Texas Road Trip Journal-Day 3
June 4, 2007: Well, as with anything good, it comes to an end. Our time with Sherry and Brian in Ft. Worth was WAAAAYYY too short. It was so nice to see them, but we had to return home as Solomon and I both had to be back to work on Tuesday. So, Sol and I left Ft. Worth at 4 AM and headed north to take the "scenic route" home.
Little did we know, but the day would be full of transportation problems. First off, we were coming back with two cars, so Solomon would be following me all the way home. Secondly, as we got started heading up I-35W going north, there was a flashing sign saying that all traffic was being diverted due to a big accident. So, we had to hop on I-30 and head east in hopes of catching I-35E going north. The whole intent was to get to Paris, TX because I really really wanted to see the remade Eiffel Tower with the cowboy hat on top. We drove as far as Denton, TX where we stopped to fill up with gas. By 6:30 we had gotten to Gainesville, TX and Solomon had wanted to stop at a Wal-Mart to get windshield wipers for his Toyota. He realized he needed them. So, with the detour and the two stops, we were already behind by an hour and a half. Not too much for a few hundred mile trip, but we had a long haul ahead of us.
We finally arrived in Paris, TX at 8:30. We had only driven 202 miles in four and a half hours. On top of that, we tried to find our way to the Texas Eiffel Tower and got lost in Paris. We finally got decent directions and made our way to the Civic Center off of Collegiate Ave., just after passing by the college. I was thinking that the tower would be much taller than it was and thought we would see it in the skyline, but it wasn't. If you look carefully at the photo on the left you will see me standing at the bottom. The tower is about 65 feet tall, a far cry from the 984 foot tall Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. There is a fun story about this tower written in 2004 by John Kelso, a humor columnist with the Austin American Statesman, the author of the book "Texas Curiosities." Paris, Texas claims to be the second largest Paris in the world (and it is larger than Lexington's neighbor, Paris, Kentucky -- and they don't have a tower either!!). This was certainly one of those novel places to visit.
We finally left Paris around 9 AM and headed north into Oklahoma and drove up the Indian Nation Turnpike towards McAlester, OK. The turnpike is a toll road, but a very beautiful drive through wooded area, certainly not what one would think of as Oklahoma landscape. The turnpike was apparently completed in 1970. It is considered by many to be one of the most scenic highways in Oklahoma.
Beautiful scenery and a nice drive down the Indian Nation Turnpike
The whole intent of going in this direction was to get to NW Arkansas and the Ozarks. However, in mapping out my trip, I discovered a small town near McAlester which made this leg of the trip all the more fun. I found the town of Krebs, OK. Well, many of those that know me in Lexington will get the clue. However, for those that don't, please check out my Krebs, OK page to see what it is all about!!
We arrived in McAlester around 11:00 and stopped for a drink and a rest stop. I picked up a post card and then we drive the eight miles to Krebs. After our 30 minute jaunt around Krebs, we headed east on I-40 towards Ft. Smith, Arkansas. This was a beautiful drive as well. We got to Alma, AR, out next destination, at about 13:30. Alma is the home of the Allen Canning Company and is also located in an area considered to be the Spinach capital of the US. Allen Canning Company is famous for Popeye Brand Canned Spinach.
Alma is actually a pretty depressed town. Many of the shops in downtown Alma are out of business and there was not much going on. The dilapidated look of the town offered a stark contrast to the brand new courtyard that had been built just down the main street from all of the stores. This courtyard was our objective as the fountain featured a large statue of Popeye. However, try as we might, we could not locate any Popeye souvenirs in town. Being the big strong muscleman that he is, Solomon poses below with Popeye.
This Popeye is actually not the original. There was an earlier statue that had been on display but had continuously been stolen. It was an eight foot tall fiberglass-over-paper mache statue. Currently this Popeye is housed in the City Hall for restoration and will eventually be put on display in the town's only real souvenir shop, Kustom Kaps, just down the street from the current Popeye park. They currently have a sign that was used to ward off the virtual Brutus' of the world:
After Alma, we headed to Springdale and Lowell, both north of Alma, to find the other Popeye statue that is supposed to be in the area. We could not locate it. The road to Lowell has turned into Tijuana north as it seemed that everything was Hispanic. Too bad we were in a hurry and I was on a diet. Looked like some mighty good taquerias in the area!!
Since we were so far behind schedule, we continued on into the Arkansas Ozarks. We had hoped to eat at a place called R.C.'s Hillbilly Cafe in Gateway, AR, but the place was closed when we got there. So we pressed on and came upon a unique little gift shop called Pauly's Backwood Gifts. I had planned on visiting this shop, but when we went through Garfield it was nowhere to be found. We actually had to drive through Garfield and Gateway before arriving there (actually about 2 miles east of Gateway). It was on the left. We stopped to see the original chain saw carvings and the Hillbilly Humor items (such as a Hillbilly Washer and Dryer -- a clothespin with a metal washer glued to it).
I really liked the Chainsaw carvings...very unique:
After our stop, we headed into Eureka Springs, kind of a mini-Gatlinburg in the Ozarks, with lots of tourist shops, etc. We stopped at a unique gas station for instructions to Branson, MO. The place we stopped was called Tad's Quickstop and Deli. They had some good sandwiches and also had printed directions to Branson. I was surprised that there were many businesses that catered to bikers, including a motel only for bikers. Tad's seemed to be a place for bikers as well. They were very friendly and willing to assist. It was a pleasant stop for two weary souls. I do want to come back for an extended visit to Eureka Springs and the Arkansas Ozarks.
Well, it was off to Branson. It was a nice drive through the country side on small windy back roads. But it took an extra toll on our schedule. Schedule was important because we were already tired and it was nearly 18:00 by the time we got to Branson. We got gas in Branson and got some more drinks and decided to press on. I really wanted to see things there in Branson, but we were way out of time. Branson will have to wait for another trip.
We continued on to Ozark, MO. We had planned on going to Lambert's Cafe in Sikeston, MO, but since there was one in Ozark and we were starved and tired, we stopped at this one instead. "What is Lambert's?", you ask... It is the "Only Home of Throwed Rolls" as they put it.
They actually DO throw the rolls to you. And they are still warm when you get them. Lambert's is a novelty restaurant. It is filled with memorabilia on all the walls and there must be a thousand dollar bills stapled to the walls everywhere. The food is good and they bring around all you can eat fixins as well -- black-eyed peas, fried okra, grilled potatoes and onions, macaroni and tomatoes, and rolls with sorghum or apple butter. Due to my diet I didn't eat too much, but the macaroni and tomatoes was good and the grilled potatoes with onions was yummy. The rolls are big and very fresh and warm. I stuck with 2. I really wanted more though.
After our meal we continued east to head home. It soon became apparent that we would not make it home. We were both getting very tired and finally, for safety's sake, we stopped at a small town and got a motel and spent the night. It was a good thing!
Roadside guidance provided by......
