h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I just returned from a trip to visit my mother's side of the family in Arkansas. We went out there over Spring Break. The Ozarks are a beautiful part of the country. If I can find a way to move out there that I can afford we're moving.

We went to see a bunch of stuff. You could spend a year out there seeing the sites and not even scratch the surface.

We love caving, so we went to the Hurricane River Caves that are just south of Harrison. It was a pretty cool tour. The cave had a waterfall pouring over the entrance to the cave. Some of the cave was partially flooded. There's a wild tour where you take an boat trip inside the cave. There were some good-sized rooms. The guide was knowledgeable, but it took a while before him to warm up to his subject and things really got interesting.

We went to Eureka Springs [A723872]. It's cute little town. It's been a tourist trap for over a hundred years, and it's carrying on the tradition. What's really surprising is that it's a town in the Ozarks (which are known for their hillbillies and moonshine) that openly accepts a variety of alternative lifestyles. It's a town with secrets that will never all be discovered by any one person.

We went to the historical museum and did part of the walking tour. My wife mother did a bit of shopping while I had some beer. After walking around town, we went to a fantastic Italian place called Ermillio's.

We also went out to the Buffalo National River. part of the reason for the visit was to scout out a possible job opportunity at the park. We went to the ghost town of Rush [A723881]. We explored the town, and let our dog play in the stream. I spoke with some of the staff to get a feeling about what it's like to work there.

We went up to Branson in Missouri. Usually we go to Silver Dollar City, but it was closed. Instead we took a tour around the lake on one of the amphibious ducks. Then we went to Dicks 5 & 10 [A723917]. The store had an amazing variety stuff that was being sold new. I was awash in nostalgia as I wandered the aisles. Some of the stuff there would not be out of place in antique store. Then I was awash in disgust when it took my wife forever to finish going down each and every one of the aisles and look at almost every item. I checked the aisles several times, went and looked at some other stores, read the legends of all the WWII prints that were hanging in the store, and sat on the bench outside the store for a while.

Of course I visited some with my grandmother, and my aunt and her family. My mother played guide throughout the trip.

We had a good time. My wife was not thrilled when I mentioned the possibility of moving and changing jobs. As we drove back, she asked, "Alright, when do we move?"

I sure hope I did a good job on my application and resume.