Day 03 - Forrest City, AR to Oklahoma City, OK

Today's route took us across Arkansas and halfway through Oklahoma. We pulled out of the hotel parking lot at 9:45am to the sultry tones of Barry Manilow singing Daybreak on the radio. Rob was teasing Michele with this choice and wondered how long it would take for her to comment on it. When Barbra Streisand sang the next song, Michele had enough and switched to country music. The morning temperature was a very comfortable 60° with clear skies and sun shining, a welcome change from all the rain the day before.

We continued our journey west on I-40 until about 11:20am when we stopped for lunch at a Chick-fil-a in Maumelle, AR. Rob got out our camping chairs to enjoy our lunch outside in the sunny 62° weather. Although very sunny, it was a bit windy and Michele soon got chilly and elected to finish eating in the car.

There was a Kroger gas station next to the Chick-fil-a so Rob topped off the car and washed the front windshield. After driving over 400 miles in the rain yesterday, the car was filthy. Rob made a note to find a touchless car wash in Oklahoma City to take care of that.

The rain that came cross Arkansas a few days ago must have dropped a lot of rain as many fields had a significant amount of standing water. We thought Arkansas had an unusual number of lakes, but at second glance they were flooded farmland.

We continued on I-40 west for the next 330 miles passing through Little Rock and then eventually into Oklahoma, the Sooner State.

Temps continued to hover around the upper 50’s to 60 for most of the drive. At one point, the sky clouded up, the temperature dropped to the low 50’s and rain sprinkles began to fall. It did not last long before the skies cleared up and sun came back out. 

Have a look at this cool looking car we saw at one of our stops today.

The wind, however, was fairly constant throughout the day blowing out of the west at 15-20mph.

As we passed Conway, AR Michele saw a sign that read, “Toad Suck Park next right.” Curious about this, a Google search revealed speculation on the origin of this unique name involving river boats, gambling, and whiskey. The most likely origin is that the water in the narrow channels of the Arkansas River receives and leaves behind shallow water or a “suck” which is an attraction for frogs or toads. This town has an annual music and arts festival called Toad Suck Daze. This town is also where Michele's previous piano teacher moved to for a job at the University of Central Arkansas. We hope to visit with him on our way back home at the end of the month.

We passed Lake Eufaula and its State Park fed by the Canadian River. The water was muddy with waves from the wind. Despite, it looked like it would be a popular attraction during the summer months.

 

Traffic today was very light all day and became progressively lighter as we made our way west until we reached Oklahoma City. The truck traffic noticeably reduced after passing I-30 near Little Rock and then reduced again after passing I-49 near Fort Smith.

This truck was carrying rolled flat steel. We wondered for what purpose it will be used.

 

As we entered Oklahoma City we got a view of the state capitol building and the city skyline.

We arrived at our hotel, The Winslow, at 5:25pm. We ordered a turkey club from the hotel restaurant after settling in to our room. We drove 436 miles today and will stay in Oklahoma City for two nights. We plan to take a break from driving and check out a few local sights tomorrow.

 

 

Day 02 - Knoxville, TN to Forrest City, AR

After breakfast at the hotel, we packed up and left at 8:10 AM. Skies were cloudy ahead of the big rain storm and temps were chilly at 38°.

Back on I-40 West, we passed the sign for Oak Ridge, TN. Rob mentioned that the town played a big role in the development of the atomic bomb for the Manhattan Project, the historical site we will visit later on our trip.

Oak Ridge was established in 1942 by the US Federal Government, chosen for its low population, accessibility, and valley locale that would reduce potential disasters at the four major industrial plants where uranium enrichment and plutonium production took place. The site selection was controversial as landowners were evicted from their homes with little notice. Gee thanks, Uncle Sam.

Onward, we passed over Clinch River in Kingston, TN. Kingston Fossil Plant is a 1.4-gigawatt coal-fired power plant. A Google search revealed that the Tennessee Valley Authority will retire the plant in 2027 and replace it with a modern complex with a combined cycle gas turbine plant, aero-derivative turbines, battery storage, and solar generation.

Along a mountain ridge portion of I-40 at about 1,500 feet in elevation, we switched over to central time zone. After a stop for a morning stretch and break, heavy rain began at 10:30 AM.

At 11:30 AM (which was 12:30 PM to our rumbling stomachs), we stopped for lunch in Wildersville, TN. It was very rural and the BBQ place we intended to dine at looked permanently closed. Google Maps was out of date on that place. We instead went to Patty's Restaurant across the parking lot. It was a southern style family restaurant visited by locals and several police for lunch. We shared a club sandwich and fries, but were too full to try out their pies.

During the afternoon the rain was off and on with easy traffic, despite a lot of trucks. Michele joked that Rob’s trucking company would be named Throttle's Transportation LLC. He quipped that its motto would be, "We’ll get it there eventually." This truck carried new United cargo bag carriers. 

We had a quick view of Downtown Memphis and crossed into Arkansas, passing over the Mississippi River. 

 

We made good time today and arrived early at 2:50 PM at our hotel in Forrest City, Arkansas. Since we are now in the state of the University of Arkansas, Michele was looking for razorbacks, or feral pigs. Lo and behold, she found one at dinner.

We ate at the Legacy Cafe in town, known for its fun decor. 

After dinner the weather turned balmy at 66 degrees with wind and rain. 

Today's mileage was 434 miles. Tomorrow we depart for Oklahoma City where we will stay for two nights. 

 

 

Day 01 - Home to Knoxville, TN

Last night we were surprised by a Great Horned Owl hooting in the tall pine tree behind our house. Rob was in the backyard refilling the bird feeders and heard it. Michele saw its dark shape and telltale "ears" through her binoculars. Its calls were loud and frequent. What a big treat for us!

Our day started at 39° with sun and blue skies. As we pulled out of the garage Rob turned on the mounted GPS he uses for long trips, which is his motorcycle Garmin unit pre-loaded with details of each day’s route and destinations. He said, “Well, this will be a short trip.” It didn’t turn on. The 12V plug wasn’t working with the GPS, so he used another 12V outlet and thankfully it fired up just fine. Out of the driveway at 8:20 AM. Let the adventure begin!

We drove west on Route 7 and picked up I-81 South in Winchester. Michele enjoys seeing what cargo the trucks are pulling. Early on our route this vehicle had a Canadian license plate.

This oversized load looked like a building module or some kind of utility/operations room, according to Rob, as it had electrical panels on the side. It used one pilot vehicle behind and another half a mile or so ahead, as it certainly had an overhang well into the right shoulder. Michele got this shot through the car's side mirror and reversed it in editing.

We stopped at 10 AM to stretch and take a bathroom break. The wind picked up as we headed south, shaking the car at times. At 11:30 AM we stopped for lunch in Hollins, Va, near Roanoke, at a Jersey Mike’s. We considered eating outside since the temps were near 60F in the sun, but it was so windy the mulch was being blown out of the garden beds and onto the outdoor tables. The place was very clean and lunch was delicious.  

After lunch we continued on I-81 and Rob commented that traffic was not as bad as he was expecting today. He thought there would be more truck and car traffic clogging the route, especially up the mountain sections past Roanoke. Not long after we fondly passed the exits for Virginia Tech and Radford. Michele said she would love for one of her nieces to go to Tech. 

Our next stop was in Atkins, Va for fuel and a bathroom break. Around Bristol, Va the wind improved.

On this trip, Michele said she hopes to see a cactus so large that it will amaze her. However, she does not want to see any of the following: rattlesnakes, scorpions or tarantulas.

Once in Tennessee we picked up I-40 West. This road will be our primary route all the way to Las Vegas! Three miles from our hotel exit in Knoxville we finally hit traffic. 

We were through it in about 10 minutes and arrived at our hotel in Knoxville at 4:30 PM. We had a little time before thinking about dinner so we walked three loops around the hotel to stretch our legs. Rob spotted a red bellied woodpecker high in the trees behind the hotel. We ordered dinner online and drove down the street to Calhoun's to pick it up. We enjoyed hickory chicken, salad, and sweet potato fries in our hotel room. Yum!

Today’s mileage was 469 miles.

Tomorrow we continue west across Tennessee and into Arkansas. There is a storm moving east so we expect a lot of rain in the afternoon.
 

Day T -28 - Mazda servicing for the trip

As is the custom of any of our road trips, Rob performs preventive maintenance on the vehicle(s). This trip we will be taking the Mazda. It will be our second big road trip using the car versus the motorcycle. Since this trip will cover most of February, weather could be cold and potentially icy. 

Now at 90,000 miles, the Mazda received the standard engine oil and oil filter change along with a tire rotation and engine air filter and cabin air filter. Rob decided that 90,000 miles was enough mileage on the "no service interval" or "life-time" transmission fluid so he went ahead and replaced the transmission fluid for the trip. He also swapped out the spark plugs for the first time. The plugs should have been changed at 75k (oops). A quick check of the old plugs once removed showed that the gaps were all still within spec and looked clean. The remaining checks on brakes, belts, and other fluids all looked good so aside from a little interior vacuuming, the Mazda is now ready for the trip.