Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Last week I wrote about spending 8 days with my family in Wylie Texas and a day with another part of my family in the Wichita Falls Texas area. I got to experience the total solar eclipse in my family’s backyard. I’ll remember that event for the rest of my life. Maybe I’ll be around for a 2ND such event in 2045 when I’m 78.
I’m up to Day 14 now, and it’s time to head back towards the great state of Florida, but first I have another 1,432 miles to go over the next 5 days.
U.S. 82 would be my favored route eastward out of Wichita Falls and across North Texas, South Arkansas, North Mississippi, Central Alabama, and South Georgia.
My first stop on a gloomy and chilly Sunday morning was in Paris Texas. I visited the 65-foot-tall Eiffel Tower, as well as the adjacent Red River Valley Veterans Memorial.
I’ve actually been to the top of the real Eiffel Tower in Paris France. That was in April 1987 when I was living and working in England. Me and some coworker friends visited Paris during Easter Weekend that year.
Following lunch at Whataburger – I continued my trek eastward. I hit Texarkana Texas – and of course – Texarkana Arkansas – once I crossed over State Line Avenue. That ended my 10-day stay in Texas from Day 4 to 14 of my retirement road-trip. I’ll be back in Texas in November.
About 150,000 residents live within the Texarkana metro area, and both Texarkanas are cities that I’d like to explore further on a future road-trip – even a walking trip downtown right along the state line. (I didn’t stop on this trip.)
Fun Fact: I’ve been to 29 U.S. states during my lifetime, and Arkansas was the 29TH state – when I drove into the state from Louisiana via I-49 into Texarkana on a previous road-trip to Wichita Falls Texas in September 2016.
An observation that I quickly noticed was that Arkansas had a nicer and better maintained highway than Texas. Of course – I’m essentially comparing U.S. 82 in Texas with U.S. 82 in Arkansas. The Texas side (much of it concrete rather than asphalt) was a bit rough in sections, and much of it appeared to be untouched in decades. Meanwhile – it looked like the Arkansas side was recently modernized, repaved, and restriped. A lot of Texas roads don’t have striping – other than an abundance of red curbs and lines marking fire lanes. (All of the state’s road-striping money must go towards red paint rather than yellow and white paint.)
The drive across the far-south of Arkansas (“The Natural State”) was rather pleasant and scenic. Just before El Dorado (where I spent the night) – I passed across the future I-69 corridor.
Next #TravelThursday – I’ll continue my trek into the Arkansas Delta of the Mighty Mississippi River. Let’s keep traveling together.
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