I am absolutely knackered, but for once, it's from something good. Yep, this was the weekend of my oldest nephew's wedding, and even though it was going to be a long, long, loooong drive, I was determined to go. So I did.
Suzette, as always, accompanied me.
For those of you who may be new to the blog and don't know the story of Suzette, I had a dear, dear friend named Suzie, who left us in 2020. Suzie had multiple health issues, which meant she couldn't do all the travelling she wanted to do. She was in end stage kidney failure and had to stay tied to that dialysis clinic -- among other things. I won't get into all her personal business here, but that's the long and the short of it.
A while back, she'd lamented that she missed going to fiber festivals and such, so at the last Fiber Fun In The 'Sip -- in 2019, before the pandemic -- I'd fixed her up a little gift bag with fun stuff I'd bought there. It had yarn, and stitch markers, kudzu soap, and this little alpaca, plus a few more things. After Suzie passed away, the alpaca was the only thing I asked to have back. I named her Suzette, and now she goes with me on all the trips Suzie was unable to take.
If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you've no doubt seen all the photos we take together, but here are a few for your enjoyment. At the Arkansas welcome center, and at the Tennessee welcome center.
I'll talk more about the wedding itself later, but for now, let me just say it was so good to see my sister and her family again. It's been far too long, especially my nephew Nate, whom I haven't seen since he was 12. He wasn't able to come to my mother's memorial in '21, because he couldn't get off work. Anyway, he told me he was so excited when my sister told him I was coming, and all my nephews seemed happy to see me. I sure wish they lived closer. I wish all my family were closer.
But that's another post for another day.
Right now, let's talk about the trip up there. That was exciting. See, when I was plotting my trip on Maps, I thought I'd chosen the route that goes through Little Rock, but apparently, I didn't. Apparently, I chose the route that goes straight up through the middle of Arkansas...through the middle of nowhere.
You know, Arkansas' nickname is The Natural State, and they aren't kidding. It's full of hills and valleys and beautiful scenery, but it's an absolute bear to drive through. Two lanes, the whole way, up and down, back and forth, and ... it was like driving on a roller coaster, and I'm not kidding about that. I halfway expected to see a loop-de-loop in the road. Beautiful scenery notwithstanding, I did not enjoy that drive at all.
I was so glad when I finally got to Missouri, and I could tell the moment I got there, because the roads were suddenly four lane, straight, and flat. I pulled into the Mammoth Springs welcome center just to give my little car a break -- not to mention my nerves. I'd have loved to stay longer, but I felt pressed for time as it was, so after a bit of a walkabout, it was back into the car and onto the road once more.
The driving was much easier in Missouri, but I have to tell you about this one section of the road. It was two lanes, out in the country, nothing but farms and fields and forests as far as the eye could see, when suddenly way out in the middle of nowhere, there was a roundabout.
Yes, you read that right. A roundabout! In the middle of nowhere Missouri.
Don't ask. I have no idea.
That drive felt like it took forever, but I finally made it to the hotel, and vowed that on the way back More Interstate, Less Arkansas.
On the way back, that's exactly what I did. I cut up to I-70 to St. Louis, then got onto I-55, which is a straight shot all the way back to Grenada. It was 80 miles longer, but with good roads and higher speed limits, it took the exact same amount of time to get home as it did to get to Warrensburg, MO.
And I spend every minute of it being thankful for President Dwight David Eisenhower, who gave us that interstate highway system so many of us take for granted these days.
Me, I'll never do that again.
Never.
Ever.
Especially when driving through Arkansas.
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