5/2

5/2 – Day off in Little Rock

Today Ride For World Health awoke bright and early as always. The Knights of Columbus began preparations for breakfast at about 6:30am, long before our weary eyes wanted to open. You see, last night we had a little fun in Little Rock, stayed out late. Oh well.

We ate bacon, eggs, biscuits with gravy, and more in St. Theresa’s Catholic Church of Little Rock, and then made plans for a rare day off. The van departed for Little Rock’s downtown area and we arrived before 10am. Free. Free at last, with nothing to do, no place to be, no talks to give, no vans to unload. No bags to pack, no routes to mark, no food to cook. Just free!

Some of us (including myself) enjoyed a tour of the USS Razorback submarine. It sank several Japanese ships in WWII before being sold Turkey. Now it sits in the Arkansas river in Little Rock. The tour was simply awesome in my opinion. There were about 6-8 rooms, all of which were extremely tiny and cramped. One little room was just full of missiles and little beds, all just jammed together. All of the rooms shared the distinction of being great feats of engineering, loaded with gauges and knobs, gadgets and gizmos that seemed almost too many to be real. Apparently the men set off on three month tours. The temperature in the sub was about 90 degrees Fahrenheit and men often had to sleep two to a bed. They showered every two weeks. How about that! It sure makes complaining difficult.

Other people went to Heifer's headquarters, an organization that seeks to end hunger and poverty worldwide. They offer a service where you can buy a cow or sheep or chickens for an impoverished family in third world countries. I heard a cow is $150 and a chicken is $20.

The rest of the day was spent in and out of local restaurants and drinking holes. I really enjoyed the Flying Burrito Cantina, which featured huge $1.80 tacos. We left in the late afternoon, back to the church.

All in all, it was a successful day off. Little Rock isn’t a very big town and really doesn’t offer a great variety of dining options. However, the little strip of bars and restaurants is nicely situated along the Arkansas River. Thoroughly rested and returned to church, the group cooked dinner (chicken salad) and settled down for the night.

PS: Arkansas has been a very nice surprise to many of the riders. It has been very pretty, with tree-lined back country roads and some nice hills. We have encountered our first rains of the trip, but we have managed to dodge terrible storms, which have wreaked havoc nearby. Indeed, there have been several deadly tornados in the state, all of which we have thankfully missed. Maybe staying in all of these Churches – paying homage to the Methodists, Baptists, Jews, and now the Catholics – maybe it’s paying off.