Little Rock, Arkansas

I am happy to report that I have completed the first leg of my journey west and safely made it to Little Rock, Arkansas just before 3 p.m. today. I’m also happy to report that aside from the very nearly impossible task of squeezing everything into my car at 5 this morning, the drive was pretty uneventful. Traffic was relatively calm, the weather was hot but beautiful, and both Lemon and the boys were very well behaved. Woodward and Bernstein slept for the entire 10 hours. Lemon got a little anxious toward the end, but tomorrow’s drive is a bit shorter. I think eight hours is about her limit. And mine!

We stopped for gas three times between Augusta and Little Rock, but with three animals in tow it was impossible to take any real breaks from the road. I packed a ton of road snacks in anticipation, but by the time I made it to my hotel (which is a Hampton Inn for this stop), I was ready to stretch my legs and get a real bite to eat. (And so were Woodward and Bernstein! I don’t believe they’ve left that window since I let them out of their crate. They’re not sure about life on the road, but they sure do love the perks.)

This cross-country road trip is more about the destination than the journey, but I knew I wanted to try to visit Little Rock Central High School while I was in the area, and I arrived with more than enough time. Online it is listed as a “National Historic Site,” and I did not realize that it is still a working high school until I saw a few students coming and going. (And I can’t lie — as a 37-year-old white woman without a child in the Little Rock school system, I felt a little awkward being there without a tour group or invitation.) I was too late for a scheduled tour, but I was able to walk around campus grounds and check out the memorial benches placed around the entryway.

(For those who need a refresher — the Little Rock Nine were a group of nine African American students who enrolled at the previously all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in September 1957. Their enrollment was a significant event in the American Civil Rights Movement because it tested the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which declared that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.)

It was only about 5:30 p.m. by the time I left the high school, but the time change and the reliance on car snacks had me hankering for a hot meal, eaten without a dog on my lap or my eyes on the road.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Sierra and Becca recommended that I try out Three Fold Noodles while I was in town, so that’s exactly that I did. I ordered the half and half special, which came with tofu, veggie dumplings, and noodles — also at S and B’s recommendation. (The picture I include below really does not do the food justice, because it looks really bland but it actually tasted very flavorful, especially once I added in a little chili oil.) It was also ready in a flash, which is exactly how long I took to eat it. (Seriously, I barely got the one photo without biting my own hand on the way to my chopsticks.)

After dinner, and against my better judgment, I grabbed a coffee before heading back to my hotel. I have enough trouble sleeping in any bed other than my own without caffeine coursing through my veins, but after a day of travel I needed the creature comfort.

I got back to my hotel around 7 p.m. and took Lemon for a quick walk around the block, which took much longer than usual because of all the new city smells. (And if she thinks that’s exciting, just wait until she gets to Long Beach! We’re going to find so many new shoreline scents to explore!)

But for now, if I know what’s best for me I’ll cuddle up with my babes and call in a night so I can start bright and early in the a.m. I’m feeling good right now, and I hope I can stay in strong spirits for the next three days. Driving all day is taxing, especially when both space and stops are limited because of the pets, but whenever I start to feel burnt out I think about where I’m heading.

After all this time — I’m three days away.