Missouri-Arkansas-Oklahoma

I finally left Crown Point yesterday at 2:10pm. I had waited for Carol to come back from the airport. We had a quick lunch at the CP Cafe with Marge where we all ordered soup and gyro. Weather was pleasant with ice and snow-free roads and blue skies. I know I had to get going but I dreaded the boring drive across Illinois. Luckily there were no wind gusts yesterday and I made it to St Louis six hours later where I had my first stop to walk around.

The city's NPR station said the temperature was "41 but feels like 35" but I thought it was colder than that while I walked around for an hour. My hands were cold! Sure enough, back in the van the updated report said "38 feels like 30."

This was my third stop in St ILouis to walk around the arch. I've never actually spent any time in this ugly city, though. The downtown plaza is nice; C'mas lights and music was still playing from loudspeakers. Unfortunately, there are many transients who use the plaza as their home. Their presence is a bit discomforting.

Thirty miles west of St Louis and the hills began to take shape and I was entering the Ozarks. By Lebanon off I-44 I decided to get off the interstate and find a cheap hotel in the Ozarks. I had no luck and spent the first night freezing in the van. This morning I was up early just to get warm. I stopped in Harleyville to order a cappuccino at the Mc D's there and was served by a very friendly elderly woman named Audrey. I ended up seeing many elderly people in Arkansas and the majority were very friendly toward me.

My NatGeo map listed AK7 as a scenic byway and that's the route I took. I am so glad I did, as it cut across some spectacular hill country and pretty Ozark towns. Lots of junk yards and friendly old people. I could have camped out in the Arkansas Ozarks tonight as I've never actually spent time in these hills, but my schedule and my limited daylight kept me from lingering. I stopped in most small towns, walked around and photographed stuff, read historical markers. The Buffalo River flowed right through the Bostom hills. This area deserves a closer look another time. I stopped in towns like Branson, MO, Jasper AK, Ava AK and drove almost 120 miles through the 2100' hills. Although the deciduous trees were barren, I can just imagine how pretty it must be in the spring, summer and fall.

I stayed on Hwy 60 and then Rte 7 until south of I-44 when I turned west on Rte22. This was a curvy two-lane road with little traffic and even few stop signs or lights. The hills were smaller here but the history was just as interesting. I made it to Fort ssmith at 4:20pm, not enough time to enjoy the historical site but with enough daylight to walk about the riverwalk and see the old fort from a distance. I walked briefly along the wide and peaceful Arkansas River, where downhill a huge flock of blackbirds and fish were reported dead of mysterious reasons on New Year's Day.

I crossed into Oklahoma by 5:15pm to sunset and drove the rumbly I-40 into Tinker AFB where I got a lovely room for the night for a mere $34. It was too cold to carcamp another night and I needed a shower and clean clothes. Tinker AFB is a quiet and safe place to stay.

Tomorrow morning I plan on stopping in downtown OKC to see the new memorial where once was a federal office bombing in April 1995. At that time there were still many toys and stuffed animals hung off the fence in memoriam of the chidlren who died in this heinous act of domestic terrosrism.