After a four hour drive from Tulsa (most of which was on I-40 and felt like I was on a loop of driving by the same piece of barren land), we arrived in Little Rock, checking off state #45 for me - Arkansas - and finally connecting with my friend Peter who was joining us for the multi-state trip.
We enjoyed a yummy dinner at Table 28 and then got some sleep to prepare for a full day of activity. Our day began early with a guided walking tour of Central High School, site of the "Little Rock Nine". We all agreed that National Park Service Ranger Rebecca was an amazing tour guide who helped us really understand the context of our nation's history and what led to the events in Little Rock. Visiting this site and getting a deep understanding of what happened (and the legacy that still lives on today in different ways) was very powerful for me, particularly sharing the experience with my kids.
From there, we visited the State Capitol. Visiting state capitol buildings was a tradition from my many "check off more states" trips with my friend Peter. But, for this trip, Arkansas was the only state where we spent time in the capital.
We then grabbed a quick Mexican brunch, where I got this Bloody Mary with a ton of fixings - including a mini taco!
After brunch, we headed over to the Clinton Presidential Library (my first visit to a presidential library, but I won't count it as a separate 50x50!).
We planned our timing so we could join a tour, but we all agreed that it just didn't live up to the tour we had in the morning at Central High School. On the plus side, the gift shop offered 42% off in honor of Presidents Day Weekend!
After only 37 hours or so, it was hard to believe that we had already finished two of the four new states for the trip. I hope to return to the whole region in the future for a full civil rights journey to build on what we learned in Little Rock.