All the Way to Memphis
After leaving Holiday Island, we make a short stop in the historic town of Eureka Springs which, like Sutter Creek, exists merely to milk its history laden past and sell things to tourists. It was "Diversity Week" in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, which seems to be an annual event designed by the local chamber of commerce to bring in their fair share of gay and lesbian tourist dollars. Many businesses were flying their rainbow flags and the town was hopping with tourists even at 10 in the morning. Wading our way through a sea of spiky short haircuts, i was struck by how many of the visitors were lesbian and how few were gay men (am I, as a straight male, even allowed to discuss this or is this another one of the many topics that I am forbidden to speak of for fear of being misunderstood?).
Nationally, gay men out number lesbians by an almost 2 to 1 margin. This set my mind to wondering why, at this event, the turnout was so lopsidedly skewed in the other direction. I didn't ask anyone to speculate but I have a theory which I will keep to myself at this time. You might also ask, how is it possible that this event can take place in the middle of the bible belt? Is it possible we have been mislead about the people of flyover country?
As we traveled on, on three or four occasions, we saw the Stars and Bars displayed in front of businesses or homes. One was in front of a biker bar.
We stopped a couple of hours later at a huge Vallero truck stop next to interstate 40. Eva, in an effort to maintain our Keto diet, bought a turkey leg and hot link on a stick. One thing you would never experience in California was the song that they were playing inside over the speakers as I made my way to the restrooms; What a Friend We Have in Jesus. They were playing Christian music in a business owned by an NYSE company. I was gobsmacked by the apparent contradictions we were running into.
As we traveled further East, the sky opened up and it began to rain. A lot.
Finally we arrived at our destination.
Eva had booked the world's smallest room, with a queen bed, little privacy, in an area undergoing gentrification within short walking distance to museums and homeless camps.
Dinner was excellent. Ribs at Central BBQ and it was dog friendly.
Tomorrow, disposing of Eva's body ...
