Texarkana, Tx. (Pop. 35,419)

Neither of us was in a rush this morning. Jeremy and his family had a flight out of Houston at 5:00 PM, and we faced a five-hour drive. Our plan was to reach Hot Springs National Park tomorrow, so we wanted to cover most of the miles today.

We lingered at the hotel until 10:00 AM before heading to First Watch, a breakfast/brunch restaurant. Having enjoyed both the food and ambiance during our previous visit, we decided to return for another meal. After savoring our brunch, we said our goodbyes and started driving northeast in our home on wheels.

With just over 250 miles ahead of us, we stayed focused and arrived in Texarkana around 5:30 PM. Our resting spot for the night? The ever-reliable Cracker Barrel parking lot. Ah, good old Cracker Barrel.

After dinner, we stumbled upon Andy's Frozen Custard. Though dessert was far from necessary, we couldn’t resist for long and soon found ourselves indulging in a few extra calories for the day.

Travel days are usually uneventful, which brings its own kind of gratitude. I’ve learned to appreciate the comfort of uneventful moments—and yes, even to embrace a bit of boring.

True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. Martin Luther King JrRead more