Day Eight: Dallas and More

Hello!

Sorry I didn't update last night, but Tim and I were just so tired! After we left the Comfort Inn I drove for about 2 hours before the rain came. I swear there was a whole 30 seconds where I couldn't see anything but water being dumped on the windshield! Even with the windshield wipers going full speed! So we pulled over in Texarkana and got some lunch while we waited for it to slow down. Tim drove after that because we knew there would be more rain down the road, and I have had my fill of driving in heavy rain for a while. Honestly, after yesterday, I think Tim has too!

Luckily, by the time we made it to Dallas there was no rain, and we could walk around the city a bit! In an attempt to save money we didn't take our wallets, that way we couldn't be tempted to buy something. We looked at the JFK Memorial, and a few other Historical sites, like the log cabin that was the first building in Dallas. We were also walking along Elm Street (where JFK was shot) and this guy just started talking to us about the assassination. His name was Robert, and we could tell he was quite an enthusiast, as he went on about the propaganda the Government spreads about this obvious conspiracy. His favorite phrase, I came to notice, was "Truth is in session". After pointing out the window where Lee Harvey Oswald was supposedly shooting from, he told us to walk with him as he pointed out little "X" marks on the road, which were put there to show the places where the bullets had hit him. Then he took us to the point where he (and many others) believe that JFK's real killer had stood behind a picket fence. There we ran into another man who was giving tours about JFK as well, and the two Texans began comparing notes. The whole thing was rather strange and interesting all at the same time. Since we didn't have any money on us we couldn't tip Robert, but he said he was in town on other business anyway, and this whole thing was basically voluntary. I feel like I should have expected there to be conspiracy theorists preaching their beliefs at one of the most controversial historical sites in our country, but I really wasn't. To be honest, I'm glad there was. It was a fascinating experience, and I didn't have to pay a dime!

After our impromptu tour, we planned to find lodging nearby and leave from Dallas the next day. However, after looking at the map and calculating times, we realized we were cutting it close to make it to Vegas by Monday night. The reason we have to be there by then is because my Uncle John is trying to arrange for Tim and I to stay at the Paris, but he needed to know what day we would be there. We figured Monday night would give us plenty of time, and we are doing fine, but we might just have to skip over a few attractions in the meantime. That's okay with me though, because we've barely even made it halfway across the country, and we've already spent a lot of money. Anyway, the point is that if we are going to make it to Las Vegas by Monday, and we want to spend a whole day at the Grand Canyon, we needed to make more progress last night towards Roswell. So we waved goodbye to Dallas, and hit the road towards Wichita Falls, TX. The GPS expected us to drive until 10:30 pm, but at about 9:30 Tim and I realized we weren't going to make it to Wichita Falls. We were exhausted! We drove for another half hour and the pulled off at the next lodging exit. Of course, the only place around was a Best Western, and we were sure it was going to be really expensive. We didn't have any other option however, so I held my breath and braced for the price. When I heard the lady say $78, I swear I thought I was imagining things! I was expecting something more along the lines of $100+ based on the interior decoration alone! Even better, when I asked her if they did AAA discounts she said yes, and she even let us have it even though we didn't have a card! I was able to just give her my Grandma's member number and we were all set at $71 after tax! It was still more than we have paid anywhere else, but it really was a nice room.

So here we are, about to hit the road again for an 8 hour drive to Roswell. I'm starting us out again, so I'll have Tim add some pictures while we are on the road. By the way, we miss you all!

Dallas

Love from Henrietta, TX!