Day Sixteen, May 6, 2015

Independence, LA to Fayetteville, AR...

To get to Paris, TX from Bossier City, LA using the best direction Google Maps can provide, you actually go north and enter Arkansas briefly then sharp left turn into Texas (look at a map and find Texarkana, AR and you'll see why).

So making that short AR excursion made it the 18th state we visited since leaving MA.
With only a few miles spent in AR you pass such memorable towns as Fouke, AR where the Boggy Creek monster has been sighted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fouke_Monster

Then into our 19th state Texas.


In Fayetteville, AR we overnighted with cousin Judy, her daughter, Jocelyn, and granddaughter, Joa.  Fayetteville is the home of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks.  We ate at a great place, Bordino's on Dickson Street.

Northeast Texas is one of the areas I have traced my maternal ancestors.  The Wilkins, Roddy, and Hardy clans.  These ancestors inhabited such well known Texas towns as Honey Grove, Bonham, and the big city of Paris, TX.  So we overnighted in Paris in preparation for cemetery exploring on May 7.

Visiting the graves of my 5th great maternal
grandparents in Honey Grove, TX

my 3rd cousin Lucian F Wilkins grave in Hugo, OK killed in action in WWII Italy.

Now that we are through the deep south and transitioning to the "west" we are taking a pause to provide some trip trivia....

FACTOIDS

1. We have overnighted in 11 different states, crossing 26 state lines.
2. Our cumulative mileage as of today is over 3,000 since leaving Boston.
3. Our average speed is 48 mph.
4. We have seen 23 relatives, 9 friends, and 5 new friends.
5. We have published 3 videos here and they are well received despite our children's opinions.
6. We have visited 3 forts, McHenry, Sumter, Pickens.
7. We have visited 2 battlefields, Antietam, Vicksburg.
8. We have seen one play, "And Then There Were None".
9. Our cheapest meal was in Lumberton, NC.
10. We have eaten donuts, beignet, shush puppies, catfish, shrimp, gumbo, red beans and rice, fried chicken, pulled pork baked potatoes.
11. Our beverages have been, Turkey Hill iced tea, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, moonshine, beer, margaritas, mint juleps, coffee.
12. We have seen the following large bodies of water including, Long Island Sound, Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi River, Potomac River, The Amazon *, Shenandoah River, Yazoo River, Red River, Arkansas River, Hudson River, Delaware River, Lake Ponchartrain among others.
13. The dirtiest men's room (so far) was in Hubbards, MS.
14. We have stayed in one inn, Cedar Grove in Vicksburg.

There will be a quiz.

*Just to see if you are paying attention.