We made it to Arkansas today. "We" is collective as Glen did all the driving. I was just the passenger---and the navigator, watching the GPS and the atlas.
We never depend on just the GPS. I have the map in my lap. How else do I know what the next destination might be. The GPS lady likes the interstates. We don't. We cross/zigzag across the country.
We left Kenedy TX about 8 o'clock, very early for us! :} Kenedy is about half-way between San Antonio and Corpus Christi.
The waltz across Texas today took us through Shulenburg, Rockdale, Palestine, Carthage, Marshall, Atlanta, and crossing into Arkansas at Texarkana.
Ashdown is about 20 miles north of Texarkana. We are testing a theory that rural Walmarts are built near or next to a railroad! This is two nights in a row that we can hear the train whistle blowing.
We observed different growing areas today. We started with prickly pear and mesquite fields, merging with blooming beautiful Texas bluebonnets. The cacti and mesquite disappeared, replaced by blooming red bud and dogwood. Farther north the trees are still bare.
We left behind fields with no color, to pastures filled with cattle eating grass so green it nearly hurt the eyes. We left behind areas of drought to creeks, ponds, and ditches filled with water, evidence of an abundance of rain.
The Valley was filled with fields of cauliflower, cabbage, onions, sugar cane, cilantro, Swiss chard and orchards empty of fruit, but flowering for the next crop of oranges or grapefruit or lemons.
We are only a few hours from the home of our daughter and her family. We will arrive there by noon tomorrow. I can only imagine how much those teenagers have grown in the past 3 and 1/2 months.
My driver was tired tonight, and is already asleep. He does a great job driving this long rig, watching for the other driver who is trying to sneak out in front of us so he won't have to drive behind us, or is driving so slow that traffic has to go around him or road construction vehicles/zones.
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