Taking the other road home

Went to a square dance in Fayetteville, AR on Friday night.  Good dances always last until the wee hours.  Andy and I were late getting to bed.  In fact, it was Saturday morning before we closed our eyes and finally drifted off to sleep.  Needless to say, the alarm rang a little earlier than we wished but we were tempted by the smell of pancakes and sausage coming from the restaurant next door.  We were hungry and we answered the call.

After a few cups of coffee and a heaping plate of food we were ready to head on north to the Missouri line.  We debated which way to go and finally decided to trace our trip back the way we had come on Friday through Huntsville to Alpena, Harrison, and on to Midway and the Missouri/Arkansas line.  Somewhere along the way we got talking and gawking.  I was driving.  Andy was navigating.  We were both square dance hung-over.  We took a wrong turn somewhere around Elkins.  And the rest is one of those happy tales you remember forever.  Taking the other road home.

Yes, we were on a windy road.  Motorcycles were ahead of us.  Motorcycles were behind us.  And a few other cars and trucks.  Not much traffic.  And about ten or twelve miles along we noticed the names of towns we had never seen before.  And the topography was decidedly more hilly.

Checking the map we saw we were definitely not on the short road to Huntsville, but on the long windy highway to Huntsville.  It was wonderful.  That is until we came up on a line of two pickup trucks, a chicken truck(thankfully empty), three SUV's and us.  The motorcycle behind us slowed to almost a stop...and the line of rigs just kept growing.  The cause?  A highway truck ahead of us was laying down a long, double line of yellow paint, right down the center of this windy, hilly Arkansas road.  We crept along at 10 MPH for miles, it seemed.  I was afraid the motorcycle behind me would topple over.  I didn't know they could creep along too, but Andy assured me  they would be OK.

After a few miles I began to enjoy the scenery.  We passed in leisurely fashion a cafe called The Pig Trail, a sweet small farm house with chickens in the yard, a ranch with well tended buildings and fences, and a ramshackle cabin with a WW I ambulance hulk sitting in the yard.  Lots of things to see when you are cruising at 10 MPH.

By this time we decided to turn at the junction to Kingston and head on over to Newton County where we have spent many an enjoyable day.  Thankfully the road crew pulled to one side at a convenient place and we all streamed by.

Most of our fellow travelers left us at the turn we made to the east.  Before long we were headed to the S-curves of the Buffalo River valley.  Boxley and the road to Ponca.  But we took the turn to Jasper.  Storm clouds were rolling to the south and headed north.  We didn't want to be in a rain storm on that highway.  Before long we were parked in front of the Ozark Cafe in Jasper.  It began to sprinkle a little as we made our way inside.  The morning's pancakes had left us somewhere around Low Gap so we were ready to eat again.  Thick juicy hamburgers, a root beer float, and a good cup of coffee put us to rights.

We couldn't visit Jasper without seeing our friend Emma and her Museum of Junk.  Just down the street the people were milling around outside her store, looking at the old porch swing and various pots and pans.  Inside Emma greeted us as if we were long lost friends.  And of course, we bought a few odds and ends that we couldn't resist.  No wonder she likes us!

Headed out of town toward Harrison we drove ahead and behind the storm clouds.  It seems as if every trip we take this summer is rain-covered.  We took the bypass toward Bellefonte and the easy road to Gassville and home.  We didn't really want to go into Mountain Home but my Walmart list had a few items on it that we needed before we headed north.

Back home, we realized  there had been no rain on our hilltop.  Unloading the car seemed an awful daunting task so we put it off for a time.  I stood on my west facing porch and appreciated the view of Caney Mountain yet again.  Arkansas is a great place to visit.  I love the scenery and the people.  And the extra bonus of  a trip to Jasper was wonderful.

But, when all is said and done, the road home is the best one of all, even if you take a detour here and there.