Road trip diary: days 1 and 2

On our UHaul cross-country trek, it took us almost all of day one to get out of Texas. But we're used to that. And in spite of having to spend almost 10 hours a day on the interstate, there's a lot to tell.

First, a caveat about my photos. I wasn't able to take pictures of all the neat stuff we saw. For one thing, we didn't have much time to stop and sightsee (although we had to stop depressingly often to get gas—for once, gas stops were often enough for bathroom breaks; that's a real issue when I'm driving my Prius).

Another problems was obstructions out my side window. In regular cars, I occasionally am able to snap pretty neat photos out the window and on the move. But it was a lot harder in the UHaul. To illustrate, here's my attempt as we were crossing the Mississippi in Memphis:

The large mirrors (definitely needed for safety when you can't see straight behind you) were often in the way. 

But I did the best I could and I hope I got enough good shots to give you a taste of our many-faceted adventure. And in Arkansas we did have some fun non-travel activities.

First off, though, I happened to like two very nicely decorated water towers—one just as we exited Texas, and another a ways down the road...

being in two states at once, Texarkana is "Twice as Nice"

also notice the great weather and lovely trees

Our first night on the road was spent in Little Rock, where we had first class lodging and got to visit with a couple of my adorable great-nephews...

...as well as sample some local culture, attending a UALR basketball game...

As you can see, it was a very nice, almost pro-level arena, and the level of play was also quite high. We mostly enjoyed getting to visit with our hosts, but the first half of the game against Georgia State was also fun, before we had to head home with the boys for bedtime. 

[aside only of interest to Spurs fans; apologies to my other readers]
There was, however, a big surprise in the arena, and not a very pleasant one. When we first entered I took a look at their championship banners and happened to see the retired jersey number you see on the right. Surely that couldn't be Spurs ultra-nemesis Derek Fisher, could it?

Unfortunately, yes! A little internet research (such burning questions can be answered almost instantly in our wonderful world, isn't it great?!) confirmed that he did in fact attend UALR. If you want to see why this is kind of a big deal for Spurs fans, you can see the whole heartbreaking story of his most famous shot (2004, but we have long memories when it comes to pain) in this video.
[/aside]

Little Rock is a neat little city with a great physical location. Hilly, with loads of gorgeous trees...

...it is also bisected by a river we're particularly fond of—the Arkansas. Although we're much more familiar with it 'way upstream, in Little Rock it's getting close to its confluence with the mighty Mississippi. And it needs a lot bigger bridge to cross here than it does in Salida...

Next up was Tennessee, which we spent most of day 2 traversing. The only photo of interest I was able to take here was of the impressive pyramid that is just on the Tennessee side of the Mississippi in Memphis...

The rest of our trek across the Volunteer State was pretty uneventful, and seemed even longer than it was, since we lost an hour before stopping for the night in Knoxville. That meant more after-dark driving than we liked, but Hal handled it like a champ and we had a nice dinner at a Knoxville brewpub to celebrate making it to the halfway mark.

Next up, the 11-state run of days 3 and 4.