road construction. But the rest areas themselves weren’t under construction. The road workers were just using the westbound one as a place to put logs and other construction materials. They could easily have left it open with cones lining the entrance. This shows some sort of irresponsible attitude. Is this a stupid way to save money or do they have a poor sense of humor? They put up a sign that says, “Next rest area 130 miles.” Our 5th pit stop was at McDonalds Lonoke at exit 175 for dipped cones. We continued on to the last exit on i-40, exit 161 Loves to buy a flat of water. We got back on I-40 only to quickly get off on 440. That was the ring road around Little Rock. We crossed the Arkansas River on a bridge. Little Rock was the next five exits. The skyline was elusive but I think I got a photo. Then we got on I-30 W to Texarkana pretty much right away. At exit 128 we got off the road at Mabelville Road West Otter Creek. We checked into room 125 at the same La Quinta we stayed at on June 23. That was only 8 days after we’d left the house. We picked up the FEDEX package from Shapiro with the check for $650.00. It’s Friday, and that’s the only money for this week.
Two weeks ago we landed in New York. I had $9000.00 in Bear Cash. Now I’m starting the day with only $5669.71. And that’s before the ATM.
Amazon Advantage correction From the Author Under Editorial Reviews. September 15 should be postponed and correct name of series to Churchill’s Revenge
Can You Expect Red Roof Inn Memphis East To Pick Up The Garbage for $55.65? 8/17/12
We decided to stay cheap in East Memphis. We checked into room 144 and didn’t expect much for only $55.65 for 3 adults and 2 pets. There wasn’t any guest laundry. There wasn’t any CP breakfast in the lobby in the morning. And ridiculously enough they provided only a small purse pack of Kleenex instead of a standard box like most motels. They didn’t even have any sheer drapes but only one set of dark curtains to block out the sun. But even for that cheap price I expected basic sanitation. It’s bad enough that they provided only one trash can in the room to most motels two. But outside the room the garbage can at the end of the sidewalk was overflowing. When we checked in we asked them to pick it up. Two hours later it was still overflowing. I called and asked again. Finally half an hour later did they deign to pick it up and give their guests somewhere to throw their trash.
Postcards:
Today we drove from Memphis to Little Rock. We crossed the Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers and took the ring road around Little Rock. We left I-40 and got onto I-30S. This postcard makes the Mississippi look bigger. I snapped a photo. I’ll have to print copies.
AND:
Today we drove from Memphis to Little Rock. We crossed the Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers and took the ring road around Little Rock. We left I-40 and got onto I-30S. This is the second time I’ve been in Arkansas this year, and I can’t find another postcard oddly enough. Even the travel stops don’t have them.
Dog/Cat Report:
The dog got to the peach stand at Brinkley at exit 216. He went ape because he saw a field of grass next to the McDonalds. He ran into another dog. He was excited for an hour after that. He had chicken strips for dinner that we brought him from Applebees.
We gave the cat the rest of the chicken sandwich that Kenny gave to the dog at lunch time in Forrest City. The dog’s spare bottle of shampoo leaked on the cat’s toys and leash in the back of the pet suitcase. We need another LL Bean toiletry bag so bottles with liquids can sit upright.
List of to do items:
1)Amazon Advantage change listing for The Lusitania Plot
2)Buy LL Bean toiletry bag
3)Buy Orvis quilt
4)post on weebly
5)Facebook
Still no contract . . .
What next?
Friday, August 17, ’12 (Last time you were in Little Rock was June 23)
1)Cracker Barrel Memphis breakfast Bear Cash $31.16
2)Shell West Memphis cash gas $30.00
3)Shell USA Today cash $1.00
4)McDonalds Forrest City lunch Bear Cash $31.03
5)McDonalds Lonoke cones Bear Cash $5.29
6)Love’s Travel Stops flat of water Bear Cash $6.20
7)La Quinta Little Rock Otter Creek free night $0.00
8)Applebees Little Rock dinner $62.85
9)laundry $3.00
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TOT: $170.53
Shell West Memphis gas Kenny $25.42