Take that, Ozarks!

According to Acadia, my college buddy and native Arkansan, the Ouchita Mountains are equal to if not better than the famous Arkansas Ozarks that everyone talks about. Well, I haven't seen the Ozarks, but I will say that the view from Flatside Mountain in the Ouchitas was pretty impressive. Especially with the sun setting and a huge lightning storm in the background!

We've been spending a few restful days in Little Rock. Boy, it's been nice not to drive. Admittedly, Phil has been doing a lot of driving...I've discovered that my lids start closing about 3 hours into driving and we have to switch places...but it all works out. The day before we got to Little Rock, we stopped off in Memphis, which is a city I'd like to see more of. Went to the Civil Rights Museum which was of course EMOTIONAL, especially given its location in the Lorraine Motel where MLK was assassinated, and after took a wander through Beale Street. The music street akin to Times Square in NY. If you're a tourist in Memphis you gotta go, but I would say probably good to avoid on a day to day basis as a local Memphis-ite. We got to Little Rock (3 hours away) and...ahhhhh rest at last. We've been staying here since Friday night and are headed out tomorrow morning to New Orleans.

So far, we've just relaxed. We visited Heifer International Ranch and saw the villages that are part of their educational program for students. Houses that are replicas of traditional homes in Thailand, Guatemala, Appalachia, etc. They also have animals which are examples of what sort of aid thety give to families across the world looking to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Meet Raj the camel!!

Afterwards, since it is SO UNBEARABLY HOT in the South, we drove to a watering hole and jumped in! The water was disappointingly warm and not totally refreshing, but worth it nonetheless. We ended the day with the hike up Flatside Mountain that I described above. Today has been about learning the city and meeting with local orgs. Met with ACAC, a local artist collective, and talked about their structure a bit. More reflections on them and CHE (the one in TN that I haven't talked much about) soon...