Night Life in Fort Smith

As we headed west through Arkansas the landscape changed a little. Some places were actually pretty and I was trying to keep in mind that we were seeing it from the interstate. It became quite hilly and the sun was setting over a lake that we sped past. Kristen called us while we were stretching our legs at a scenic overlook. Things were looking up. Maybe Arkansas was not as bad as we thought.

We approached Fort Smith and, seeing as I refused to spend the night in Oklahoma, and since the Motel 6 was on THIS side of the state line, we stopped for the night. We were both in the mood for a burger. Mmmm....burger... Now, we could have walked across the street from our motel and had one at McDonalds, but it was early on a Friday night in the city. Plus, we could get McD's anywhere - the only thing we might find different in Arkansas was that their McDonald's burgers had more employee spit. We decided to explore a bit further down the road. There had to be somewhere else to go. We drove around and Dame Judy was basically telling us our options were Mickey D's or The Mall. Our tummies were growling and The Mall was looking pretty good. It's a mall, there has to be something.

After circling the parking lot, we decided to check out this restaurant called "Garfield's." Nothing to do with a fat orange cat. It was actually a lot like a TGI Friday's or Applebee's. Our waitress was a seemingly normal girl named Berta. We found out later that she wasn't an Arkansas native (hence the normalcy) but was actually from California, and moved here when she was 15 (even though she looked to be only 18 at this point). We made drawings on the paper tablecloths with the crayons she provided while we waited for our food to arrive. Dinner was fine, although we ended up with a dessert that was mostly ice cream, even though the name implied that it was something else - a torte?

After dinner, we walked around the mall, looking for a place to buy new batteries for the digital camera (hence the lack of photos). We found a Radio Shack, with a typical Arkansan behind the counter. We asked for two rechargeable batteries for a digital camera, and he was about to give us the standard AA alkaline batteries. "No," we said, "we need something rechargeable, that won't die immediately in the camera." Then he pulled a four-pack of rechargeables from the wall and offered it up. He was getting warmer - those were the right KIND of batteries, now we just need the right number: two. He told us that four was the smallest pack he had, to which we replied, "Um, can we have that two-pack, it's just to the right of the four-packs." Oh. Yeah.

Then we went looking for a grocery store, particularly to buy a big jug of bottled water. We didn't want to be drinking whatever Mr. Shack had. I like knowing the difference between two and four, and being able to see things in front of me. I went into the store while Kurt waited in the car, continuing a phone call with Momma and The Commander. Kurt had finished his call by the time I came running back to the car, jug in hand. I hopped in the car and said, "Get me out of here!"

I can't take it! Everyone around here is so slow. Everyone in the store seemed to be out of shape, pregnant, retarded, or all of the above. I have to get away from these people! I calmed down after a little while, and then I had an epiphany: these are the people that NEED those tags they put on hairdryers. You know, the ones that warn you not to use them in the bathtub? Or the "Caution: Contents May Be Hot" on the coffee cups. It is all making sense now. OK, so maybe this isn't entirely fair. It's a little like judging the whole of Delaware based on a drive-through experience in Selbyville (another little town on the border of two states). I mean, Arkansas can't be all bad. There's the Clinton Library... and let's not forget Toad Suck Park!

We're Going to Graceland

Graceland, Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee...
We drove through most of Tennessee with the excitement of going to Graceland flowing through our veins. Elvis was shaking on the dashboard and we were wishing we brought the Paul Simon CD with us. It was slightly off route, but it wasn't too far out of the way and all I really wanted was a picture of me in front of the gates or dashboard Elvis or Humphrey the Gnome with Graceland in the background.

Dashboard Elvis is visably shaken by the uneventful day

Humphrey wonders why we can't all just get along.

We took the exit that Dame Judy told us to take (because you don't want to get on her bad side) and merged onto a four land highway (very Kirkwood Hwy. /Concord Pike-ish) . It was lined with souvenir shops, gas stations, motels (including Heartbreak Hotel), strip malls....not the sort of place you would picture Graceland to be situated. Kurt and I both gave Dame Judy a look when she claimed , "Destination ahead in one mile". What?! This can't be right. We pulled in to the driveway, and were immediately faced with a booth - with a little man inside waiting to collect the parking fee of $6.00. Kurt rounded the turn-out right in front of the booth and headed back out - we weren't about to pay just to park there. He drove around the corner and, insisting that I take charge, we switched places.

There had to be a way to see Graceland. I knew it was super expensive to get in, but we just wanted to see it from the outside. Was that so much to ask? I drove all around the block, trying to catch a glimpse. I couldn't figure out where the house was in the mess of tourist trap buildings. I drove through a ghetto apartment complex that backed up to Graceland, but we still saw nothing. Did Elvis live underground? I didn't see a pool or anything. Just the extemely touristy front gates (?). We were starting to give up on Graceland, but I wanted to at least stop at a souvenir shop so I could buy a post card or something. Traffic was so heavy, though, I couldn't even get across the street. We were both frustrated and All Shook Up with disappointment. We high-tailed it out of there and crossed the Mississippi River into Arkansas. It looked just like Blowklahoma to me. The roads were horribly "paved" and there was nothing but flat fields of mud and cloudy skies. I started yelling that Arkansas was just as bad as Blowklahoma. I even gave Arkansas its own nickname. Sorry Danielle. :(

Next installment: Nightlife in Fort Smith!

Day Two... the second day

We woke up bright and early so we could get on the road and make up for lost time. We ate breakfast at Perkins because it was close and convenient. My camera batteries were not charging, but I wasn't too disappointed because we hadn't seen much that was photo-worthy at this point. Do you hear me, Virginia? You are not worth the space on my flash card! We were on the highway, stopping at rest stops, and eating at chain restaurants. Not the typical Beth and Kurt trip. You know, where we don't stop at the designated rest stops, but rather, pee by the side of the road. And we don't stop at chain restaurants - we eat whatever mushrooms and berries we can forage in the woods... anyway, I had to get some better batteries before tomorrow, though, because we knew we would want pictures of Graceland.

We drove through North Carolina and into Tennessee, which is a long state going east-to-west. It had been raining all day, and as night fell, neither the darkness nor the continuing rain made for a pleasant drive. We made it to a town called Cookesville (somewhere in between Knoxville and Nashville) and our GPS, dubbed Dame Judy for her British accent and terse manner, was telling us there were no Motel 6's in this town. One of the neatest features of the GPS unit, though, was that you could find locations in a serach by name. Then you could get the address and even the phone number - kind of like a Google search of what's near you! After I found the phone numbers of a few motels nearby, I started calling. The local Super 8 didn't allow pets. We decided to go to Days Inn and just sneak Harry in.

When I walked into the lobby, the girl behind the counter asked if I had ever been there before. I said, "No." She then told me I had a twin that stays at the hotel occasionally when she visits from North or South Carolina. While we were chatting it up I noticed a sign on the counter that said PET POLICY. I read it quickly and found out that I could bring a pet into the room if I paid $10 or I could take a chance of them finding out and pay $50. Not to mention the bad karma. I immediately mentioned that I had a pet and they told me that was fine, but we had to stay in a "Smoking Room". Yuck! It was too late now. At least we didn't have to hide Harry. We set Harry up in our rank room and quickly found out that our toilet did not work properly. I called the front desk and the woman told me, "I have a plunger that you are welcome to come and get." Service with a smile!

Although it was within easy walking distance, we drove to the Cracker Barrel (literally 100 yards away) to avoid the downpour. I wasn't really hungry, so I just ordered a cup of vegetable soup. Our waitress, a white-haired woman with a Germanic accent was shocked that I just wanted soup. She tried to talk me into something else, but I told her that I just wanted some soup. She then said,"That's it?" Turning toward Kurt, and shaking her head toward me, she said, "That must be how she stays so skinny!" As soon as she walked away I commented to Kurt that to get her off my case I should have replied, "Well, I am just going to go into the bathroom when I am done, and soup comes up a lot easier than anything else". We laughed for a long time about that one. It's a great comeback anytime someone makes a comment about being "skinny".

While we waited for our food we challenged each other with that little wooden triangle game with the golf tees. On my first try I left three, which meant I was "just plain dumb". Dirt Doc, PhD gave it a try and left four, qualifying as an "eg-no-ra-moose". I tried two more times working my way up to "purty smart" and then "Genius"! To our waitresses dismay, I barely ate any of the soup. It was mostly lima beans- Eww. I also bought a Yankee Pumpkin Pie candle to light in our stinky room. It was a good idea, but it was no match for 25 years of cigarette smoke.

Stay tuned for the next entry, because "We're Going To Graceland!"

The First Night

We decided to drive until we just didn't feel like it anymore and that occurred in a town just outside of Richmond VA. We found the Motel 6, our choice of overnight accommodations since they are reasonably priced and they allow pets. Since Kurt was our driver it was my job to go inside and make the arrangements. The woman working behind the front desk greeted me with a smile ( I guess we are officially in the South!). Before we could get down to business, a friend of hers came in with a paper plate covered in aluminum foil and her smile grew even wider. Homemade brownies!
Her friend asked her, "You hungry?"
"Mmm-hmm."
"I can go heat you up some beans and sausage"
"Oh yeah!"
"Well, eat these brownies to hold you over until I get back."
I had to interject my theory of eating dessert first. You know, so you don't have to worry about saving room. Or, in case the world blows up before you get to dessert. Anyway, there were lots of "Mmm-hmms" indicating they were in agreement. I felt like gettin in my own "Mmm-hmm" and insiting that they didn't own that phrase, but I held back.
We got settled in our room and set Harry free. To celebrate his delicious freedom, he hid under the bed for a while. I called and left a message for my class to let them know where my first stop was, so they could place a gold star on the map back in the classroom. I didn't waste any time getting ready for bed. It was an exhausting day and I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow.

In the Beginning

Well, some of you already know the whole story. And some of you have found out not too long ago that we are suddenly 3000 miles away. So, with that in mind, let's start this story at it's beginning - how rational! Believe it or not, I had finished grad school (believe it) and took a postdoc position at the Venter Institute... or is it The Center for the Advancement of Genomics (TCAG)? Anyway, I got a job, and that job was in San Diego. We had been living a fairy tale life in Newark with our friends, Kristen and Michael, and in spite of all the good things this move promised, everyone was avoiding the inevitable fact that one day we would be gone.

That day came on January 3rd, when the truck we had hired through Movex arrived to tranport all of our stuff to the west coast... we didn't even have a send-to address! So we arranged for a public storage locker on the outskirts of San Diego and made that the destination address. Our driver, Larry, was punctual, arriving 15 minutes ahead of his 8:00 am estimate - but that was fine with us. He was a cheerful guy, probably in his late fifties/early sixties, with a heavy Maine accent. Although his hair was now white, he knew we were going to get along just fine after he saw Beth's red hair - he had been a redhead (even went by the CB handle of "redbeard") in his youth. And he liked tea, which we had offered, unaware of this fact.

After making our introductions, we get down to business: how much stuff? In the process of making the estimation, I mention I also have a motorcycle, but had arranged for transport through a separate shipper. "WHY?" demands Larry. Well, I wasn't sure about how wide or steep the ramp would be, if I had to disconnect the battery, if I could push the dead bike up the ramp, blah, blah, wah, blah. "You don't have to worry about any of that stuff," says Larry. "And, you can fit it right heah on this truck with everahthing else!" Well, it was going to cost about $700 to ship the bike separately - but only $50 to cancel the order and put in on this heah truck. I quickly decided to go for it - right as Mike and Eva pulled up to help us load! So, I caught a quick ride back to Mom & Dad's with Mike, brought the bike over, and loaded it into the truck - no problem! Then we start loading in earnest, with Mike as foreman of the operation. As I am making circuit after circuit, carrying boxes to the truck and returning to the house, I catch fragments of stories swapped between Mike and Larry as Mike slots each parcel into its precise location.

All of our stuff fits in SEVEN linear feet of space in the trailer. IN YOUR FACES, Chris and Shellie!

In the meantime, we had visits from Dolores K., who brought us some homemade snack mix (we ate most of it before we even got on the road) and a shiny necklace that Ginny had made for Pie Girl. Michele and Andrew came and stayed for a while, providing some much-needed stability during our moving day. Mom, The Commander, and Logan came for a little while to see the big moving truck (well, mostly Logan wanted to see the truck) and wish us well. About two and a half hours later, Larry was pulling away from the curb with our possessions lashed securely in the trailer.

Yep... you'll never see that stuff again.

Then, Mike and Eva said their good-byes and were on their way. Mom and the Commander said their difficult goodbyes and headed home.

Kristen had arisen before us and arrived at school before anyone else so that she could drop off her sub plans. Now, she went off to run some errands. I made a trip to the University to say a few goodbyes and pick up some paperwork. I got back just in time to say goodbye to Shell and Marmee (who had stopped by during her lunch break). They had Bobbies from Capriotti's for lunch, and I was glad to gulp down the leftovers. We were also pleased to find out that there is a Capriotti's in San Diego! In the meantime, we had ordered a new car GPS unit to help us on our trip, and it hadn't arrived yet! So, we had a little time to relax while we waited for the deep growl of the UPS truck. It arrived around 3:00, and I quickly begain downloading map sets onto the storage card. It was taking forever to load the maps from the included CD onto the GPS unit, though, and after a while we decided to do this later. If we were going to leave today, we had better do it now. The car was all loaded up and ready to go. We got Harry settled in his new travel accomodations - he wasn't quite sure what was going on.

I'm not sure about this... does it have HBO?

Then it was time for one final goodbye: Kristen. We had already said our goodbyes to Michael a few days ago, before he left for his weekly commute to work. And THAT good-bye was made a lot easier by the fact that we weren't about to get into a car and drive several thousand miles immediately after saying it. But with Kristen... well, it was hard. After a lot of blubbering and tears, we managed to get out the door. We pulled out of the driveway, and headed toward I-95 South. For a while, we drove on in silence, our thoughts to ourselves. I was thinking about all of the turmoil this move was causing, particularly for Pie Girl. "Do you think we're doing the right thing?" I asked. "Too late now," she replied, and managed a smile. But that was about as close to "Yes" as we could get on moving day.

NEXT EPISODE: THE FIRST NIGHT!

The journey of a thousand miles....

...begins with a single step. And ends with establishing a weblog. At least, that's what our fortune cookie said the day before we left for San Diego. Hello, family and friends! This is where we will be posting news, photos, (video?) and other stuff going on in our new lives Out West. Stay tuned for more details!
Love, B & K










Harry wants to know when this website is going to have some actual content!