Pocahontas, Arkansas to Little Rock, Arkansas
31 January 2026
Our round-the-world trip began with a drive south and west from Pocahontas to Little Rock. The interstate highway was clear and dry, but we were surrounded by ice and snow the whole way. We will continue heading west until we’ve circled the whole globe, returning to Pocahontas May 8, assuming all goes as planned, and that the world does not turn out to be flat.
Upon arriving at our Little Rock hotel, we were joined by friends Mike Harkey and his wife Celia, who, unlike most folks in Little Rock, were able to get out of their iced-in driveways to have lunch with us!
I quickly noticed that, while the main roads through Little Rock are cleared, all the side streets are still covered with sleet and packed snow. Pocahontas streets have been cleared much more completely, but of course, compared to Little Rock, we are northerners and better prepared to deal with snow.
We had lunch at the wonderful Oyster Bar, where friend Tommy Jameson took us a few years ago. It has been significantly remodeled since then, with a beautiful new look and the same beautiful food.
After lunch we said good day to Mike and Celia and headed to our hotel for the obligatory afternoon nap. It’s really cold in Little Rock, and, since we’re headed to summer in the southern hemisphere for the next three months, we only brought light jackets, but we made it OK.
1 February 2026
The next morning Mike and Celia met us at 8 a.m. and drove us, and our car, to the airport. They then took our car on to their house for the duration of our trip, saving us about $1000 by letting us avoid the cost of long-term airport parking.
We flew first to Dallas, where it was cold but without snow or ice, then on to Los Angeles and its palm trees and 75F weather. We called an Uber to take us to our hotel in the suburb of San Pedro, which is just a few miles from where we’ll board Queen Mary 2 in a couple of days. We came early just to make sure cancelled flights or lost luggage didn’t interfere with our boarding of the ship on Tuesday.
The Uber was to be $85 plus tip, but, in the first time I’ve ever seen this, the Uber driver immediately offered to do the trip “off app” for $60. I was taken aback, but am always ready to save money. The driver said we just need to cancel the Uber pickup, for which there is a $5 fee, then he would drive us to the hotel for $60. So, instead of $85 plus $12 tip, we got to the hotel for $60, plus $5 cancellation fee and a $10 tip, a $22 saving.
To delight David and Linda, I had reserved a Hilton hotel right on the edge of a huge marina full of sail boats (see photo below, taken from my hotel room window). Vacation is in full swing now, since all has gone without a hitch so far. More to follow.
