Nomad Life - Day 54

After a decent night of sleep, I woke up early again (0500, without an alarm) and started working immediately.  I took a short break so I could have some breakfast (very filling) in the lobby of the Rodeway Inn.  The weather outside was cool and it hadn't started raining yet, although major storms were forecasted for the state of Arkansas.  Most of my work connected with regular meetings, which went on for much of the morning.  One (rare) downside was that I had slow internet at tines (weather related).  I packed up the car during one short break in the action and was ready to check out of my room by 1100.  Departing from Hot Springs, Google Maps routed me through the Gulpha Gorge (connected with the National Park) and then made my way towards AR-7.  This road turned out to me an extremely scenic route to the north - it was very steep and winding.  Unfortunately, I had no cell signal after about 10 miles of driving so was very relieved to find some as I passed Lake Nimrod.  I stopped for another work meeting (1200) and waited at an Army Corps of Engineers Station until it was finished.  Continuing my scenic drive on AR-7, I drove north over rolling hills and around many hairpin turns until I reached the town of Dardanelle.  The terrain there was much flatter and the only real landmark of significance was a long plateau to the west - since I was in the area to visit Mount Nebo State Park (recommended by my friend, John T.), I deduced that must be what I was seeing.  Meanwhile, AR-7 ended and I briefly used AR-22 turning on to AR-155 to head west into the park.  Mount Nebo was so pronounced on the otherwise mostly-flat terrain that the views in all directions were tremendous!  When I reached Mount Nebo State Park (1345), I headed to the Visitor Center and was treated by an even more spectacular panorama: the Arkansas River (in the form, locally, of Lake Dardanelle), a huge nuclear power plant and some of the Ozark foothills (to the north) were easy to see from that location and the nearby Sunset Point.  The weather conditions on top of the mountain (elevation 1350') were sunny, with temps in low 80s and a stiff wind.  From some angles, the haze was building - things still looked good, though.  Along the way, I read several interesting interpretive signs about the "water" Trail of Tears.  I'd previously heard about the long walk required of the Native American tribes in the southeastern US but there was also, apparently, a river route that brought the migrants through the Dardanelle area to merge with the land route. There were (more) fearless Arkansas deer on the mountain and I briefly enjoyed some bird watching on the plateau.  I visited Sunrise Point (opposite end of the plateau) before I decided to return to the lower elevations.  Unfortunately, there was only one road (AR-155) that could be used to enter and depart the park.  I was VERY careful in the steep descent, trying not to overheat my brakes.  When I reached the bottom, I was able to access a residential street that took me north to intercept AR-22 again.  Surprisingly, Google Maps told me that the route to Fort Smith followed this road all the way.  Later, I learned that AR-22 was recently designated as "The True Grit Trail" because it connects with the Charles Portis book (and John Wayne movie) - Mattie Ross followed this route from Dardanelle to Fort Smith.  I may not have mentioned earlier but the plan for the rest of my day was to make a quick stop at the Fort Smith NHS and then drive to the home of my Navy Friend, John T., in Bella Vista (far NW corner of Arkansas).  However, there were reports of nasty (tornadic) weather along the route of my trip.  At this point in the day (1430), it didn't seem possible that any weather would cause any concern.  I'd been following the southern bank of the Arkansas River and was soon in a wide open plain that stretched unendingly to the west.  There were almost zero clouds in the sky, as far as the eye could see!  Regardless, John continued to warn impending nasty weather and I started to conclude that it must be worse to the north (where I couldn't see).  Meanwhile, the speeds along the two lane AR-22 were very good (even through towns).  My gas tank started getting close to empty and I started thinking about stopping.  One prime candidate for a break was the town of Subiaco, which featured a beautiful Benedictine Abbey and Academy.  Unfortunately, the food and fuel options were pretty slim there so I continued driving west.  A bit later, I reached the town of Paris and decided to stop for a late lunch at the local Taco Bell (1430); I ate in the restaurant.  As I was getting back in the car, I realized (with surprise) that I was in one of the areas I've called a "Coogan Corridor" during my genealogy research - there were a string of towns along AR-22 in this area that had an association with a large group of people who share my surname.  I briefly considered stopping (maybe checking out a cemetery?) but, due to the weather concerns, I kept driving.  My pace continued, unabated, until I rolled into Fort Smith (1530) - true to Google Map predictions, I'd never departed from AR-22...  By then, my engine was running on fumes so I stopped at the Murphy Gas station (Walmart brand) for fuel (1540) and was very pleased to only be paying $2.53 per gallon!  At that point, the weather was still quite nice - John, though, kept telling me to be careful of predicted flash flooding.  Recalling a quote from a squadron ready room - "If there is any doubt, there is no doubt" - I decided to stay in Fort Smith for the evening.  Fortunately, it didn't take me very long to use from Choice Hotels rewards points for a stay at a nearby Quality Inn (located at the intersection of AR-22 and I-540).  After checking into my room (1615), I verified that I had good internet and then changed clothes so I could try to reach the Fort Smith National Historic Site before the Visitor Center closed.  All I needed to do for that purpose was to get back on AR-22 and drive west - I did make one mistake near the center of town that required me to redirect.  Regardless, I arrived at the park by 1645 and had enough time to talk to rangers about the best thing to see with my limited time.  They suggested looking at the preserved courtroom of Judge Parker and I took their advice - that was really interesting!  Otherwise, most of the important things related to the park (e.g., gallows, remains of the original fort, walking trails) were located outside.  Between 1700 and 1745, I walked around the grounds and enjoyed the cooling weather.  Meanwhile, to the north, there was a major storm brewing and I saw what looked like "tornado fingers" descending from the black clouds.  Fortunately, I managed to log roughly two miles of walking before any raindrops fell on my location.  Once the precipitation arrived, I headed back towards my hotel (on AR-22 again).  When I was passing a Walmart Neighborhood Market, the sky opened.  There was just enough time for me to get inside!  I ended up finishing the rest of my 10K steps while the raindrops pounded on the roof of the building - yikes.  By 1830, I'd had my fill of walking and, since there was a lull in the rain, I headed back to the hotel (arrived by 1845).  In my room, I resumed teleworking and got the rest of my required time (about 90 minutes) online before 2030.  After that, I worked on blogging, read and watched some videos.  Outside the hotel, the sound of thunder and the brilliant light of the heavy storm were very distracting - I actually thought I'd have trouble sleeping.  Regardless, I turned out the light just after 2200 and managed to fall asleep quickly.  Very glad I called an audible tonight - no need to add any scary weather stories to my Nomad Life story!