Traveling by car across America with today’s technology isn’t as simple as it seems. First, one has to know how to attach this thingy that we use to make phone calls. Then you have to erase every known user of the rental car before you so it can connect to the vehicle. Once you figure out how to get “Kim’s favorites” and her “contacts” from displaying, you’re halfway there! Now, some guy named “Ray” cannot ever be deleted from the car; you just have to live with it. Apparently, Ray’s contacts show that he’s quite “The Player.” Heather is definitely my go-to tech support for all things newer than my underwear.

Today is our long drive day. A full eight hours of driving. We tried to eat at Denny’s this morning in Fort Smith, but that story is not worth telling except we did not eat there. We drove on and ended up in Conway, Arkansas. We stopped at The Purple Cow. A local chain restaurant based on decor and theme from the 1950’s.

We got there right as the lunch rush started, and they were busy. On our way in, we were greeted by a friendly group of staff, and Heather and I made great conversation by introducing them to The Purple Goat! Yep, Stephenville, Texas.

They laughed as we shared pictures of this famous café and a nice picture of the goat. We had a great meal, and the manager gave us some free Purple Cow stickers for Heather’s computer. The Purple Cow Shake was the bomb!

After lunch, we drove and drove and drove some more. Then, after what seemed like a long way, we turned off I-40 and found ourselves on a snake farm. Every few miles, this winding road sign would appear in the shape of a snake. We went up and down and left, then right. Finally, we made it to our destination. As we were checking in, this young lady came up behind us and said, “Reach for the Stars, Hombres!” Maybe that’s an exaggeration, but it’s close. Jinger snuck up on us, Texas style. We never had a chance. She had her husband David and son Gabriel with her, they were able to lend us some muscle so we could get our luggage to the room. We were all happy to see each other and set a tentative goal for tomorrow.

Heather and I ate a quick dinner at Logan’s. Then we headed back to our room for some much needed rest. Later gators…

Sometimes you just gotta stop and enjoy the moment and here was one of our moments from today.