Day 1 - Conway, AR - Florence, AL

After nearly two years since our last road trip, we headed back out on the road!  And let's face it, given the COVID numbers in Arkansas right now, nearly any place is better than there at the moment.

We pulled out of Conway in a new acquisition:  a 2001 Chevy Express van.  The kiddos have gotten too big for us all to fit comfortably in the Durango, so we upgraded to Vansen!

We grabbed a bite to eat on the way out of Conway and we were soon headed east on I-40.  Unfortunately for our first day on the road, the wind was blowing heavily out of the northeast, meaning we were quite like a giant sail.  Add in the traffic on the interstate approaching Memphis (remember, one of the bridges is out), and poor Jason was white-knuckling it for a while.

After looping around Memphis, we headed into northern Mississippi and I took over the wheel.  Just outside Corinth a good line of storms fired up and again, we were at the whim of the wind.  Once in Corinth, we made a turn north and saw our first brown sign for Shiloh National Battlefield.

Crossing back into Tennessee, we arrived at Shiloh after the visitor center and bookshop closed, but we were able to grab some maps and do our own little tour.  Over two days in April 1862, over 23,000 died (more than all American wars combine up to that point) as the Union and Confederacy clashed at this outpost on the Tennessee River.  There were not many visitors today and I was especially struck by the stillness as we exited the van and walked around.  The National Cemetery is situated near the Visitor Center atop a hill overlooking the river.

Another line of rain started to move through so we loaded up and headed towards Florence, Alabama, with a stop in Savannah, TN for dinner.  We had the best chicken sandwich at Jack's (the old Jack in the Box).  With COVID, we aren't eating inside so we enjoyed in the parking lot inside Vansen.  A short time later we arrived at our hotel in Florence.  Tomorrow we head further east as we make our way to South Carolina.

Day 1 - Conway, AR - Salina, KS

Our 2018 Summer Vacation began as we pulled out of Conway a little before 8:00 am.  After a quick breakfast run through the McDonald's drive thru, we headed west on I-40, a path I'm familiar with as it's how I go home to visit my Oklahoma family.  After passing the nuclear power plant in Russellville, we zipped through Johnson County, home of my antebellum Arkansas ancestors.  A short time later and we crossed our first state line of the trip:  Oklahoma.  After another hour, we arrived in my hometown of Muskogee, passing Country Club Road (where my boyhood home is) and making our way to the west side of town where my dad now lives.  As we arrived, so did my sister and her kids -- the mini-reunion was ready to start!  No matter how long I'm away, it's always good to be home, even if it's just briefly so we could use the restroom and stretch our legs.

  
We continued up the Muskogee Turnpike to Broken Arrow where we pulled off for lunch at Whataburger.  It's a chain, but not one we can visit at home.  We were soon back on the road and made our way past downtown Tulsa and onto the Cimarron Turnpike.  Stillwater whizzed by on the left and we soon turned north onto I-35.  Wind turbines rolled in the strong breeze as we made our way into Kansas and we soon reached Wichita.

At this point I began to watch the weather as some storms had started firing up near our final destination:  Salina.  Salina has a really nice city waterpark and we had planned to visit after checking into our hotel.  Once we got our bags to the room, however, we discovered the park had indeed closed for weather.  Plan B kicked into gear and we were soon driving to the north side of town so Jason and Franklin could see the Tesla Superchargers at the Holiday Inn Express.  The smile on Franklin's face was priceless as the Tesla columns came into view.  After some photos, the skies opened up and we were hit with a deluge of water, just as two Teslas arrived to get plugged in for a recharge.  Those poor folks jumped out in the rain, plugged in their cars, then sought shelter from the storm.

Martinelli's Little Italy was our next destination.  It's a local Italian restaurant located in the historic downtown area.  We enjoyed a great dinner of pasta, meatballs, salad, and cannoli (to-go) and soon found ourselves walking and driving around the area.  The city is clearly working to revitalize the downtown area as many buildings were under renovation, along with the road.  Right across the street from the restaurant is the Stiefel Theatre which opened in 1931 as the Fox-Watson Theater.  The original ticket booth was still out front under a canopy of yellow lightbulbs.  A peek into the glass front doors revealed an art deco lobby with an elaborate chandelier and ornate woodwork.  The theater is now used as a small concert venue having been extensively restored by the city in 2003.

Once we returned the hotel, we all took a quick dip in the pool and hot tub.  While everyone else started to wind down for the evening, I noticed the clouds were setting up to provide an excellent sunset.  I drove a short distance out west of town near the airport and wasn't disappointed.  Day 1 came to a close with some amazing colors to the west and lightning with a rainbow to the east.  Tomorrow we head into Denver!