Conway!

Since the feature proved popular before, here's a minute-by-minute account (sort of) of my trip from Fayetteville to Conway. Truth in advertising disclaimer: unlike my other play-by-play, I did not keep a written record of times, so these are approximate.

7:49 a.m. Set sail for Conway.

7:51 a.m. Get thrown off by the directions since those I printed from the AAA website have me making a turn onto a street that isn't where it's supposed to be. Way to inspire confidence, leader in all things travel related.

7:58 a.m. Guide car into Sonic drive-through lane to purchase a caffeinated assist in the form of a large sweet tea. Coffee is good and all, but I was in the mood for this cool southern nectar. As Donna would point out to me, it seems pointless for a drive-in to have a drive-through.

8:08 a.m. Freeway!

8:15-9:03 a.m. Play AM radio roulette, otherwise known as hitting the scan button and seeing what it will land on. At some times it was a question of if it would land on anything. I went through some areas where the tuner searched from left of the dial and back again without stopping.

I did come across a few gems, though. There was the local talk show during which the telephone's ring could be heard through the mic, and the host answered it live on the air (meaning the host's voice was filtered through the receiver). It sounded like something originating in someone's garage in the 1940s despite the topic being city-wide wi-fi. I also liked the Arkansas radio version of craigslist, the sum of which was people calling in to say what they had to sell or announce their yard sale and then giving their phone numbers. My favorite--no joke--was the guy who had two goats for sale. Ordinarily I wouldn't be caught dead listening to Fox News Radio, but I got a kick out of the hosts taking the President to task for calling Barry Bonds to congratulate him for breaking the home run record.

9:35 a.m. Spot a sign for Mexican fast food franchise Taco Bueno. Words cannot express how much I love their awful, awful logo. It's a dialogue balloon with "bueno" scrawled in all capital letters. Even I, with my meager drawing skills, could whip up something like this in Microsoft Paint in a minute.

10:20 a.m. Arrival!

Donna introduced me to some university colleagues, and then we embarked on a tour of Conway and nearby attractions, beginning with a café lunch. The driving expedition included stops at Toad Suck Ferry Locks and Dam and Heifer International. It sounds glib to say we also passed the blackened remains of a house struck by a private airplane, but it was something to see.

I had dinner with the rest of her family, and then her husband Noel and I went to a screening of Superbad. I didn't have much time to spend with them when I was here last, so it's been really nice to hang out and talk. More to come...