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I’m in Tallahassee - my post trip review

runkpanole

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Nov 17, 2002
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After traveling 12 states the last two weeks (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and finally Georgia), I’m home.

Memphis - the Zoo was cool. Seeing the Beale Street area and Civil Rights Museum was also cool. The rest sucked. The hotel was horrible, the roads sucked and the BBQ was not up to par.

Arkansas - just drove through, no real opinion

STL - great ballpark, the riverboat cruise was nice. Kids and no pic wife took in City Museum while I got some work done and really thought it was awesome. Of course, great BBQ.

Illinois - On the way to Dubuque, we stopped in Springfield to see the Lincoln home. Cool place for history. After Iowa, we hit up Chicago. The drive along northern Illinois was gorgeous. Loved the small cities and the hills. Chicago was great. Weather was nice, Wrigley never disappoints and seeing the city from the lake was a nice change.

Iowa - I’ll save the best for last

Indiana - mostly drive through. Nice stop in the middle of nowhere for ice

Ohio - mostly family time, but we did catch part of the Dayton Action Heritage Trail. Nice little place where the Wright Brothers got their start.

Kentucky - purely drive through with a shitton of rain.

Georgia - Braves game. No need to say anything else as my boys beat the hell out of the Nats Friday night.

Iowa - honestly a highlight for us and I’m not saying that because of my posting on this board. Dubuque is a nice area. The riverfront and downtown area was really nice. Didn’t expect so many hills, but I think that really added to the charm. HyVee stores are nice, but I still like Publix more. Field of Dreams was really great. Loved having a catch with my boys. Dyersville were quaint and quiet in a nice little downtown. Textile Brewing was good as well. Picked up some to bring back to Florida.

Now, the Big10 needs to invite us so I can party in IC.

CSB
 
Having been to Arkansas many times over the years to see my in-laws in Ft Smith which is on the border of Arkansas and Oklahoma, there’s only three areas of Arkansas worth a %*^*.

The best is Hot Springs. It may have some super touristy spots, but the area has plenty of nice hikes, some great fried catfish places, and the old school spas are pretty nice.

A Close second best is Bentonville. You wouldn’t think it unless you’ve actually been but the Walmart money in the area makes it FLUSH with cash. The Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville is not only one of the best in the country (I like it better than the Smithsonian art museums for ex), but the hikes in the carefully Structured gardens and large outdoor art exhibits are amazing. No joke, I’ve been to many art museums throughout the US and Canada (plus several in Paris and London) and I like it over all of the art museums in Chicago, San Fran, Boston, Atlanta, Miami, DC, etc…. The only art museums in Mericuh I’d have ranked over the Crystal Bridges in Bentonville are in order 1) The Met, 2) MOMA, 3) The Getty, 4) Dali Museum in St Pete (very small in comparison to the others but absolutely amazing), 5) Philly Art Institute…..and that’s probably it. I’d have it ahead of the LACMA, Art Institute of Chicago, Smithsonian, etc….

And the third nice area as long as you like quiet, outdoors, hiking, tubing, hunting and/or fishing is the Northwest corner. Smokin Ricks in Hardy is the best bbq in Arkansas, way better than overpriced and overhyped places like McClards in Hot Springs (Bill Clintons favorite bbq).
 
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Having been to Arkansas many times over the years to see my in-laws in Ft Smith which is on the border of Arkansas and Oklahoma, there’s only three areas of Arkansas worth a %*^*.

The best is Hot Springs. It may have some super touristy spots, but the area has plenty of nice hikes, some great fried catfish places, and the old school spas are pretty nice.

A Close second best is Bentonville. You wouldn’t think it unless you’ve actually been but the Walmart money in the area makes it FLUSH with cash. The Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville is not only one of the best in the country (I like it better than the Smithsonian art museums for ex), but the hikes in the carefully Structured gardens and large outdoor art exhibits are amazing. No joke, I’ve been to many art museums throughout the US and Canada (plus several in Paris and London) and I like it over all of the art museums in Chicago, San Fran, Boston, Atlanta, Miami, DC, etc…. The only art museums in Mericuh I’d have ranked over the Crystal Bridges in Bentonville are in order 1) The Met, 2) MOMA, 3) The Getty, 4) Dali Museum in St Pete (very small in comparison to the others but absolutely amazing), 5) Philly Art Institute…..and that’s probably it. I’d have it ahead of the LACMA, Art Institute of Chicago, Smithsonian, etc….

And the third nice area as long as you like quiet, outdoors, hiking, tubing, hunting and/or fishing is the Northwest corner. Smokin Ricks in Hardy is the best bbq in Arkansas, way better than overpriced and overhyped places like McClards in Hot Springs (Bill Clintons favorite bbq).
Bentonville is great…and I would add it has some of the best MTB trails in the country.
 
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a91374-20060419-mapofdriftless.jpg
Fun fact as one of the boards several resident dorky geologists, the area around Dubuque is this cool location in Midwest known as the Driftless Area where no glaciers covered the land leaving behind their deposits of glacial sediment on-top of the ice flattened/scoured landscape. So those hills and valleys are what most of the Midwest would look like if no ice age had happened.
 
a91374-20060419-mapofdriftless.jpg
Fun fact as one of the boards several resident dorky geologists, the area around Dubuque is this cool location in Midwest known as the Driftless Area where no glaciers covered the land leaving behind their deposits of glacial sediment on-top of the ice flattened/scoured landscape. So those hills and valleys are what most of the Midwest would look like if no ice age had happened.
It’s a beautiful place to live. I love it in this area, and I had no idea about it until I met my no pic wife. The Algific talus slopes in the area are one of the rarest ecosystems in the world.
 
Having been to Arkansas many times over the years to see my in-laws in Ft Smith which is on the border of Arkansas and Oklahoma, there’s only three areas of Arkansas worth a %*^*.

The best is Hot Springs. It may have some super touristy spots, but the area has plenty of nice hikes, some great fried catfish places, and the old school spas are pretty nice.

A Close second best is Bentonville. You wouldn’t think it unless you’ve actually been but the Walmart money in the area makes it FLUSH with cash. The Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville is not only one of the best in the country (I like it better than the Smithsonian art museums for ex), but the hikes in the carefully Structured gardens and large outdoor art exhibits are amazing. No joke, I’ve been to many art museums throughout the US and Canada (plus several in Paris and London) and I like it over all of the art museums in Chicago, San Fran, Boston, Atlanta, Miami, DC, etc…. The only art museums in Mericuh I’d have ranked over the Crystal Bridges in Bentonville are in order 1) The Met, 2) MOMA, 3) The Getty, 4) Dali Museum in St Pete (very small in comparison to the others but absolutely amazing), 5) Philly Art Institute…..and that’s probably it. I’d have it ahead of the LACMA, Art Institute of Chicago, Smithsonian, etc….

And the third nice area as long as you like quiet, outdoors, hiking, tubing, hunting and/or fishing is the Northwest corner. Smokin Ricks in Hardy is the best bbq in Arkansas, way better than overpriced and overhyped places like McClards in Hot Springs (Bill Clintons favorite bbq).

If you like trout fishing than the White River and area around Cotter is a must. Beautiful river full of monster trout.
 
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After traveling 12 states the last two weeks (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and finally Georgia), I’m home.

Memphis - the Zoo was cool. Seeing the Beale Street area and Civil Rights Museum was also cool. The rest sucked. The hotel was horrible, the roads sucked and the BBQ was not up to par.

Arkansas - just drove through, no real opinion

STL - great ballpark, the riverboat cruise was nice. Kids and no pic wife took in City Museum while I got some work done and really thought it was awesome. Of course, great BBQ.

Illinois - On the way to Dubuque, we stopped in Springfield to see the Lincoln home. Cool place for history. After Iowa, we hit up Chicago. The drive along northern Illinois was gorgeous. Loved the small cities and the hills. Chicago was great. Weather was nice, Wrigley never disappoints and seeing the city from the lake was a nice change.

Iowa - I’ll save the best for last

Indiana - mostly drive through. Nice stop in the middle of nowhere for ice

Ohio - mostly family time, but we did catch part of the Dayton Action Heritage Trail. Nice little place where the Wright Brothers got their start.

Kentucky - purely drive through with a shitton of rain.

Georgia - Braves game. No need to say anything else as my boys beat the hell out of the Nats Friday night.

Iowa - honestly a highlight for us and I’m not saying that because of my posting on this board. Dubuque is a nice area. The riverfront and downtown area was really nice. Didn’t expect so many hills, but I think that really added to the charm. HyVee stores are nice, but I still like Publix more. Field of Dreams was really great. Loved having a catch with my boys. Dyersville were quaint and quiet in a nice little downtown. Textile Brewing was good as well. Picked up some to bring back to Florida.

Now, the Big10 needs to invite us so I can party in IC.

CSB
If you or any sane posters visit ic, I'm game to bring some bbq to a meet and greet.

And yes, I'm a huge Braves fan.
 
Just opened this old thread. How did you get from Kentucky to Georgia? Something is missing… spill it man.
 
Damn, I saw this and got excited for sorority rush pics.

 
a91374-20060419-mapofdriftless.jpg
Fun fact as one of the boards several resident dorky geologists, the area around Dubuque is this cool location in Midwest known as the Driftless Area where no glaciers covered the land leaving behind their deposits of glacial sediment on-top of the ice flattened/scoured landscape. So those hills and valleys are what most of the Midwest would look like if no ice age had happened.
Just to pick a nit, it's now referred to as the Paleozoic Plateau, at least in Iowa, as it is not driftless:

For many years the eastern half of the Paleozoic Plateau was thought to be untouched by Pleistocene glacial activity and was referred to as the “Driftless Area,” which included similarly rugged landscapes in the adjacent parts of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. This concept is no longer valid, however, as patchy remains of Pre-Illinoian glacial drift over 500,000 years old are documented on stream divides in the Iowa portion of this area. Pre-Illinoian drift is even more widespread in the western half of the Paleozoic Plateau, although it still plays no significant role in the present appearance of the region’s landscapes. Regardless of the relative amounts of glacial drift, the region stands united by the strong influence of bedrock geology, by a marked contrast to the remainder of the state where landscapes are subdued by glacial deposits, and by its many topographic and ecologic similarities.

Our understanding of Iowa’s glacial-age landscape evolution has grown significantly in recent years. As specific geographic areas and stratigraphic deposits have been examined in detail, we have seen an emerging unity among the state’s diverse landform regions. The Paleozoic Plateau, for all of its spectacular differences, fits neatly into the erosional history we have been compiling since looking at the Southern Iowa Drift Plain. Though the sedimentary rocks of this northeast Iowa landscape are ancient in comparison to all other landscape-forming materials in Iowa, the “preglacial” antiquity previously assigned to the landscape features themselves is being challenged. Recent investigations suggest that much of this rugged terrain is actually quite young. Stream erosion and hillslope development since Pre-Illinoian glacial events have produced the deeply dissected landscape and in the process have removed the glacial deposits from all but isolated upland positions. The same episodes of erosion reflected in the changing hillslope gradients of the Southern Iowa Drift Plain and in the scoured Iowan Surface and Northwest Iowa Plains also had a significant impact on the Paleozoic Plateau. The effects, however, are magnified by the bedrock-controlled relief and complicated by the steep slopes. The isolated distribution of Pre-Illinoian glacial deposits found on stream divides high in the landscape shows that the Mississippi River evolved during the early to mid-Pleistocene. The river’s network of tributaries in Iowa became established after the last Pre-Illinoian glacial events in the region 500,000 years ago. Loess-mantled, rust-colored Late-Sangamon paleosols are found on these remnant glacial deposits, and in places they extend onto the bedrock surface in the form of waxy red clays. At other locations loess lies directly on bedrock without any hint of a paleosol, conditions typical of the Wisconsinan-age Iowan Surface. These relationships confirm that multiple erosional episodes have cut across the entire Paleozoic Plateau.

 
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Just to pick a nit, it's now referred to as the Paleozoic Plateau, at least in Iowa, as it is not driftless:

For many years the eastern half of the Paleozoic Plateau was thought to be untouched by Pleistocene glacial activity and was referred to as the “Driftless Area,” which included similarly rugged landscapes in the adjacent parts of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. This concept is no longer valid, however, as patchy remains of Pre-Illinoian glacial drift over 500,000 years old are documented on stream divides in the Iowa portion of this area. Pre-Illinoian drift is even more widespread in the western half of the Paleozoic Plateau, although it still plays no significant role in the present appearance of the region’s landscapes. Regardless of the relative amounts of glacial drift, the region stands united by the strong influence of bedrock geology, by a marked contrast to the remainder of the state where landscapes are subdued by glacial deposits, and by its many topographic and ecologic similarities.

Our understanding of Iowa’s glacial-age landscape evolution has grown significantly in recent years. As specific geographic areas and stratigraphic deposits have been examined in detail, we have seen an emerging unity among the state’s diverse landform regions. The Paleozoic Plateau, for all of its spectacular differences, fits neatly into the erosional history we have been compiling since looking at the Southern Iowa Drift Plain. Though the sedimentary rocks of this northeast Iowa landscape are ancient in comparison to all other landscape-forming materials in Iowa, the “preglacial” antiquity previously assigned to the landscape features themselves is being challenged. Recent investigations suggest that much of this rugged terrain is actually quite young. Stream erosion and hillslope development since Pre-Illinoian glacial events have produced the deeply dissected landscape and in the process have removed the glacial deposits from all but isolated upland positions. The same episodes of erosion reflected in the changing hillslope gradients of the Southern Iowa Drift Plain and in the scoured Iowan Surface and Northwest Iowa Plains also had a significant impact on the Paleozoic Plateau. The effects, however, are magnified by the bedrock-controlled relief and complicated by the steep slopes. The isolated distribution of Pre-Illinoian glacial deposits found on stream divides high in the landscape shows that the Mississippi River evolved during the early to mid-Pleistocene. The river’s network of tributaries in Iowa became established after the last Pre-Illinoian glacial events in the region 500,000 years ago. Loess-mantled, rust-colored Late-Sangamon paleosols are found on these remnant glacial deposits, and in places they extend onto the bedrock surface in the form of waxy red clays. At other locations loess lies directly on bedrock without any hint of a paleosol, conditions typical of the Wisconsinan-age Iowan Surface. These relationships confirm that multiple erosional episodes have cut across the entire Paleozoic Plateau.

Well leave it to dumb idiot geologists to come up with a stupid name that will never catch.
 
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