October 16, 2023 Day 9 Fort Smith Arkansas to El Dorado Arkansas 231 miles
Not a good night’s sleep. We are in a room closest to the road and we could hear road noise all night. The heating unit also went on and off with associated loud noises. Then their idea of breakfast was a granola bar, orange juice and coffee. This is the worst Super 8 we have stayed in.
The weather today is sunny but still cool. The high is supposed to be about 65. Of course the wind is still blowing.
We are going to visit the US Marshal Museum that opens at 9 am and then Miss Laura’s at 10 am. They are a very short distance apart. The roads to get there are in terrible condition. Lots of potholes and patches that really rattle the car. Most of the way is a four lane road and they are all bad.
The US Marshal Museum opened in July 2023 so it is very new. It sits right on the Arkansas River. The building is quite large and modern looking. The museum is very well done and includes several interactive displays. Surprising how many of the modern events we could remember.
Miss Laura’s is a bordello built in 1910. It had 9 bedrooms and was one of seven bordellos in a row between the river and the train line. This would have been a high end establishment based on the size of the rooms and the fact it had electricity and indoor plumbing. The building was moved a short distance from it’s former location in the 1970s. A tornado blew off the roof about then. The temporary roof also blew off so the building suffered a lot of water damage. Most of the furnishings are modern reproductions but they fit right in. Business was good because the original owner was able to pay the loan back in 6 months. As we left the building a 1935 four door Chevrolet drove into the parking lot. They are having some kind of meet locally today.
Then we got on the road to El Dorado. That turned out to be numerous different roads. The landscape is lots of trees. Almost a 50-50 split between deciduous and evergreen. The roads twist and turn and the speed limit is mostly 45 mph. Numerous full logging trucks are traveling in both directions. The roads are barely two lanes wide so they seem very close.
We got to our room about 5:30 which is pretty good considering the distance, speed limit and later start. This time we are staying in a La Quinta and it is significantly better. Of course they very recently remodeled so everything is new.
Spoffords Travel 