Day 219

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Obfuscator writes: We left the roach motel in Little Rock and headed to the State Capitol. We had seen the exterior of the building the day before, but little else. We were pleased to find that everyone at the capitol building was really friendly. The parking lot attendant talked to us about all sorts of things, and the security guard asked politely if we had anything dangerous (we didn't). A security guard outside the Senate showed us the chamber and explained a bunch of stuff, because they were going to be starting a special session very shortly.

The building itself is rather pretty, with some really nice marble stairways that open up to the Senate and House of Representatives. In some of the hallways, and in both chambers, they have pretty stained glass skylights too, which keep the building feeling light, but elegant. The rotunda has some nice views of their dome as well, which while less impressive than many, was tasteful. There's some nice exhibits about state politics in some places, and good displays about Bill Clinton's terms are governor, as well as several others.

Outside the capitol we found a nice sculpture of the Little Rock Nine, the nine African-American kids who first attended the all white Central High School, with 101st Airborne escorts at Eisenhower's orders. This led us naturally to our next stop, which was Central High School in Little Rock. The school is a beautiful piece of architecture, with a huge courtyard and beautiful statuary. In 1957 it was apparently considered one of the top 200 high schools in the country, which of course was part of the reason it was a flashpoint for controversy since the black kids weren't allowed to go there. The school is still a school, but there's a park across the street that memorializes the nine kids, as well as a National Park Service visitor's center where you can find out all about the events that led up to the deployment of the 101st, as well as how things progressed from there. There's some great film footage and interviews with the nine kids, and many others, and it's really fascinating. Perhaps it's just that things are very different in the north, and perhaps it's just that things are very different in 2008. The world of Little Rock in 1957-60 looks eerily similar, yet very foreign to me.

We drove south from there. Almost all of Arkansas was either under a flood warning or under a tornado watch. Needless to say, none of that was terribly appealing, and since most of the attractions of Arkansas seem to be outdoors related, we just didn't see much reason to continue spending money on motels in a state that was trying to drown us. We spotted an interesting looking dot down near Natchitoches, Louisiana, and so we headed in that direction.

It was a long drive, but eventually we arrived in the town, and found ourselves a fried chicken dinner (in true southern spirit) and a motel to stay in for the night.

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