Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Day 227 (Tuesday 3/5/13)- Little Rock, AR

The plan was to fill the day with as many museums as we could stand. Our limit turned out to be two. First we visited the Mosaic Templar's Society Museum dedicated to the fraternal organization that increased African Americans social and economic standing in the late 1800's by providing affordable burial options and life insurance.

We then visited the Peabody Hotel, known for it's ducks. Twice a day trained ducks descend from the top floor of the hotel via an elevator and march in formation along a red carpet and into the fountain in the lobby. This daily event originated back in the 1930's when following a failed hunting trip the hotel's owners attempted to drown their decoy ducks. Before they succeeded they realized the hotel guests loved them.

Our second and last museum was the Old State Museum, which would have probably been fascinating if we weren't completely overwhelmed by the amount of information. After a couple of hours and sensory overload we went back to the van, skipping another two museums, only to discover that we wouldn't be leaving town anytime soon.

In Shreveport we had had issues with the brakes and before heading out of town had consulted the locally recommended mechanic. Having 40 years under his belt we had put our faith in him when he gave us the all clear on the van. Now driving in Little Rock the brakes had become so angry it was time for an immediate second opinion.

Now normally when your brakes go out and you get stuck with an almost $1000 bill you feel dispirited. We of course were downcast about the van's continued insatiable appetite for our money, but we did have the single best car repair experience imaginable. Not only did every single member of the staff make us feel welcome and go above and beyond, Parkway Automotive sprang to put us up in a hotel for the night.

Feeling like we had won the lottery we immediately got to work partying like people who have spent 7 months living in a van. Normal people would be so overjoyed with a real bed they would promptly take a 15 hr nap. Instead we bought two days of food just to use the refrigerator, watched TV 'til nearly daybreak, enjoyed non supermarket facilities and took multiple baths, just because we could.

It is a night that will live in our memories for some time. Simple things have become luxurious.

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