Hwy 5

Robert and I took a much-needed week off to drive highway 5 from Hot Springs, AR to Des Moines, IA.  Highway 5 is special to me, because it was one of the main roads we drove during my childhood.  In fact, it's one of two ways to leave Greenview, MO, which is the part of Lake of the Ozarks I grew up in.  We learned that Greenview is not listed as a town, even though the sign is still there letting you know you're there.  At some point since my childhood it ceased to exist.  Or maybe it never existed as a town, and the two hundred or so full-time folks living in Greenview found a way to get one of those official signs.  

At some point several years ago Robert and I started talking about highway five, and the next thing you know, we traced exactly where it went.  There are many jogs, winding roads, old bridges, old sections, new sections, and we did our best to weave our way through all of it.  There were several times we could see the ghost of old highway five when we were on a new stretch, and we would jump off and explore when possible.  The coolest thing we saw was an old bridge in Arkansas on an old section of highway 5 and then, when we were just inside IA, we saw that same bridge.  Same exact design!  I didn't take pictures, because it was too difficult to really capture the old bridges while driving the new sections.  But what a full circle!

This was our first trip where we created pins and layers.  Our first layer was the highway itself and the subsequent layering included all the stops we wanted to make in or near the highway.  It was a lot of fun to work on the map together over the past couple months, and we'll probably use this method again when traveling.  We've got our eyes on U.S. Route 50 as the next road to tackle, and it will likely take a couple trips to cover it all.

Here is a picture of our Hwy 5 map:

Other pictures from our trip:

One thing I will say about Little Rock, AR and AR in general is that the people we encountered were particularly friendly and warm.

I stopped at Argenta Bead and the gal there paused what she was doing when she heard I was from KC to text a friend there who knew of a place that sold beads but wasn't necessarily a bead store.  

I also found stamps at this bead store, which was a first.  I've been buying stamps here and there for a future project, and this bead store had both bug stamps and one bat stamp.  

Robert and I just finished Salvage Kings, which is magnificent if you haven't watched it.  It's about people who go in and clean out old buildings before razing them.  There is so much to our history that can be explained with what we leave behind/throw away/destroy, things that sometimes we don't even know are worth saving.  Like these old newspaper vending machines that we saw in Little Rock, AR.

In a random bathroom somewhere around Mountain View, AR I stumbled across a velvet painting of Elvis.  It is the first time I've seen another velvet painting since Mitsy (at least one I recognize as definitely velvet).  For those who don't know the story behind Mitsy, check it out here.  Here was Mitsy's brother (who just happens to be Elvis) in some tiny bathroom in AR!  The blue of the microphone is so similar to the blue of Mitsy's waves.  The brushstrokes are also similar.  I'll never forget what Mitsy's restorer said.  She said that Mitsy will inevitably rot away someday, maybe not in my lifetime, but that's why you shouldn't paint on velvet.  Every time I look at Mitsy I think to myself, she's rotting away at this very moment.  So here is her brother, Elvis, also rotting away, only he's in some dreary ho-hum AR bathroom.

We stopped at a few libraries during our journey.  One library in AR refused to sell me a blank library card.  This is the first time it's ever happened!  While I was unable to get a library card from that particular library, I did see something that absolutely delighted me.  Their BSC books were the 80s editions, the very editions I read when I was young.

The best library we visited had something we've never seen in a library before.  An aviary!  It was donated by the Jaarsma's and houses a variety of birds.  Robert did his usual quick walk through of the library and settled into the quietest room.  I texted him and asked if he saw the birds.  I think he thought I was talking about a display.  I looked up the library afterwards and listed in the volunteer duties is aviary maintenance.  That has to be one of the most obscure library volunteer jobs ever, right?

Though it was well off highway 5, Robert and I decided to drive into Springfield because we were driving through on a day when Arrow Creative Reuse was open.  Craft recycling stores are at the top of my travel list.  This one is looking for a new home where they can have both their workshop and store spaces in one spot.  I sincerely hope they can continue on.  I found a bunch of exciting things and also chatted with the gal working there, who is a crankie artist!  I didn't even know such an art form existed, so she regaled me with everything that went into being a crankie artist.  

Here's my haul:

We loved the heck out of Des Moines, IA, which is where we spent the last few days of our trip.  We spent a day in Pella, which is where we saw the library with the aviary.  We also went up to Boone to tour the museum and try out the rail explorers, which is an experience where you can ride a pedal cart along a railroad.  We arrived at the museum to discover it was closed.  Thankfully a volunteer saw us and gave us a private tour.  Robert said it was the second coolest train museum he's seen after the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, IA.  We were so thrilled the volunteer was there and happy to give us a tour.  While we waited for our rail explorers reservation I stopped in a bookstore, which had two shop cats, Einstein and Emerson.  

I absolutely would love a kitty basket for my convenience!   

Sadly, our rail explorers reservation was cancelled due to rain.  But that just means we're definitely coming back!

It was just about the most relaxing trip a person can take.  Each morning I stayed in bed reading as long as I liked.  We went swimming almost every day, and one day twice because the pool opened at 5AM.  We met interesting people, explored all the places the interstate swoops past, and absorbed the long stretches of quiet.  We even had a few good meals.  I stocked up on my overnight oats thinking hwy 5 probably wasn't a place for anyone avoiding dairy.  And though I was right sometimes, there were a few places we loved.  The Root Cafe in Little Rock, AR is at the top of the list.  Though Italian is typically a no-go for me, the bruschetta at Bambinos in Springfield, MO is one of the best things we'll ever have the opportunity to eat in our lives.  It's magical.  The fact that even Robert enjoys it, and he normally can't stand cold/raw tomatoes says everything.  Also, Goldie's Bagels in Columbia, MO is comparable to our KC bagel shop, Meshuggah.  And unlike Meshuggah they've got bottomless coffee and oat milk.  

I think we're ready to dive back into work and school and anything thing else life throws at us (within reason).  But I know I'm already thinking about the next road trip, ready to begin the planning, which is almost as exciting as the trip itself.