Lapanto, Arkansas, Last entry

Historical Photo:

          An early Arkansas family

The Great state of Arkansas.....

Entering Arkansas from Memphis. The bridge over the Mississippi River.

         Sherry Chauffeuring the rig into Arkansas

I'm not totally negative on Arkansas. 
Upon agreeing to repair the bathroom I told Sherry. I can’t believe there is no place to park an RV.  Surely there are trailer parks within 25 miles.

The small town was Lapanto. We were excited about the job, it appeared to be a fun thing.  As we drove into the town we saw this sign:

Both of us had read ‘The painted House’ by Grisham. Now our interests were peaked. Across the street was the actual house used on the cover of the book OKAY!!!
 
 

We found the church and parked the coach. We then took the car and headed out to find a spot for the coach. .  The pastor knew! The closest we found was Jonesboro, about 50 miles away. HONEST! Oh yes, and Jonesboro is the birthplace of Grisham. This trip was becoming more interesting.

We replaced the bathroom and plumbing. We did get to meet the head of AA. He had a lot of tales. He had worked the oil rigs in the Gulf. He said, “Sadly for most men it was 30 days at a time with nothing but work, then drink yourself to sleep. His opinion from experience the job was dangerous, but boring.
At lunch we met some wonderful folk at the local café. In the evenings we drove around the area. Lots of stories of Johnny Cash (some exaggerated I am sure from pride).

I was puzzled by a crop in the fields as we drove the last 20 miles into Lapanto. It looked like wheat but grew too dense. I did learn it was rice. A new wrinkle in my horn. I also learned there is a lot of controversy between the environmentalists and the local farmers concerning the amount of water required for rice.

 
There are small towns like Lapanto all over the country. Agriculture birthed this town and kept it alive. With the huge farms and likewise huge machinery the need for manpower drops and jobs go away. Most of these towns are occupied by people on Social Security. The Young folk have headed to Little Rock & Memphis for work.
Tomorrow we will head for California here on the Blog There is NO State name beginning with a “B”.

Nite Shipslog
Arkansas Facts:

1.   The diamond is the official state gem. It was designated in 1967.

2.   Arkansas is officially known as The Natural State.

3.   The Arkansas River is the longest stream to flow into the Mississippi-Missouri river system. Its total length is 1,450 miles.

4.   The South Arkansas vine ripe pink tomato is the official state fruit and blossom. It was designated in 1987.

5.   Milk is the official state beverage. It was designated in 1985.

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Arkansas Facts and Trivia(I added these if you are interested!)

6. The largest freestanding rock formation located in Eureka Springs has a base circumference of about 10 inches and the top measures almost 10 feet across.
7. The apple blossom is the official state flower. It was designated in 1901.
8. The Buffalo River is one of the few remaining unpolluted, free-flowing rivers in the lower 48 states.
9. The fiddle is the official state instrument. It was designated in 1985.
10. 47 hot springs flow from the southwestern slope of Hot Springs Mountain, at an average temperature of 143 F.
11. The Ozark National Forest covers more than one million acres.
12. The quartz crystal is the official state rock. It was designated in 1967.