April 30. I made it from Houston to Little Rock.
I stopped in Hope, Arkansas to visit the boyhood home of President Bill Clinton.
The staff were very nice and informative. National Park Service Rangers. I forget my guide's name, but he was very knowledgeable, and like all good guides, made a point of clarifying which furnishings are original, and which ones bear a real resemblance. He told me Clinton swears the little roll-top desk is original, but NPS is not so sure. I met Sheila, who had helped me on the phone last week. She is a retired teacher and has been a ranger for several years. I got a one-on-one tour. The house is on the main drag, close to the railroad tracks. This was his Grandparent's home, he and his mom lived there for his first four years. Then the house went through several owners and a fire. It was almost torn down, but it was purchased for the foundation and restored, becoming a NPS site some years ago. Most of the furnishings are as close as they could find, but one of his favorite books is the original and is encased in lucite. His rocking chair looks very similar to the one I still have from my own childhood.
Now, here is a cool thing that I've never seen before. Hope, Arkansas had a birthday calendar, and they put Clinton on it in 1947! The ranger showed me a picture of the page, the original calendar is set to January and they don't touch it any more.
I asked the visitor's center on I-30 for a place where I could get a salad for lunch. They sent me to downtown Hope to a country kitchen type place, where salad was nowhere on the menu! But they made me one and topped it with some of the best grilled chicken breast I have tasted.
I ignored my car's warning and almost ran out of gas. The exit I took from I-30 led me about 3 miles to a wide spot in the road with $3.00 / gallon gas! But I got my gas.
Got to my Best Western in Jacksonville, north of Little Rock, just before the bottom dropped out of the sky. Tornado warning on my phone, sirens, and the lights went out for about an hour, before I was able to walk next door to a Mexican restaurant. It was still raining, and the freeway is all messed up, so I went to Arkansas from Texas for a Mexican steak!
So, this is my fifth major quest to visit presidential sites. Thursday I will visit Grant's home in St Louis, and will then head for Springfield, Illinois, to get a running start on a marathon Friday.
I will stay with Pam and Cy in Chicago. It will be a full weekend!
I welcome comments, it's how I know if anyone is reading this stuff.
