We have zig-zagged across the country and, boy-oh-boy, do we have some gems to share! Browse campsites, off-road trails, scenic outlooks, oddities, museums, hiking trails, and more.
A lot of our route is flexible, given the winter weather. But the Jack Sisemore Traveland RV Museum has been on our list of stops ever since we discovered that they also have an 1970 Avion truck camper on display—the same year as ours! Unlike ours, it has been maintained in its original condition. This includes the original and rather strange three jack point formation and period interior.
The moment of totality is profoundly transcendent. Amidst the stars and planets, hemmed in by a 360° sunset, is a vision of the sun, in profile. Trust me, I have seen many pictures and videos before. I'll post many myself of what has been dubbed the "Great American Eclipse." But neither a thousand words nor a picture can truly do justice to the emotional immersion into a world, like our own, but seen in a completely alien light.
Como Park Zoo & Conservatory hosts a breathtaking collection of plants and animals from around the world. In visiting, we were immediately drawn to the Ape enclosure where one of the largest Gorillas in captivity reclined with an understated authority. That being said, it seems like the Como Park Zoo & Conservatory is a place to be seen, not described. So, here we go:
Before he adopted the pen name Mark Twain, Samuel Clemens grew up in Hannibal, Missouri—the template for Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Fin's hometown. Today, the quiet town perched by the Mississippi is filled with callouts to Mark Twain and his famous creations. You can tour his home and learn about his complex relationship with the morals of his environment and the values he adopted later in life. In every quote, we are treated to the wit and wisdom of one of America's greatest storytellers.
On January 21, 1972, DC comics declared the fictional town of Metropolis to be the "Hometown of Superman." On June 9, 1972, the state of Illinois declared the very real town of Metropolis, Illinois to be the "Hometown of Superman." What followed was the inevitable scheduling of Superman themed events, attractions, and a very large statue in the town square.
Seven miles down a moderately managed dirt road in the Ouachita National Forest is the Little Missouri Falls. The drive is pretty doable for any car in the proper conditions—there is a creek crossing that could cause trouble after a heavy rain—but the reason to drive this road is the swimming hole at the end.
Cars cruise past our campsite, methodically crunching the gravel. It initially seemed odd to have a parade of vehicles regularly circle through the group camping area. Now we know better.
I bounce in my chair as we turn into Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park. The name, however, is a misnomer. These massive man made Mounds were originally attributed to the Toltec because locals believed that regional Indians were too savage to achieve such great earthworks. We now know that assumption to be wrong for multiple reasons.
East Arkansas is drenched. Flood waters have transformed roads into docks and campgrounds into harbors. Mobile homes on blocks barely float above the water level. Rice farmers block the highway pull off with orange cones to park their truck at the lake bank that was once their front yard. A boat is docked at their front porch—their only means to reach the road.
Clarksdale, Mississippi is home to many blues landmarks, but most notoriously, a site of a Satanic Pact.