Marked Tree, AR...a nice place

Thanks to Bill Craft I am now resting peacefully.
I was quite a sight, I am sure, sweating, redfaced and limping into the McDonald’s in Marked Tree, AR. I had just completed 15 miles of the toughest roads to date---flat, hot and dusty and flooded at the same time...and endless. Did I mention endless?
I parked my cart outside, as I always do, and lugged my backpack with all my electronics in it into the food emporium. Sitting down with my food and laptop, I started my process—computer on, food in mouth, chew and type. A tall thin man approached, much like a movie character, with pipe in pocket and an accent straight out of central casting. “Do yew mahnd if ah ask yew a kwestyun?” he drawled.
I told him my story, and he seemed satisfied that I Wasn’t a homeless person who came to invade the town. I gave him the WhyHunger pitch and a card and he pocketed it immediately and left the restaurant. I continued my meal and my websurfing.
A minute later a burly and well dressed man approached and we began talking. He said his name was Bill Craft. I introduced myself and told him I was looking for a place to set up safely for the night. He thought for a moment and then said that he was going to leave for a bit and would be back in 20 minutes or so. And he was. He returned with good news that he had spoken with the mayor of the town of Marked Tree, Arkansas, and that I was welcome to set up in the park adjacent to the town hall and police department. I hastened over to the park after posting a very pathetic blog piece about how sick I am feeling. Im leaving the piece intact as evidence and testimony of all that I am feeling, pathetic, joyous or otherwise.
The park is mostly under water, with the recent storms’ effects still terribly obvious and ugly. A pavilion used to stand near where I am set up but a tree took care of that. A slab of concrete still sits there near the stump of the offending tree. A stream, very high water, runs in front of my doorflap. Its beautiful, although like every single drop of water Ive seen on this entire walk, it is brown and muddy. I don’t know if it ever clears up.
The road to Marked Tree. AR, has been long, flat, and dull as nails. Almost no gas stations, no grocery stores, no farm animals, save for three horses I saw today in someone’s yard. Woody Guthrie once wrote, “The further west you walk the hotter , drier and stiller the country gets. “ He wasn’t kidding , except for the drier part. Even there he had a point. As I walked along I 55 yesterday , in the distance, I saw dust clouds kicking up from fields that had somehow not been flooded. Water and/or planted material in the ones nearer the road prevented that from happening, a good thing for drivers, because the dust was pretty thick.
It looks like Arkansas is still a century away from being modern. Although the farming situation appears to be more corporate farms, given the size of the fields and the grain silos, the people I have encountered are happy to be living in their little piece of the past, and based on whay I have seen of those people, that is not a bad thing. The state and its highways might be kicking my ass, but the people are not. The have been curious, friendly, non threatening, and most important, welcoming. A few stares here and there but given my appearance, I would stare too.
So, a good night’s rest awaits. I am going to take a leap of faith and leave most of my belongings in the tent, in the park. I am going to walk to McDonalds to post this and with luck and faith, all will be as I left it when I return.
Wish me luck, and pardon my crabbiness in the earlier piece. Im sure no-one wants to hear me complain!
Tomorrow, onward towards Jonesboro. It is roughly 29 miles so I likely won’t be around wifi for a day. Patience!!!
And a big thank you to Bill Craft for the help.
Pictured: Bill McLoughlin on guitar with his friend Albert....