The Events of Friday, February 11, 2011

                The snow white world, twinkling in the morning light is a glorious sight to see. So was my thinking when Mom and I headed early to the showers after a luscious breakfast. I was hesitant to stop anywhere, in case I destroy the morning’s beauty or slip on a patch of black ice. Hot showers put the feelings back into our fingers and toes and freshened us up on this snowy winter morning. Back at the RV, preparations were made to get back on the road, after two fun but long days being stuck in the RV, in the snow. Confined solely to a 30 foot by 8 foot space for two days with a family may be adventurous, but soon people get feisty and we long to get on the move again.

                When all of us had taken nice hot showers, we slid in our slideouts with Mom outside knocking the ice off the top of them with the broom handle. Then Ben went around knocking all our icicles off, making Harvey, our RV, not look quite so quaint. However, he did not execute his plan well and ended up with multiple icicles falling on his head and shoulders. Leaving our campsite, we purchased propane and refilled our water tank. Then we headed to Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, in the heart of the capital of Arkansas.

                As we drove, we quickly realized that Arkansas does NOT know how to handle snow. They don’t plow, they don’t salt, sand or chain up. Everyone just holes up for the day and waits for the snow and ice to melt. Today was the first day that the roads were even passable, and that is not saying much. On I-40, a major interstate, often only one lane was open. Bands of snow and ice covered the lane markings on the freeway. And Arkansas drivers don’t know how to drive in snow either. While Daddy left lots of space in front of Harvey, other drivers were bumper to bumper and frequently changing lanes to try to get ahead. As we drove we saw further evidence of ineffective handling of snow in Arkansas – several cars and trucks off the road, down embankments, often facing the wrong direction. We passed several tow trucks and police cars returning today to try to remedy yesterday’s problems. Finally we arrived in Little Rock. Here nine African-American teenagers hoping for a better life and a brighter future crossed segregation lines and entered an all white school.

                The exhibit in the visitor center that we toured told their dramatic story well. It all began with the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case, making all schools officially integrated. Arkansas’s schools had been segregated since the beginning. To begin the desegregation of the schools, they decided to start with Little Rock’s biggest public school, Central High School. Seventeen African American teenagers were chosen, only nine stuck to it for the first day. On the first day of school, September 3, 1957 the Little Rock Nine, as they came to be called, did not appear. On the second day of school, Arkansas National Guard barred the students from entering the school. The students did not try to come back for two weeks. During that time, a federal judge ruled against use of the National Guard to block students. The Little Rock police are then given responsibility for protecting the students. When the Little Rock Nine entered the school, the police struggled to maintain control over the mob. They lost control and the students were forced to leave school in the middle of the day. At last, President Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne Division to protect the students and restore order. These soldiers escort the children throughout the beginning of the school year and then leave the students to fend for themselves. I’m not going to go into a lot of detail, but if you want to learn more, look it up online or check out the book that Caitlin and I love and bought from the visitor center bookstore, Warriors Don’t Cry, the autobiography of one of the Little Rock Nine’s experience.

                Reading these exhibits intrigued us, and we spent quite a while in the museum. All too soon, it was time for lunch and we devoured our homemade peach preserves, bread, and some other delicious goodies with delight. After lunch, we took a short walk to Central High School. The school is still an active high school and it is GINORMOUS! The reflective pool was frozen over and it looked like a stained glass window that had faded from long days in the sun. We took some pictures, admired the historic drug store and gas station and spent some time in reflection in the Commemorative Garden. Filled with knowledge, we headed on a long five hour drive to Oklahoma City. We do not plan to reach it today, but we hoped that we could get well on the way before stopping for the night. I spent my time reading Warriors Don’t Cry and others also read, listened to music, and worked on the computer.

                When our stomachs began to rumble, we pulled off in the middle of nowhere, truly to the boondocks, and drove to a rest stop. After a delicious dinner of meatloaf, pasta, a tomato concoction that consisted of tomatoes, vinegar and sugar and an interesting dessert of marshmallows and leftover ribbon candy from Christmas, we prepared for bed and a movie. Finishing the dramatic story, Anne of Green Gables: the Sequel, we headed off to sleep in the boondocks.