Alicia
New member
- Apr 8, 2023
- First Name
- Alicia
- Last Name
- Thomas
- Spouse
- Gary
- City
- Grapevine
- Chapter
- Dallas / Ft. Worth
TOAL 2023 - Harrison, AR: Day 1
I missed my happy place. I am lucky to have a few happy places in my life – in the arms of my family, in the laughter of the day, in the familiar places where my most happy memories reside. This one is an especially awesome place for me – rolling down the road in our Cobra.
There is a special feeling I have every time I take a drive in this car that is hard to describe. You have to be in it, and feel it, to know it. It’s the crisp morning air, the smell of the trees, and the cool breeze that whips around you as the car winds down the road. It’s the deep, throaty sound you can feel of the 427 as it winds through the curves with the road just inches below your seat. It is being surrounded by nature, all of God’s beauty, anticipating what new awe-inspiring site just waits over the next hill. When you see it, everything fades away – all the mundane trivial issues that parade through your mind each day disappear as you soak in this new sight. In this car, we wander, we explore, and we experience life from roads less traveled.
Today we officially begin our annual Trip of a Lifetime (TOAL) to Harrison, Arkansas. You won’t find Harrison on a top 10 destinations list, but this part of the world is gorgeous and I highly recommend a visit. For the next 6 days, our group of 9 Shelby Cobras will head out each morning on a new route exploring the Ozark Plateau region stopping along the way to see local sites, visit historic locations and museums, and enjoy local cuisine (with a few libations at the end of the day).
Our first day on the road was great. We experienced a couple of “bumps in the road” which we think is a good omen. Get all the issues tackled on day 1 to make way for a perfect rest of the week (Knocking on wood just to be safe).
We started out bright and early this morning making our first stop at Boxley Valley Historic District to visit the site of Beaver Jim Villines, boyhood home. The Villines family were early pioneers in the Buffalo River Valley. The old cabin is falling down but the area is gorgeous.
As we were leaving, we got separated into two groups by some light traffic including a motorcycle touring group. It is hard to keep 9 cars all together. Our fearless leader, Court, does a great job of sending everyone the routes so we all know where to go if we get separated. Unfortunately, there was no cell service and when I say no cell service, I mean for miles and miles. I work in communications and the company I work for markets solutions for what we refer to as the Digital Divide – typically rural areas that don’t have sufficient access to broadband or wireless service. Now, we are experiencing what that means firsthand. This meant that if your map wasn’t already up and working on your phone, you were not going to be able to access it.
And this is how Gary and I got separated from the group. We made a 50/50 guess at a fork in the road, and we chose poorly. Fortunately, we had a small window of cell service, and the map was restored. After traveling about 10 miles out of our way before realizing we were NOT on the right course, we turned around and headed to our second stop, Highway 123 Falls. The majority of the group took a scenic route, but we found a direct route pulling in about 2-3 minutes before the rest of the group arrived. As luck would have it, the falls were dry – not enough water to cascade over the falls. Even without water, the rocks were beautiful and worth the stop and short hike.
While Gary and I were able to catch up with the rest of the group, two of our drivers, Greg and Jay, had mechanical issues along the way and both had to get their cars towed to a repair shop in town. Fortunately, the issues were fairly minor, and promptly repaired and ready for Day 2.
Then we headed for lunch at the Cliff House. The name describes the restaurant accurately. It is built into a cliff overlooking the Arkansas Grand Canyon. All windows with a big porch that runs along the back of the restaurant with amazing views. The food was awesome. Shout out to our server who had her hands full with this crowd.
We had a beautiful ride along the canyon on our way back to Harrison. Lots of breathtaking turns along a windy two-lane road. The rolling lush hills with the brightest green valleys and beautiful rivers that cut through the terrain. The blue skies are dotted with puffy clouds and charming tiny towns and homes greeted us along the path.
We ended the day back at the hotel with pizza and various libations. We set up outside under the hotel awning and became the unofficial hotel greeters wishing all a good evening as they floated passed us to the parking lot. Not sure all of these folks appreciated our presence, but we at least gave them something interesting to talk about over dinner.
I missed my happy place. I am lucky to have a few happy places in my life – in the arms of my family, in the laughter of the day, in the familiar places where my most happy memories reside. This one is an especially awesome place for me – rolling down the road in our Cobra.
There is a special feeling I have every time I take a drive in this car that is hard to describe. You have to be in it, and feel it, to know it. It’s the crisp morning air, the smell of the trees, and the cool breeze that whips around you as the car winds down the road. It’s the deep, throaty sound you can feel of the 427 as it winds through the curves with the road just inches below your seat. It is being surrounded by nature, all of God’s beauty, anticipating what new awe-inspiring site just waits over the next hill. When you see it, everything fades away – all the mundane trivial issues that parade through your mind each day disappear as you soak in this new sight. In this car, we wander, we explore, and we experience life from roads less traveled.
Today we officially begin our annual Trip of a Lifetime (TOAL) to Harrison, Arkansas. You won’t find Harrison on a top 10 destinations list, but this part of the world is gorgeous and I highly recommend a visit. For the next 6 days, our group of 9 Shelby Cobras will head out each morning on a new route exploring the Ozark Plateau region stopping along the way to see local sites, visit historic locations and museums, and enjoy local cuisine (with a few libations at the end of the day).
Our first day on the road was great. We experienced a couple of “bumps in the road” which we think is a good omen. Get all the issues tackled on day 1 to make way for a perfect rest of the week (Knocking on wood just to be safe).
We started out bright and early this morning making our first stop at Boxley Valley Historic District to visit the site of Beaver Jim Villines, boyhood home. The Villines family were early pioneers in the Buffalo River Valley. The old cabin is falling down but the area is gorgeous.
As we were leaving, we got separated into two groups by some light traffic including a motorcycle touring group. It is hard to keep 9 cars all together. Our fearless leader, Court, does a great job of sending everyone the routes so we all know where to go if we get separated. Unfortunately, there was no cell service and when I say no cell service, I mean for miles and miles. I work in communications and the company I work for markets solutions for what we refer to as the Digital Divide – typically rural areas that don’t have sufficient access to broadband or wireless service. Now, we are experiencing what that means firsthand. This meant that if your map wasn’t already up and working on your phone, you were not going to be able to access it.
And this is how Gary and I got separated from the group. We made a 50/50 guess at a fork in the road, and we chose poorly. Fortunately, we had a small window of cell service, and the map was restored. After traveling about 10 miles out of our way before realizing we were NOT on the right course, we turned around and headed to our second stop, Highway 123 Falls. The majority of the group took a scenic route, but we found a direct route pulling in about 2-3 minutes before the rest of the group arrived. As luck would have it, the falls were dry – not enough water to cascade over the falls. Even without water, the rocks were beautiful and worth the stop and short hike.
While Gary and I were able to catch up with the rest of the group, two of our drivers, Greg and Jay, had mechanical issues along the way and both had to get their cars towed to a repair shop in town. Fortunately, the issues were fairly minor, and promptly repaired and ready for Day 2.
Then we headed for lunch at the Cliff House. The name describes the restaurant accurately. It is built into a cliff overlooking the Arkansas Grand Canyon. All windows with a big porch that runs along the back of the restaurant with amazing views. The food was awesome. Shout out to our server who had her hands full with this crowd.
We had a beautiful ride along the canyon on our way back to Harrison. Lots of breathtaking turns along a windy two-lane road. The rolling lush hills with the brightest green valleys and beautiful rivers that cut through the terrain. The blue skies are dotted with puffy clouds and charming tiny towns and homes greeted us along the path.
We ended the day back at the hotel with pizza and various libations. We set up outside under the hotel awning and became the unofficial hotel greeters wishing all a good evening as they floated passed us to the parking lot. Not sure all of these folks appreciated our presence, but we at least gave them something interesting to talk about over dinner.
