Southern Swing
September 03, 2004
I'm heading off tomorrow on a flight to Dallas that I booked somewhat on impulse last week. I'm taking advantage of the long weekend (and taking Tuesday off) to gather some more states. I'm hoping to get at least four or five, possibly as many as seven. I'll be posting more here about each day, like my last few travelogues.
- Day 1: Portland to Longview, Texas
- Day 2: Longview, Texas to Conway, Arkansas
- Day 3: Conway, Arkansas to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Day 4: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Portland
Southern Swing Day 1
September 04, 2004
Today I headed off to Texas, on an afternoon flight out of PDX. My mom dropped me off at the Beaverton TC and I rode the entire length of the Red Line to the airport. I flew American, because the silver birds : DFW :: red tails : MSP. Basically I found a decent deal and went for it.
I was worried when it came to seat selection; both flights seemed pretty full. This morning it turned out I had the 2-seat side of row 8 to myself on the MD-80, so that was perfectly pleasant. I wouldn't have minded the bump though.
My goal for the evening was basically to get out of the Metroplex and get as far east as I could for the night. Upon arrival at DFW (and after taxiing in from Tulsa, apparently) I stepped out of the terminal and was hit with heavy, warm Texas (state 27) air. I quickly shed the sweater I had worn since Oregon. I hopped the shuttle to the rental car facility (itself larger and more elaborate than the entire terminal at say, EUG) picked up my Neon (other choices: a Cavalier, Sunfire, or Ion with NJ plates) I made my way through Dallas and finally out east on I-20.
I had earlier resolved to make it to Tyler for the night, however I made it past Tyler to Longview, arriving about 9 at night. After checking into the motel, I stopped at a supermarket for some provisions. They had both Tillamook cheese and jerky. :)
Southern Swing Day 2
September 05, 2004
I awoke later than I had planned, but considering the 2 hour time difference it was close to the usual time. I checked out of the motel and left Longview, heading east toward Shreveport. Just before entering Louisiana (state 28), I took a side road so that I could pull over and take a picture by the "Welcome To" signs. I was pleased that not only was there a sign for the state, but for the parish as well.
I pushed on through the morning through Shreveport and onward, east across northern Louisiana. I had lunch at a picnic area along the way, ever mindful of the strange bugs and other critters that must inhabit the bayou in all directions. The air continued to be oppressive. For all of its climactic faults, the pacific northwest is an awfully nice place to live. Although the part of the state I travelled though didn't have a lot going on, I would like to return to see New Orleans one day.
Early in the afternoon, I crossed the Mississippi River into the state (state 29) named for it. At Vicksburg, I wandered around a civil war monument before heading up a smaller road up along the eastern bank of the big river. It was my first chunk of driving off of the interstate, and although slower was quite pleasant. It reminded me of driving through the rural Willamette Valley, except there weren't any foothills in the distance here, and they don't grow cotton in Oregon.
After passing through a hundred miles of rural Mississippi, I crossed back over the river and into Arkansas (state 30). Shortly into the state, I stopped at a lovely information center upon a large oxbow lake. Before the trip, I had resolved to get as far as Pine Bluff for the night. I arrived there in the late afternoon, however, so instead of stopping I drove around the town a bit before pressing on to Little Rock.
At Little Rock I stopped and parked at the downtwon waterfront. I was impressed with the park and the parts of downtown I walked through. There was a large market area, although it was closed this evening. Apparenly they are starting up a small streetcar service, I was too early to catch that though. I was also a few months too early for the opening of the Clinton Presidential Library, although I saw the site. From what I can tell, Arkansans are very excited for the presidential library to open.
Since it was still light out, I decided to press on just a bit longer to the town of Conway. I checked into my motel and drove around the town a bit. The downtown area was quiet but had recently been upgraded. I had dinner at the Waffle House.
Southern Swing Day 3
September 06, 2004
I got an early start this morning, heading first thing to the library in Conway to see if I could get a small bit of internet. As I half expected, the library was closed for Labor Day. So I got out of town, heading north up into the Ozarks. For the first time the entire trip, the weather was cooler and more bearable without blasting the A/C.
While the Ozarks are cerainly more mountainous than the surrounding area, I drive over bigger hills practically every week on the way to Portland. But they were charming in their way nonetheless. While over fifty miles away, I started to see billboards and "information centers" for attractions in Branson, Missouri. These information centers apparenly sold tickets to all the best shows with deep discounts!
So I kept going and was soon in Missouri (state 31). Quickly I found myself mired in traffic, as apparenly Branson is somewhat infamous for traffric and it was Labor Day, after all. I took one of the proferred "Traffic Relief" routes and came around the south and up the west side of Branson, along a ridge above a river and across a dam. Soon I was driving slowly along the main drag. I stopped at a branch of the "Ozarkland" chain for a break, souvenirs, and general amusement.
After my break, I headed through the remainder of Branson on the main street trhough town. This is pretty much a planner's nightmare. Very tourist-trap-y strip development for miles upon miles, all along this one three lane road. No wonder there are traffic snarls! Not my cup o' tea, and I'm not even talking about the country music. Eventually I made my way back to the main north-south highway and headed north toward Springfield. I took a bypass around Springfield and started on my way back west. Near the border the frewway headed into Oklahoma, but I took a smaller road toward the northwest and into Kansas (state 32). I was hoping there would be an easy way to get to the point where the three states meet, but that didn't seem to be the case.
I headed west along rural two-lane highways in the south of Kansas for a while, traveling through a number of small towns. At a decent-sized town called Coffeyville, I drove around a bit in their downtown, then stopped at a small gift shop/information center at a historic mansion. The lady there was just about to close up as it was nearly five, but was very kind. She had visited Portland when her son lived there and liked it very much!
Soon I was back on my way, heading south this time, and quickly found myself in Oklahoma (state 33). I headed south on the highway to Tulsa, where I had earlier determined would be the farthest from Dallas I would like to stop for the night. I decided to press on, however. Tulsa seemed much larger than I expected. Instead of taking the quick way to Oklahoma City via turnpike, I took back highways instead. After getting caught in an inexplicable traffic jam for a while, I eventually made it.
At Oklahoma City, I found a hotel and checked in before heading downtown. I parked near the Oklahoma City National Memorial. I'm not sure what it is like in the daylight, but I found it quite striking at night. It was a pleasant evening and I strolled around the grounds in a contemplative mood. After touring the grounds and some of the surrounding area by foot, I got back in the car and drove around a bit before heading back toward the hotel for the night, stopping for a quick dinner along the way.
Southern Swing Day 4
September 07, 2004
Started the morning with a not-all-that-great complementary motel breakfast before I hit the road on my way south , through Norman, and back into Texas. As I got into the Metroplex, I headed toward the east side of Dallas. I had quite a bit of time before my flight left, so I decided that I might as well check out at least one place on my trip for more than a few hours.
I was trying to find a light-rail station without knowing exactly where they were. As it happened, I stumbled on one pretty much right away. I hopped on a Red line train and took it into downtown Dallas. I then hopped a Blue line train back to Cityplace, which is an interesting underground station, then caught the next Red line back to where I was parked. The light rail is a little different than MAX in some ways but not so much that it presented any difficulties.
I then made my way across northern Dallas into Irving, where I found the National Scouting Museum. I wandered about the museum for a while (did very well at the virtual shooting gallery). It was interesting, not quite what I expected, but not in a bad way.
Soon I was back on my way to DFW, which with the directions given me by the museum staff was less than 10 minutes away. I am usually a little conservative on airport arrival times, so I had a few hours to kill, but otherwise the rest of the trip was uneventful.