Our Caravan to
Vettes On The Rockies (VOTR) 2006
Day 3: Monday, July 17, 2006
To Little Rock, Arkansas
With only 130 miles to go today, we didn't see any good reason to rise at dawn. So, at 10am we hit the road to Little Rock crossing the Mississippi River at about 10:15am. We made Little Rock about 12:15p, just in time for lunch.
If you've followed us so far, you'll know that all we've had to eat for the past two days is barbecue -- but there's a place in Little Rock hidden well out of town in the woods that is famous for the best barbecue anywhere. We all agreed that, in this very special case, barbecue would be fine today for lunch.
My dad took me to HB's Bar-B-Q as an occasional special treat since I was 13-14 years old and I try to go there whenever I'm in Little Rock. Our three-Corvette caravan made its way down a rollercoaster road and found HB's right where it's always been. We were lucky to score a table for six and Ginny (she's in the center of the photo below) brought us lunch. Out of sight; general consensus: the best barbecue of the trip so far.
With our bellies full, we took off to do some sight-seeing in Little Rock. As a native, I know that there's just one sight that has to be seen: Little Rock Central High School.
Since today the exterior temp sensors on the cars read 107, we were happy to go inside.
Gael, Ron and I hiked up to the fourth floor where I wanted to photograph the converted boys' restroom that used to house the LRCHS Amateur Radio Club. Sometime after 1957 they decided to install an elevator in the school -- and bathrooms lined up at that location were displaced to become the elevator. Oh, well, it IS the same spot..
Someone is almost always left out of the picture; this time it's Robin who took this one.
After LRCHS, I led the caravan into downtown Little Rock (making at least one illegal left turn) where we did a drive-by of Robinson Auditorium (where I saw Elvis "live" in 1956. During that performance he sang "Hound Dog" for the first time in public. Yes!). We passed by the Territorial Capitol (one of three Arkansas capitol sites in Little Rock) and then took a drive out to where I used to live in Pulaski Heights.
We visited my boyhood homes, 1923 Shadowlane:
.. both only a bit worse for wear. And then we drove through Edgehill where Little Rocks' uber-rich lived back in the 50s. Those homes are STILL fantastic.
We crossed the Arkansas river into North Little Rock and our overnight hotel, the Hampton Inn.
We all took a rest and then met the Little Rock branch of my family for dinner at Trio's Restaurant:
My Aunt Charlotte is the last survivor from my parents' generation of our family. We had a fun dinner with Charlotte, two of her sons (my cousins) David and Richard, David's wife Donna who made the arrangements (thanks, Donna!) and their daughter, Elizabeth.
Left to right: Elizabeth, Charlotte, Richard, Robin, Ron, Buzz, Jackie, Gael, Chaz, Donna and David
Donna and David
It was wonderful to see Aunt Charlotte again (did I mention she's 95 and sharp as ever?) and the rest of the family. And a special thanks to the Floyds and Nielsens for being so kind and gracious to her.
Tomorrow we're off for Branson MO with a stop in Eureka Springs AR (more about "why Eureka Springs?", tomorrow)!