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Published: October 9th 2005
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Sean: We spent a couple of days in Little Rock checking out the sites and waiting for the powers that be to open up the city. Looking back now we know that that was a laughable idea, but back then we thought for sure that the Corps of Engineers would fix the levee breeches quickly and that this unfortunate flooding would be pumped out lickety split. After all, water in New Orleans isn’t anything new - the streets frequently flood in heavy rains. The whole city is dependent on an intricate system of pumps that takes rainwater and dumps it into canals that in turn carry it to Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River. It’s actually fairly remarkable to witness - in the heavy, biblical-type summer rains that New Orleans experiences the streets begin to fill up with water to the point that you wonder where Noah is with the Ark - and then at some point you can almost
feel the pumps begin to catch up. Once they do, they pump the streets dry in minutes. I’ve driven through some pretty high water (waves crashing over my hood) that was but a faint memory a scant hour later. The pumps
in New Orleans work very well…unless the body of water they happen to drain into isn’t spilling back into the city.
But back to Little Rock - while keeping one eye on the news reports we ventured forth to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library; the newest homage to the highest power in the land. It was interesting to catch a glimpse of the inner workings behind this secretive office and to wade through the halls of history revisiting some the prescient moments that shaped who we are today - Waco, Monica, Columbine, Oklahoma City and all of the other polarizing events that occurred during his eight years in office. (Note from Shannon: Clinton’s Library had special meaning for me - not particularly because of Clinton himself, but because his presidency coincided with my college years, the time when I really became politically aware. The policies that he enacted and the events that were happening were the things that filled my conversations and debates with friends in college and during that portion of our lives. I felt a connection to the things that Clinton’s Library covered, so I found it very interesting.) One other nice touch was the free
admission offered to us, the weary adventurers of this story, and to all the other Katrina evacuees.
After Little Rock - and the realization that the “Closed for Renovation” sign on the city of New Orleans was going to remain in place for a long time - we decided to set out for the Pacific Northwest, trying to keep some semblance of the schedule that we had originally planned. Of course the fact that all of our worldly possessions were still waiting in limbo for us to return hung over our heads, but without any hope of returning to the city anytime soon we bucked up and kept driving across the fruited plains.
After a scant 5 hours of highway driving, we pulled into Oklahoma City, which was to be our second stop in the original plan for our trip across America. I’m sure this city would prefer to be a tourist destination for many, many other reasons than the one that brought us here - the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial. I remember vividly the images of the torn away building and the destruction brought upon this nation by a few disgruntled patriots. Needless to say it is
a very powerful site to visit. The memorial and museum are highly recommended, if anyone has the chance to visit. I was very impressed with the forensic investigation and the ability to piece together the now famous Ryder truck used to transport the bomb from little tiny fragments. While somber and moving, the bomb site also exudes a confident attitude that refuses to be swayed by the acts of the few to terrorize the many.
Emboldened, we moved forth to the small hamlet that will forever be famous as the place where Sean and Shannon spent the very early days of their marriage - Colorado Springs. Unfortunately, many of the things that we had loved about the city had changed - favorite places that are no longer there, subtle changes to the things that still are - gave us the feeling of looking at the city as an outsider, not as a local. Truly, you can never go home again. In the end, we only spent an afternoon there and didn’t have time to meet up with some of our old friends who still live there. We were feeling that time was starting to drag and staying in hotels
was getting very old (and expensive). We really wanted to get closer to family, hang out for awhile and wait out the damage to our fair city. To that end, we powered through the rest of Colorado, through Wyoming, turning left at Montana, into Idaho and skidding into my Ma’s house in Spokane. Finally. It was nice to stop for a few days somewhere familiar and welcoming.
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