On the Road with Barry: Russellville, Arkansas

Day 1

The other airline. Delayed. First boarded while technicians worked on the plane. Almost an hour on the tarmac, then disembarked. Gate change. Board again while other technicians work on a completely different plane. Another almost hour, disembark. They gave me a $15 “meal” voucher. You know what kind of “meal” you can get inside the airport for $15? I bought two protein bars and a ginger ale, mainly because I was convinced it was the only ginger ale I was gonna get today. They called me to come get my gate-checked bag. We’re not going anywhere today. While standing in line for my bag, they began boarding. Again. What about my bag? Did you already pull it off? No one can confirm any baggage information. We all board again and sit for about 20 more minutes because there’s a shift change for the grounds crew. No one is available to wave the orange flashlights in a circle, directing the pilots to the runway. How will we ever get there if no one is waving the orange flashlights in a circle? The flight attendant is now offering us the opportunity to get off the plane. Again. We can actually go now, the orange flashlight wavers being back on the job, but we’ll wait for anyone to get off if they want. Pitchforks are being unpacked. The mob is ready to revolt and storm the gates. Anyone who raises their hand saying they want off will surely be throttled. The mob is fickle. Fly the plane. For the love of everything holy, fly the dadgummed plane!

I’m headed to Russellville, Arkansas, via Fayetteville. Little Rock was a little closer, Fayetteville was a little cheaper. I went to school in Fayetteville, so northwest Arkansas wins over the River Valley. I’m going to see Mordecai, who is blessed with one of the best Old Testament names ever. He’s a former Leader Dog handler who’s doing his best to get another one. I know I’ve said this before, but Mordecai’s in good company: people who’ve had a guide dog for a long time and let their white cane skills lapse a bit. I expect we’ll get him rolling again soon.

VD: The sun is barely visible over Mt. Magazine, near Dardanelle, Arkansas. It’s near Yell County.

Day 2

The plane didn’t land until after my normal bedtime, and I still had about two hours to drive, so I begged Mordecai to start a little later than we had originally planned. Being a bit of a night owl, he was more than happy to oblige. Mordecai is a writer and a geologist, currently focusing on the writing part. He’s got retinitis pigmentosa, which means that he has very narrow peripheral fields. He also has Bardet-Biedl syndrome, which, among a host of other things, means that his remaining central vision is really cloudy and spotty. Like one visual impairment wasn’t enough, right?

He’s had mobility instruction before, from the state of Arkansas and at an adult rehab place, but it’s been a while since he’s used his white cane as his primary mobility aid. We took our first trip outside to the local Dollar General, and I realize that I’m not teaching him many skills this week. They’re good, but he’s rusty. There are no sidewalks in his neighborhood, so it’s all about following the curb (or whatever’s on the edge of the street). This can be tricky, especially if you don’t keep consistent contact with the edge. You can easily veer out into the street if you don’t keep close to and follow the edge. Mordecai needs some reminding of this, but he gets there and back. We spent the remainder of our time together route-scouting because I got here so late last night that I didn’t have time to do it. Mordecai gives me an idea of where he’d like to go, and I basically do a drive-by to see if it’s feasible.

The most feasible thing I do tonight is go to bed early. Well before the double digits showed up on the clock.

VD: Wearing a baseball-style shirt, shorts and a backwards cap, Moredecai uses his cane to cross a street in downtown Russellville. He also has a great beard!

Day 3

The location of Mordecai’s house reminds me of that general store in O Brother, Where Art Thou? about which George Clooney’s character proclaims to be a “geographical oddity: two weeks from everywhere.” His apartment is in the middle of the middle of a neighborhood with no sidewalks. Not impossible to travel, but not the easiest. We both are determined to get to downtown Russellville, an area in which Mordecai is interested in traveling. To get there, we have to travel through the sidewalk-less jungle to one of the main thoroughfares in town: Arkansas Avenue. The traffic is closer to the sidewalk than the walls of an airplane bathroom (which I do not use, for a whole list of reasons). It’s truly a harrowing experience, but Mordecai is a trooper and works all the crossings like a pro. Very few crossings are accessible, but he made the best of every one and made it to downtown.

Downtown has undergone some recent renovations, including new sidewalks, new ramps, and even audible pedestrian crossing buttons. These are very handy, and we are both happy that we’ve got them to utilize. We successfully found a bakery that both Mordecai and my culinary maven have mentioned to me, but unfortunately, it’s closed. We’ll be back. We found Arkansas’ oldest continuous pharmacy next door, where we purchased cold drinks before finding a bench in the shade on which to rest and review the day.

VD: A butcher paper-lined silver tray on a blue gingham tablecloth holds barbecued ribs, pulled pork, grits, and cole slaw.

After getting Mordecai home, I visit another location my culinary maven has suggested. Ridgewood Brothers Barbecue served me a really nice plate of pulled pork, jalapeño cheese grits, and cole slaw, then I took a drive over to Mt. Nebo. It’s near Dardanelle, Arkansas, in Yell County, where Mattie Ross and her family were from (if you don’t know who Mattie Ross is, you probably weren’t raised right.). I watched the sun go down over Mt. Magazine, the next large mountain west of Mt. Nebo, and headed “home.” A really nice way to end the day.

Day 4

We started downtown today because 1: Mordecai wanted breakfast at the bakery and 2: I wanted breakfast at the bakery. Two pretty good reasons. We were both rewarded. He got a fantastic-looking breakfast sandwich, and I got a croissant with so much lamination it was ridiculous. Deliciously ridiculous.

We did actually work, as well. We went all over downtown, crossing streets and creating new destinations for Mordecai. He even researched a local print shop at which he’s gonna get some business cards printed. It was not an easy route, but he got there and took care of his own business upon entering.

This happens a lot when I go with my clients into businesses. Even though I quickly separated myself from Mordecai, the folks behind the counter still addressed me. As if Mordecai couldn’t speak for himself. I just pointed to Mordecai and pretended to dink around on my phone. I’m not sure why this happens so much. Does the general public really believe that folks with visual impairments don’t typically handle their own business? I’m really unsure what the thinking is here. So, here’s a tip: if you meet someone who’s blind, address them directly, not anyone else around them.

Day 5

Mordecai alerted me to a route that might be an alternative to the harrowing trip down Arkansas Avenue. If it works, he’ll still have to deal with Arkansas, but not nearly as much.

Driving over to pick him up, I drive by, and it looks promising. We’re gonna break this up into three parts: home to 4^th, 4^th to Arkansas, and Arkansas to Main. Having decided this, we discuss which two parts we’re gonna practice in our two remaining days, and we opt for the two most challenging. Mordecai decides that he can practice the route from his home to 4^th on his own. He’s done this part of the route in the past, and he’s pretty certain he can do it again. We’ll focus on getting to Main from 4^th today, but we do it in reverse because we can park much more easily.

Parking lots and driveways litter this route, and that makes it really challenging. Traffic is our friend, but it doesn’t make the trip any easier. Going across those wide-open spaces, you’ve really gotta keep your pace consistent or you can easily wander off. If this happens and you’ve got a consistent traffic flow, head back toward it and get lined up again.

Crossing Arkansas at 4^th is gonna be the crux of this whole trip. If Mordecai can’t get across here, the effort will be moot. It’s a hairy crossing, too. The way it’s currently set up, the safest time to cross the street is when traffic is turning left toward him. Yeah, you read that right. Traffic is turning toward him. We did it a couple of times together, then he did it on his own. It’s totally doable, but it ain’t easy.

My cousin Bobby Gene drove over from Little Rock tonight to have dinner with me. He coaches women’s basketball at the university there, and he was off on another recruiting trip the next morning. We ate at Fat Daddy’s, not on the maven’s list, but still good. We laughed a lot, talked a lot of sports, and generally caught up. NOT at a funeral, as is becoming more and more common these days. Don’t waste an opportunity to see your people. Bobby Gene didn’t, and I’m so happy he did.

Day 6

Packing and unpacking. It seems as if that’s all I do. I’m checking out so I can hit the road to Fayetteville when Mordecai and I are done today. I have nothing new except a couple of new charging cords for the computer, but I can’t get everything back into the bags in which it all came. Not sure what happened there.

Mordecai and I are hitting phase 2 of his trip to downtown. We park in a lot used by his mother for years when she worked as a beauty technician. Mordecai still gets his hair cut there, and he got us permission to park there today. It’s good to know folks.

We start there and head down 4^th to Arkansas. 4^th isn’t as big as Arkansas, but it’s just as busy. It’s a big cut-through for traffic. They can go for about 12-ish blocks without having to stop, so they’re all going a little faster than the posted limits, but again, traffic is our friend. Parking lots and driveways dot the entire route, and Mordecai does a great job staying in line and maintaining a consistent pace.

If you’ve read this blog before, I preach pace for your mobility salvation. Keep moving at a consistent pace and you’ll have good alignment when you get to the next corner. Now, all the consistent pace in the world will not help if you start moving your feet when you get to the corner. Gotta plant those feet.

I tell Mordecai that if he pivots, he’s free to do it from the ankles up! He was raised right, so he turns to look at me when I’m speaking and naturally moves his feet when he does so. It’s unnatural to look around and keep your feet planted, but that’s what you’ve got to do to maintain your alignment. I give Mordecai permission to not look at me when I’m speaking, but it’s hard to break a habit he’s had most of his life.

I tell folks the same thing about saying “ma’am” or “sir.” It’s just how I learned to address people, and I’m not gonna change that now. After all, it’s not about age, it’s all about respect, but that’s another sermon for another time.

Mordecai did really well on this part of the route, giving me great hope for him to be able to do the whole thing on his own. We talked about how this route will be like eating an elephant: One bite at a time. Try to do the whole thing in one sitting and it’ll surely overwhelm ya’. One bite at a time.

VD: Razorback Stadium before the game. The Razorback Marching Band forms a giant “A” through which the Razorbacks will enter the field.

I headed to Fayetteville to see some friends and see my Razorbacks attempt to play good football for one game this year. David and Connie are always great hosts, and they’re part of a group that tailgates before every home game with other friends, Ben and Daphne. I’ve known David and Ben for a long time, and it was great to see them. The Razorbacks even showed out, for a little while at least. They’re hard to watch this year, but it was great to be back on campus and see the guys.

I’m flying the other airline back to Texas, so feel free to say a prayer for me.