Mission, Texas: First Two Weeks

We arrived in Mission, Texas on December 2nd. Neither one of us have been here before, but while we were in Livingston we learned from other folks that the Rio Grande Valley is a popular place for RVer’s to spend the winter, having a climate very similar to that of the Florida Keys. The Rio Grande Valley is an area located in the southernmost tip of Texas. It lies along the northern bank of the Rio Grande, which separates Mexico from the United States. Our RV Park is probably about three miles from the Mexican border, but there is no direct entry at that point. The border crossings are numerous in this area, however, and we did make one trip into Nuevo Progreso in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas a couple of days ago. If you’ve ever been to the border towns in Mexico, it is much like you would expect. Very much set up for tourist traffic, including many, many dentists, pharmacies, and plastic surgery clinics. I attached a couple of pictures from that visit, including one of Dan enjoying some shopping! The river shot is of the Rio Grande, the natural border along Texas and Mexico.


The Rio Grande Valley region is made up of four counties:
Starr County, Hidalgo County, Willacy County, and Cameron County with a total population of 1,139,581. The largest city is Brownsville (Cameron County), followed by McAllen (Hidalgo County). We are in Hidalgo County; Brownsville is about 60 miles east of Mission. McAllen is a fairly large city and where we conduct most of our business. The weather has been very warm since we arrived, mostly having high’s in the mid to high 80’s, and lows around 70. There have been a couple of “cold” snaps where the highs only got to 65 and the lows near 40. The average this time of year is about 75.

Our RV Park sits in the middle of a citrus grove. We have access to ruby red grapefruit, lemons, oranges, and tangerines. The grapefruit is the most abundant, and it is so sweet and delicious. Dan and I bought ourselves a juicer as an early Christmas present and have been regularly juicing the grapefruit. I have included a picture of a bowl of cut up grapefruit ready to be juiced. We have been buying 18 pound bags of juicing oranges at a nearby produce stand and making fresh orange juice as well.

We are situated about two miles from Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park which is considered the crown jewel of Rio Grande Valley parks. The Park is known as the headquarters of the World Birding Center. Birders across the nation know “Bentsen” as a treasure trove of “Valley specialties” – those birds found nowhere else in the United States but deepest South Texas – and “Mexican vagrants” – rare visitors from across the Rio Grande. Some of these birds make their way to our RV Park, and so far we have seen many red cardinals and one green jay. We plan to make a day visit to the actual park soon to see all the bird visitors.


Our original plans were to stay here through December, but we may end up staying a week or two into January – the citrus fruit, the sunshine, the birds, and the over all welcome to the “Winter Texans” in this area is very pleasant! We’ll see what January brings when the time comes!!

Golf in Livingston & a Fond Farewell

Anyone who knows Dan knows that he likes to golf. One thing he will do in a new town is check out the local courses, and if the opportunity presents itself, he will try to play a round or two before we leave the area. Livingston has one golf course, named of all things, Livingston Golf Course, and Dan was able to get in two rounds during the five plus weeks we were here. I don’t play, but Dan tells me this was a somewhat challenging course and that he was happy with his game, especially his last round. I walked through the course with Dan when he was taking the pictures, and I can say that it was very green, tree-filled, and pretty. I attached a couple pictures of the golf course, one of Lake Livingston, and one from the Sam Houston National Park.

We are leaving Livingston on Saturday, December 1st. We spent enough time here to take care of our Texas residency requirements, to become familiar with the Escapees RV Club Headquarters, and enjoy a travel hiatus. We took a brief trip back to Sacramento (by plane) for Thanksgiving, and have spent the time since coming back preparing for our next move. On Saturday we head for Mission, Texas which is in the southern most tip of the state, just a few miles from the Mexican border. The weather in Mission next week is predicted to be in the mid to high 80’s for the highs, and in the mid 60’s for the lows.

We really enjoyed our stay in Livingston, but as Tom Petty would say, “Its time to move on, time to get going, what lies ahead I have no way of knowing, but under my feet, baby, grass is growing, its time to move on, it s time to get going”.

Update From Livingston

Hi Y'all!! Dan and I are now officially Texans! Last week we re-registered our vehicles (the Ford and the 5th wheel) and received our Texas plates; we obtained Texas driver’s licenses (and had to relinquish our California driver’s licenses!); and we registered to vote. I must say, it felt a little weird to me! I’ve always been a California Girl, and I guess in my heart I always will be. However, I cannot argue with the financial advantages of being a Texan, not to mention that Texas is an RV friendly state, and besides, the license plates are sort of cool! I would really like to be considered a citizen of all the states. Going through this exercise got me to thinking about how we are forced to designate only one of our fifty states for residency, and I thought how sad it is that we can’t just declare ourselves a citizen of the country at large. In essence, I guess that’s what full-time RV’ing is all about, and the entire country really does become your home. But there will always be the government bureaucracy, and you have to have an address somewhere, so here we are, Texans!

Yesterday we took a drive to Houston to visit the Space Center. It was an awesome experience! From their website: “Space Center Houston is a place where people can experience space -- from its dramatic history and exciting present to its compelling future. Space Center Houston is the only place on Earth that gives guests an out-of-this-world journey through human adventures into space. Space Center Houston's unparalleled exhibits, attractions, special presentations and hands-on activities tell the story of NASA's manned space flight program. SCH is the only place in the world where visitors can see astronauts train for missions, touch a real moon rock, land a shuttle, and take a behind-the-scenes tour of NASA. At Space Center Houston, guests can understand the past, experience the present, and be a part of the future of the space Program.” I’ve attached a couple of pictures from our tour.

We also wanted to go to The Museum of Natural History to visit the “Lucy” exhibit, the 3.2 million year old human fossil remains from Ethiopia. We ran out of time, and will have to make another trip to Houston to see her before we leave the Livingston area. That’s okay, there is a Whole Foods in Houston (actually there are three Whole Foods in Houston), and I always seem to need something or another from that store.

We have been enjoying our travel respite and using the down time to take care of minor maintenance on our vehicles, hiking in the Sam Houston National Forest, riding our bikes, and taking morning runs. Come December 1st we will be on the road again, heading further south.

Next Stop (after our brief Thanksgiving visit to Sacramento): Mission, Texas!

Rainbow's End

The last scheduled destination for us in 2007 was Livingston, Texas, home of the Escapees RV Club headquarters and Rainbow’s End RV Park. We arrived at Rainbow’s End on Tuesday, October 23rd. When planning to become full time RV’ers, we made a decision to relinquish our California residency and find a more tax friendly state to call “home”. Since we wouldn’t be living in any one place permanently, we were free to become residents of any state we wanted to. Texas is a full-time RV’er friendly state. There is no state income tax, and vehicle registration is a fraction of what you pay in California. Escapees publishes a pamphlet called “How to Become a Texan” that walks you through the necessary steps, including instructions on where to go in Livingston to change your drivers license, register your vehicles, and register to vote. In addition to handling our residency tasks, we wanted to come to Livingston and Rainbow’s End to see the mail service operation we have been using for a number of months. It is quite impressive; we took a tour of the facility, and it is like a small post office – in fact, the postal service gave Rainbow’s End their own zip code due to the volume of mail they receive.

The park sits on 140 acres, amidst pine trees and other abundant greenery. The acreage is divided up into areas for travelers (like us); permanent RV residents who have purchased a lot and park their RV on it; and parcels of land sold only to Escapee club members where dwellings other than RV’s have been built (like small cabins or modulars). The street we are parked on is called “Dream Catcher”, cool, huh? All the amenities are here – WI-FI, laundry rooms, a Club House, an Activity Center, a swimming pool, DVD/Video lending library, books & magazine library, and scheduled activities including tours of the grounds, social get togethers, dinners, breakfasts, music, games, yoga, and tai chi, just to name what I can remember off the top of my head.

I think the most wonderful thing offered by Escapees, and located here at Rainbow’s End, is the Care Center, a nonprofit adult day care and residency program designed for RV’ers whose travels are permanently ended because of age or temporarily interrupted because of an illness. A participant's RV is parked on a Care Center site. Personal and health care is available through a professional staff on weekdays at the center, and each evening, participants return to their own RV with the security of knowing someone is within call if needed. The full program is $800 a month for a single person and $900 a month if you have a caregiver. This fee includes all meals for both, two loads of laundry per week, and transportation to medical appointments and shopping trips. Although this does not help someone who needs 24 hour care (you go home to your RV each night), it is still a heck of a deal! I hope we’ll never need to use these services, but if we do, it’s a comfort to know they are available.

We plan to stay here through November to get our residency changed and to get some maintenance work done on our 5th wheel. We haven’t decided where we will go come December, but we will definitely be in the Southwest somewhere, possibly back in the Albuquerque area to take advantage of nearby skiing.

Next Stop: Sacramento for Thanksgiving week to visit with family!

Austin, Texas

Our next major destination after leaving Carlsbad was Austin, which happened to be right on the way to Livingston. (Livingston, Texas is the headquarters for the RV club we belong to – Escapees – and where we need to stay for a few weeks in the near future to change our state of residency from California to Texas.) Another Capital to visit, and this brings our total to 6, only 44 more to go! We rolled into the town of Buda (pronounced Bew-dah) which is just on the edge of Austin, on Saturday, October 20th. We stayed a couple of days, touring the capital on the first day and the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library on the second. We wanted to explore the 10-mile Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail established by Lady Bird Johnson, but a big storm blew in the night before we planned to do this, and conditions weren’t favorable for outdoor activities. Both Dan and I enjoyed Austin very much and felt like we really needed more time to fully appreciate everything it had to offer. We may come back and spend more time here in the future.

Next Stop: Livingston, Texas!

Carlsbad Caverns

We left Albuquerque on October 14 headed towards Roswell, New Mexico for a layover on our way to Carlsbad Caverns. Our intention was to stay over one night in Roswell, tour the UFO museum, and arrive in Carlsbad the following day. As it turned out, we had an issue with our truck and had to stay two nights in Roswell. That was okay; the RV Park we stayed in was very nice and we took the extra day to tour Roswell on our bicycles. We actually didn’t visit the UFO museum in the end, as it just didn’t seem that intriguing to either one of us. Although all the shops in downtown Roswell took advantage of their UFO heritage to try to lure people in, we didn’t have any close encounters. At least, we don’t think we did, but there are a few hours missing from our memories that neither one of us can account for. Hmmmm… ;-)

We arrived in Carlsbad on Tuesday, October 16th. We stayed in White’s City RV Park just yards outside of the Carlsbad Caverns National Park entrance. The RV Park has definitely seen better days, but it had what we needed for a couple of nights, and it put us in close proximity to the Caverns. The first afternoon we drove to the Visitor’s Center and got the information we needed to decide what tours we would be taking the next couple of days. The tours ranged from very, very easy paved road tours with (minimal) lighting to the adventure tours that required negotiating slippery slopes with knotted ropes and ladders and squeezing through tight spaces with the only light provided by your helmets. We decided we would take both of the easy self-guided tours and three progressively difficult guided tours over the next two days. We also stayed long enough one evening to watch the flight of over 1 million Mexican Free-tailed bats as they exited the cave for their nightly foraging. That was spectacular! The bats flew out of the cave shown in the attached picture with the long winding path. We were not allowed to take photographs of their flight, so this picture was taken early in the day. This is called the Natural Entrance and is the point of the very first exploration into the caverns by Jim White in 1898.

The self-guided tours are intended to be handled on your own, and as expected, they were like a walk in the park, albeit an underground park! The sights were spectacular! The lighting is very, very low, I presume to preserve the formations as much as possible in their original states, and to give one as close an idea as possible of how the caves appear in their natural setting. Following these two tours came the first guided tour which took us off the beaten path, but still on paved trails, still minimally lit, and led by a Ranger who gave us a lot of history of the caves and early exploration. The second guided tour was a little more adventurous – off the paved paths, illuminated only by candle lanterns that each of us carried, and every once in a while, some uneven or wet and slippery spots. Now, the third guided tour was the most adventurous, and it’s a good thing we worked up to this one. As it was, I almost didn’t go down, but at the last minute I just threw caution to the wind and took the plunge. Dan had no fear. Funny, there were 6 men and 3 women on this tour, and none of the men had any concerns, and all of the women were nervous. Especially me, I was the most nervous! The hike started out with a 10 foot descent down a wet and slippery slope using a knotted rope to guide yourself down. Following the rope descent, there were three stainless steel ladders taking you down another 50 feet to complete darkness. Our only means of illumination were the helmets we were wearing. But when we finally got to the bottom of the cave and began our hike, it was well worth it! Such beautiful formations, very hard to describe, and even the pictures can’t do it justice. I have never explored caves before, and am not sure I will do so to any extent in the future, but I am extremely happy I had this opportunity, and that I was able to overcome my fear and take the final tour – not even the most adventurous of what is offered.

In each of our guided tours we were able to experience what it was like to be in the total darkness of a cave over 800 feet below ground by having everyone extinguish their lights and sit in the complete blackness of an underground cave. Now that is dark!! You literally cannot even see your hand in front of your face. It’s amazing how much a small butane lighter will illuminate these places, as our guides demonstrated. Each time we returned to the surface, I was relieved!

Next Stop: Austin, Texas!

Santa Fe, New Mexico

The Balloon Fiesta runs for nine days, and we knew we wanted to attend at least one or two days there, as well as visit Santa Fe (the capital), and make a trip to Taos. Our first visit to the Fiesta was on Saturday, October 6. On Monday, October 8, we drove to Santa Fe, checked in to a Super 8, and spent a couple of days touring Taos and Santa Fe. Taos is a fun and artsy tourist town, and in the winter (so I’ve heard), a great place to ski. We spent Tuesday in Taos, and Wednesday touring Santa Fe, including a visit to the Capital building and trying to see as many of the highlights as we could manage in one day. We really enjoyed our visit to Santa Fe. The capital building is round, built to replicate the Zia sun symbol, which is the symbol on the New Mexico state flag.

While in Santa Fe, we also visited the St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral / Basilica. That has to be one of the most beautiful churches I have ever been in. The woodwork, art work, stained glass, and statues were gorgeous! We also visited the Loretto Chapel, which is no longer a part of the Catholic Church, but now a private museum. This is the chapel that has the mysterious stair case; you might have seen this on television. Here is the link: http://www.lorettochapel.com/ We also toured the Georgia O’Keefe museum, an artist typically associated with the American Southwest. After returning to Albuquerque, we spent one more day at the Balloon Fiesta. The last two days we were in Albuquerque, the hot air balloons from the Fiesta were actually floating directly over our 5th wheel and landing in our RV park! It was awesome, to say the least!!

Next stop: Roswell, New Mexico on our way to Carlsbad Caverns.

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

Several weeks ago we reserved an RV site in Bernalillo, New Mexico, which is right next to Albuquerque, in order to attend the annual Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque. So, after leaving Okalahoma City, we made our way to Albuquerque, arriving on October 4th. On Friday, the 5th we just explored Albuquerque, finding the Trader Jo’s and the Whole Foods, which made us very happy! On Saturday, October 6, we attended the opening day of the Balloon Fiesta. All I can say is “WOW”!!!! I don’t know what I really expected. I knew there would be lots of hot air balloons, but beyond that, I really didn’t know! We arrived on the grounds at 5:30 a.m. so we would be sure to find a parking spot and to witness the Mass Ascension. The Mass Ascensions is a launch of all the participating balloons just as the sun begins to rise, and is the most spectacular display of sound and color in all of aviation. During mass ascensions, balloons launch in two waves. Launch directors, also known as “zebras” because of their black-and-white-striped outfits, serve as “traffic cops,” coordinating the launch so balloons leave the field in a safe and coordinated manner. Weather permitting, balloons begin to launch at about 7:15 AM on mass ascension days, and for about two hours balloon after balloon is launched. Everywhere you look, a new balloon is going up, in every direction. It’s hard to describe the scene on the launch field. Literally hundreds of balloons are packed into the field, and you are able to wander among them as they are filling up with air and propane, then up-righting themselves, then launching. You can actually walk right up to the balloons and talk to the pilots, touch the balloons, feel the heat of the propane flame, and hear the awesome roaring sound as the balloon inflates. We took over 200 pictures because we could never decide which balloon was the most spectacular, which colors were the best, which angle was most impressive! We ended up hanging out all day at the grounds, waiting for the twilight glow – when the balloons launch again after the sun starts to set, and you can see the glow of the torch light within the balloons. However, that afternoon the wind kicked up pretty good, so the evening events were cancelled. However, we were able to enjoy a pleasant day walking around, eating, visiting the vendor booths, and lounging on the greens. The evening festivities wrapped up with a fireworks show around 8:00 p.m. We plan to go back one more day before the Fiesta concludes; hopefully we’ll catch a twilight glow then.

Oklahoma City Visit

To be honest, the idea of visiting Oklahoma City and touring the capital wasn’t real high on my list of things to do. I never had any reason to be in Oklahoma, there wasn’t any big draw to the area, and I wondered if we should even bother. But, since we were passing right through on our way to Albuquerque, and it is our goal to visit all of the State Capitals, and we had an extra day to burn somewhere before we were due to arrive in the Albuquerque area, it only made sense to stop now for the OK visit. Since we were going to be here, we also planned a visit to the Oklahoma City National Memorial, which was “created to honor those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever by the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.” I was pleased, if that is the right word, that I would have the opportunity to visit the memorial since we would already be in Oklahoma City, but I wasn’t prepared for the enormity of my response to the memorial. So, when we left this morning our plans were to visit the Capital first, then the Memorial, then the Myriad Botanical Gardens.

Lesson – don’t prejudge something you’ve never seen or know nothing about. The visit to the Capitol was outstanding! The interior of the dome was one of the most beautiful, kaleidoscopic visions I’ve ever seen! Hanging on the walls throughout the building were beautiful paintings, and we were also treated to a quilt display depicting Oklahoma’s history. Outside we saw the Indian Nations Flag display which was also quite impressive. We were worried about a big storm that was predicted to come in, so we didn’t stay too long at the Capitol before leaving to visit the OK City National Memorial. As I said, I was quite unprepared for how overwhelming this memorial would be. The instant we approached the entrance to the Field of Empty Chairs, I was overcome with emotion. I would encourage anyone who is in the area to visit the memorial; it is hard to describe in words the impact of this place. In the Field of Empty Chairs, 168 chairs stand in nine rows, each representing a floor of the building, and represent the 168 lives lost on April 19, 1995. The field is located in what was the footprint of the building. The “Gates of Time” are two monumental gates that stand as entrances to the Memorial site and frame the moment of destruction, one side showing the time just before the blast at 9:01 and the other side showing 9:03, just after. Between the two entrances is the Reflecting Pool, standing 3/4 of an inch deep; the calming water of this pool stands where 5th Street once stood, and shows the reflection of someone changed forever by their visit to the Memorial. It was hard to be there.

We broke for lunch after visiting the Memorial, sort of regrouped, and then took a visit to the Myriad Botanical Gardens located right in downtown Oklahoma City. It was a small enclosed garden preserving tropical plants from all over the globe. It was a very nice way to wrap up the afternoon. I really learned that you never really know what a city, or any place, holds. Every place is unique; every place has its secrets, its treasures, and something worthwhile for those willing to take the time to look. I hope this pictures can capture just a little of what we experienced today.

The Garage Project

Today is our last day in Fort Smith, Arkansas (at least for this visit). One year ago Dan and his brother Larry made a commitment to their younger brother Mikle to help him build a metal garage at his home in Fort Smith. We promised to stay the month of September 2007 to fulfill this commitment – erecting a 24’ wide x 36’ deep x 18’ high garage with 12 foot high walls. We figured the building would be done in about two weeks, and we would have the rest of the month to visit extended family that still reside in the area (two aunts and an uncle on Dan’s mother’s side, plus cousins, nieces, and nephews) as well as do some touring and hiking. Well, isn’t it always the case, the project took longer than expected, but we still managed to accomplish most of what we set out to do, AND complete the Garage Project as well! Here’s Dan’s summary version of the project:

The building arrived on a flatbed trailer on September 5th in the pouring rain. My two brothers and I had 4 hours to unload it. We actually managed to unload everything in 3 hours. Actual construction began on September 6th but the work was intermittent due to off and on rain. On September 7th construction started in earnest and continued through September 25th, minus a two day break for our trip to Little Rock and a family function on September 23rd. The project completed on September 25th; the total time to build was 16 days. And, the three of us were still talking at end of the project! Bonus!! As brothers, we had not spent this much time together doing anything in the last 30-40 years, so the experience was a really good reconnect. The highlight of the construction was probably the way we lifted the 300 lb 16’ wide 10’ high door into place using pulleys we rigged up on Mikle’s Dodge Omni with blocks and ropes. Nobody who didn’t see it would have believed it! Here are a few snapshots of the project.

Devil's Den State Park Hike

One of the things Dan and I really love to do wherever we end up is hike! We love to explore local hiking spots, including state parks, lakes, rivers, and mountains. Devil’s Den State Park is located in northwest Arkansas's Ozarks amid ancient sedimentary mountains renowned for their natural beauty and lush oak-hickory forests. This is where we decided to hike while we were here, and it was only 42 miles from our RV Park. Miles of hiking and multiple use trails wind through Devil's Den and the surrounding Ozark National Forest. Caves, crevices and bluff overlooks are everywhere, and often without warning! Most of the places I’ve hiked in the past are overly posted with warning signs, and dangerous drop-offs or other situations are usually fenced off as well. At Devil’s Den, there was a sign at the beginning of the hiking trails warning about the bluffs, crevices, and caves stating that they weren’t labeled or fenced in order to preserve the natural beauty. I’m glad of this, as the hike was absolutely spectacular! Hikers are encouraged to explore the caves, and are advised to bring two sources of light and to wear non-slippery shoes. The park is known for its 18 species of bats, although we didn’t see any when we were there. We did go into a couple of the caves, Dan further than me, I’m not as brave as he is! The first cave we explored was called Devil’s Den. It wasn’t too bad, no sudden drops, or long slippery slopes. Just dark and wet! I went several yards into that one. The second one we explored was called Icebox, and it was! It was a nice relief from the heat of the day. I only stepped into the slight interior of this cave, as it immediately brought you down a steep, muddy, slippery slope which I wasn’t confident enough to try out. Dan went down a little further than me. I’m not sure spelunking is in my future! I hope these shots can capture the flavor of the day.

Little Rock, Arkansas

Part of our goal is to visit all the state capitals, so while in Arkansas we scheduled a visit to Little Rock. Having lived all my life in Sacramento, California, I am familiar with the feel of a Capital City. Little Rock did, indeed, remind me of Sacramento in a lot of ways, but on a much smaller scale. The similarity is even more noticeable with Little Rock being situated on the Arkansas River, and Sacramento being situated on both the American and Sacramento Rivers. The capital buildings are also similar, and the look and feel of downtown Little Rock reminded me a lot of Sacramento as well. However, Sacramento has a population of 467,343 whereas Little Rock has only 204,370 people. Sacramento is the 7th most populous city in California, and Little Rock is the most populous city in Arkansas.

We took the scenic drive over, avoiding the main Interstate, opting instead for the small two lane highway that wound through some of the most beautiful parts of the country I’ve ever seen. We drove through rolling green hills, beautiful farms, and the gorgeous Ouachita National Forest. The first thing we did when we got to Little Rock was stop at the Murray Lock and Dam where the “Big Dam Bridge” is located. Comprising 4,226 linear feet, the bridge over the Corps of Engineers' Murray Lock and Dam is the longest bridge built specifically for pedestrians and bicyclists in the world (the longest in the United States is the Chain of Rocks Bridge on the north edge of St. Louis, Missouri at 5,350 linear feet, but it was originally a highway bridge).

Next, we went to the Capital building and took pictures, including the memorial to The Little Rock Nine. In the summer of 1957, the city of Little Rock, Arkansas, made plans to desegregate its public schools. Within a week of the 1954 landmark Supreme Court decision striking down racial segregation in public schools, Arkansas was one of two Southern states to announce it would begin immediately to take steps to comply with the new "law of the land." The year that followed was one in which the eyes of the world were focused on America as Little Rock Central High School went through its first year of integration, ending on May 27, 1958, with commencement ceremonies for 601 graduating seniors, including Ernest Green, the school's first black graduate.

We couldn’t visit Little Rock without touring the William J. Clinton Presidential Library, and I’m really glad we did! It not only gave me a greater appreciation for Bill Clinton as a man and our president, but also for the office of the presidency in general. From there, we took a walking tour of downtown Little Rock, the

MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History (very sobering), shopped in the River Market District, had a wonderful vegan sandwich at the Boulevard Bread Company, and finally drove by Central High School on our way back to Van Buren.

It was a really nice visit. The city is small enough that we were able to walk to most of the attractions, the weather was beautiful, and we expanded our knowledge in geography and history while getting a feel for how people live in this part of the world.