Chapter Twelve May 11, 2001 Friday Branson, Missouri to Little Rock, Arkansas Today was our day to drive across Arkansas. We started in Branson, Missouri and did one last drive around town and took these pictures of the various theatres in overcast daylight, with the skies threatening rain. From Branson, we headed south across the Ozarks for a quick stop at the Eureka Springs, Arkansas to view the oversized "Christ of the Ozarks" statue. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and we had a steady drizzle all day long. Dave caught a quick glimpse (from under his umbrella) and we were on our way. From Eureka Springs we drove to Bentonville, Arkansas and the hometown of Wal-Mart. The steady rain put a damper on Dave's original goal of finding Sam Walton's grave (at the time of our visit, it was missing from the Find-a-Grave database). The original Walton's Five and Dime, on the square, has been converted to a Wal-Mart museum. But just like small towns all across America, the repulsive (but convenient) "big box" stores (Wal Mart, Home Depot, Staples) killed off the historic city square in Bentonville, Arkansas, too. We didn't stop to see the tribute to man that came to personify the disposable American landscape. From Bentonville, we headed south to Fort Smith (more counties for Dave) then east to Little Rock. The cruddy weather and steady drizzle made the day totally forgettable. This school bus factory was bizarre and seemed worth the pictures but the dull overcast was everywhere. With a couple stops here and there, we pulled into Little Rock after dark and headed straight to the Courtyard. After checking in, we headed out for Chinese food, then turned in to bed. Tomorrow we would get to see Little Rock, then head east to Memphis. Original Web Upload May 2001 Last Update: September 30, 2001