Little Rock, Arkansas

“Regnat Populus”

State Tree: Pine Tree
State Cooking Vessel: Dutch Oven
State Bird: Mockingbird
State Flower: Apple Blossom
State Gem: Diamond

Sam Walton founded Wal-mart in Bentonville

“Arkansas. The natural state.”

It was my first Father’s Day without my father, and the sentiment behind this trip was what drove it, not planning and preparation. Little Rock would be the beginning of an epic adventure, and we were crawling the walls to get going. 

We left on Saturday, June 15, 2019. The ride was only supposed to take about 5 hours, but we left early in the morning because, well, we’re newbies and wanted to allow ourselves enough time for mistakes. And oh, did we have them. 

About an hour into the trip I was following behind a semi-truck. I didn’t think I was following too closely, but in retrospect, if you can’t swerve at the last minute, you are in-fact following too closely. A huge rock tumbled out from underneath the truck, and I hit it head on. It gauged my tire forcing us to make a detour to Rockwall Powersports. They fixed up Bessie and we were on the road again, albeit very behind schedule. 

Along with my Dad’s motorcycle journal, he left a map of all the Cracker Barrels in the country. It was past noon, and we were starving. While I am not a fan of Cracker Barrel, one was conveniently located across the highway from the repair shop. I eventually decided it would be fun to stop at a location in different states, making my lackluster feelings about the place a little more palatable. 

 This was our first Cracker Barrel experience on #TheHonorTrip, and they didn’t pass my egg test. I like my eggs over hard. This is a way of cooking eggs very similar to a fried egg. The yolks are completely cooked as opposed to an over easy egg which is made the same way but has a runny yolk. Cracker Barrel likes to make all eggs over easy I’ve discovered. I haven’t given up on them yet though. 

Our trip continued through the hot, miserable Texas summer. We had to make many stops along the way to cool down and rehydrate ourselves. What was supposed to be a 5-hour trip turned into 12 hours, putting us in Little Rock just as the sun was setting. 

The Rosemont Bed and Breakfast was lovely with ample parking for the bikes in the back, a nice garden area, a quaint room with a colossal sized bath tub, and private full kitchen. After changing clothes, we set out to explore. 

We trapsed around the Little Rock River Market area. Bars lined the streets along with tourist shops and fun little boutiques. We even got a palm reading. According to the psychic, Rawley and I won’t be married long. 

Back at the inn we slept quite soundly and upon waking enjoyed a hearty breakfast. The best part is that breakfast items are provided for guests to make themselves. We had sausage, bacon, waffles, eggs, croissants, and homemade preserves and syrup. 

I like this “make your own breakfast” set up for a few reasons. First, we could make it whenever we wanted. Our time restrictions required us to eat before the sun came up. In other Bed and Breakfasts the guests are constrained to certain serving hours, but making it on your own means you can eat as early or late as you want. Plus, breakfast in bed is proof that God loves us. So there’s that. The only downside to this serving style is for those that don’t know how to use the equipment. I’m embarrassed to admit the Rosemont waffles were the first I’ve ever made, and unsuccessfully so. I overfilled the maker with the premade waffle mix causing a very large and oily mess that covered the counters and floors. Paper towels only smeared it around. Whoops. 

My waffle debacle caused us to run late in the morning. After a short 12 hours in Little Rock, we hit the road for Pinnacle Mountain, one of Dad’s finally resting place. 

The drive up to Pinnacle Mountain was peaceful and serene, minus my sobs. James Taylor’s Fire and Rain played on repeat over and over. Shortly into our ride, the Heavens opened up and the rain poured down. 

Drenched and cold, we arrives at the top of Pinnacle Mountain. Walking inside we immediately noticed a bird sanctuary with dozens of cardinals. Outside on the patio overlooking the river, I spread Dad’s ashes, on my first father’s day without a father. We weren’t feeding the ducks or drinking a glass of wine. We weren’t sitting on the back patio or going out to eat. Instead, I left my Dad in a strange place. 

Back on the road, it continued to rain on and off. Coming into Dallas we could hear the tornado sirens sounding. Stopping for gas and taking a quick look at the radar, we decided we could make it home before the tornado hit. We were wrong. 

Driving into the mix-master of downtown, I saw it. A huge funnel-like cloud. The wind whipped up across the freeway, and as we were cresting the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, we hit a literal wall of water. The rain was so thick and the wind so strong we had to pull over into the post office parking lot. Luckily for us, they were open on a Sunday. The lights inside flickered, the sirens wailed, and the rain blew sideways. We were in the middle of a tornado. 

Eventually the rain let up, and we headed the nineteen miles home, making it just before the second storm system hit the metroplex. Tired, cold, and wet, we were finally home. 

We ordered  a Mama’s pizza and opened a bottle of a very special Messina Hof wine, Dad’s favorite. 

Unsure if my heart was empty or full, I knew only one thing.  I survived my first father’s day alone. 

Our Little Rock theme song:

Fire and Rain
James Taylor

Just yesterday mornin’, they let me know you were gone
Suzanne, the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
I just can’t remember who to send it to

I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain
I’ve seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I’d see you again

Won’t you look down upon me, Jesus?
You’ve got to help me make a stand
You’ve just got to see me through another day
My body’s aching and my time is at hand
And I won’t make it any other way

Oh, I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain
I’ve seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I’d see you again

Been walking my mind to an easy time
My back turned towards the sun
Lord knows, when the cold wind blows
It’ll turn your head around
Well, there’s hours of time on the telephone line
To talk about things to come
Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground

Oh, I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain
I’ve seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I’d see you, baby
One more time again, now
Thought I’d see you one more time again
There’s just a few things coming my way this time around, now
Thought I’d see you, thought I’d see you, fire and rain, now