Sometimes you like Almond Joy; Sometimes you like Mounds !

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS

First of all, let me say that I don’t understand why you pronounce Kansas with the “s” on the end (KAN-ZAS), and Arkansas as if it has a “w” on the end (AR-KANSAW). Go figure….

Secondly, while I know many people who sing the praises of Little Rock, I never had much desire to go there. But the I-40 Highway passes through that area, and it made sense to spend the night. We wound up spending two! What happened was that we found a number of places we wanted to visit, including the Toltec Mounds Archaeological State Park. Why? Well, we were curious about the mounds that had been built by ancient, pre-historic people living in this area, especially because we’re heading to Ohio to check out the mounds in Newark. We actually unhooked the car and drove to the site. Then we WALKED for over a mile. After so much sitting in the RV, it felt good to get out into the fresh air and move our chubby bodies.

This is a big mound ... about 5o feet tall.  

You may be asking why they are called “Toltec Mounds.” So was I! The Toltecs were in Mexico. Obviously, they never made it to this part of the U. S. (that’s an understatement!), so the local folks that named the ancient ceremonial center about a century ago were wrong about who built them. Very impressive site.

A view of 3 of the mounds at Toltec.

After that, it was time for lunch, and we accidentally wound up in the Hillcrest area, a lovely area filled with historic mansions set far back from the street, with beautifully manicured lawns, flowers, and old growth trees. There was a small Brazilian bistro (Café Bossa Nova) with some really unusual dishes, like Salpicao, a sort of salad that consisted of finely shredded veggies and chicken tossed with a light flavorful sauce piled on top of rice. Delicious food.

Then we drove around town, walked by the river, and did some shopping. The RV park was better than many of the others, and we actually got some rest. Off to Memphis in the morning.