Lake Charles Trip, Day 2, June 23, 2026 – Harrison to Ruston.

 

Lake Charles Trip, Day 2, June 23, 2026 – Harrison to Ruston.

I pulled out at 0725 after a high-carb breakfast at an up-to-date HIE. The weather is cloudy with fog on the hilltops as I head out on US-65. I pass ‘The Good Stuff Furniture’ on the way out via the 2-lane road. One home-made sign accuses the National Park Service of running an illegal speed trap; a more professional one near Pindall says “Pro America, Anti Trump.” There’s Silly Squirrel Snowballs, definitely not open at 0800.

The road improved as I near the Buffalo River area. It even has a pull-off for a designated scenic overlook; I stop – who knows when/if I’ll have another chance.

A side road leads to the Deplorable Brewing Company. Marshall’s DQ eating spot is the Daisy Queen. The landscape here is hills, mostly trees and rocks; the main products are lumber and slab rock.

Botkinburg – is it the home of computer bots or maybe botflies? It is the place where US-65 adds lanes; I’ll have 4 lanes or more for most of the rest of the day. Clinton AR is home of a Western & furniture store with 3-D animal figures lining its right-of-way. Damascus has the Southern Roots Hair Co.

A white-knuckle high-speed drive on crowded I-40 and I-30 from Conway to Little Rock leaves little time to make observations, but I-530 and US-167 are much less challenging. There’s the road to the Forest Tower Baptist Church. A headless road kill deer occupies the ditch. A billboard advertises the Southern Arkansas U. Mule Riders – whether a team or its mascot, it doesn’t say.

I pass Sheridan, wondering if it’s named for the despoiler of the Shenandoah or the British dramatist. The road is good and traffic is light as I drive past pine plantations and an occasional Flock camera (Grrr!). Farindale consists of a store selling liquor & boots. I make a comfort stop at Fordyce. I’d crossed the Saline River bottoms; now I cross the much-more extensive Ouachita bottoms. The high bridge makes me wonder if the river is navigable. It is, if the presence of a dam with locks is any indication.

I finally stop for lunch at La Villa in El Dorado; it’s now on my ‘nope’ list. What kind of flowers are those in that tree over in the cow pasture? Those aren’t flowers, they’re egrets! Junction City, like K.C., has a State Line Road - one of my LCHS teachers grew up there.

US-167 is a nice divided highway with a wide median. It is also US-63. Dubach is home of the Louisiana Chicken Festival.

I get to Ruston too early to check in, so I decide to explore a bit. The Lincoln Parish Museum is in an old mansion. It’s supposed to be open but a sign on the window bemoans the lack of volunteers. I can commiserate with that! I take a couple of pictures of the museum & grounds.

Ruston is the home of Louisiana Tech, the Bulldogs. So guess what painted critters abound:

A local QT has gas for $3.15/gallon so I top off before checking in to my Quality Inn room at 3:00 on the button. My contact in Opelousas has discovered some graves that may belong to my two Truman great uncles who died in infancy; I will check all that out tomorrow.

For the day: 314.4 miles, for the trip 504.1.

Tomorrow: Opelousas via US-167 & I-49.