day five: little rock to points south
adventures
after an absorptive day’s journey from nashville through memphis, i arrived in little rock in time to get dinner at three fold noodles + dumplings for my first restaurant meal of the trip—and oh the noodles, the dumplings—then ‘home’ to a lovely airbnb with a fenced yard for friday.
after a superb night’s sleep, the dog and i hopped on the road at sunrise for the long drive to austin through houston. i had hoped to stop for a hike in hot springs national park, but there was some rain following us since nashville so i pointed us south.
the drive was easy. lots of miles but nothing to note. i hit that zone of life on the road.
there was a lot of the anthropocene reviewed podcast. i love how honest and dark john green is, and we’re almost the same age so his cultural references are spot on—and he had a life-changing trip to northern michigan. i give him 4 1/2 stars.
oh, and of course i listened to R.E.M.’s texarkana whilst driving through texarkana, texas.
speaking of texas, just moments after crossing the state line, an unfamiliar feeling came over me. it was the warmth of sunshine. i didn’t realize how long it had been since i felt warm sun on my skin, and i applauded myself for seeking in this winter. i also took a ‘family photo’ and witnessed the misalignment of emotions that the dog and i were feeling. friends with children, i can only imagine this may be a similar and frequent expression of your teenagers?
we finally made it to houston, and it was sunny and there were folks everywhere, it being a sunday afternoon. fri and i joined them on a hike through memorial park and enjoyed moving on our own four/two feet instead of being in the car. when it got closer to the day’s end, i found rice university, and subsequently my very first james turrell skyspace, twilight epiphany.
the light sequence began about 10 minutes before sunset, and a docent greeted everyone—a student at rice who explained it would be 40 minutes long and asked everyone to speak quietly but not to be shy about moving around to see the work from different perspectives. at dusk, the houston’s skyline’s palette was in sync with the lights and i was losing my mind with awe.
after a bit, i moved to the lower level, a sunken middle area where the angle of your vision is greatly reduced and you’re even more fully immersed in the slow waves of light. eventually, i took a wide lap around the exterior of the large courtyard the skyspace is situated in, and i was thrilled in a new way as i wandered and stared at the glowing object.
after JT’s skypace, fri and i hit the road again, this time for austin.
logistics
lodging—my airbnb in little rock was built in 2019, and is called “the layover” which i recommend if you are traveling to little rock. there’s a killer fenced yard and everything is clean and comfortable inside.
music—more songs from the big slab on the ever-evolving road trip playlist.