So, driving through Arkansas.Believe it or not we have very few pictures of anything in Arkansas. I know, earth-shaking.

Well, a bit north of Fort Smith off I-49 is a beautiful CCC park called Devil's Den. It has deep crevices and fissures which hid the bandits who would rob the Butterfield Stage line.

We did not do many of the trails but did have a nice walk around the area to get a nice feel for it should we be back this way.

Well after the Devil's Den we wandered over to Terra Studios. You know all those little glass blue birds you see for sale in Hallmark Stores and gift shops? Well this is where they are hatched.

It's a rather large community of artists who have a love of whimsy and fun - evident from the pics.

The Muse Gallery - or gift shop - also has a cute cafe.

There is a large chess set on one side of the yard, a maze, and a sculpture garden that covers probably an acre or more. And yes, it is full of interesting, sweet, fun art pieces.

We went expecting a little but were quite happy to find so much to see.

I'm sure you noticed that the Old Friends Tour has so far been devoid of "friends" but I swear we did see people.

Our first stop was to visit my older sister in Northwest Georgia. Since the weather was finally clear we did a little stroll in a lovely place known as The Pocket on Pigeon Mountain.

Even though it was early in the spring and the rains had only abated for a week, we thought the flowers were lovely.

So, a short botanical tour for your enjoyment.

So after leaving Georgia we headed north to Maryland to see baby sister Jeannie.

Trouble with having a lot of food and fun is you kinda forget to take pictures.

So even though there may not be a lot of photos the time spent with Jeannie was a hoot, as usual.

Next stop was to see our friends in South Carolina.

Paula & Bruce have graced us with their company for many adventures, especially ski trips.

Sadly it seems our skiing days are in the past but we still have a good time touring the area where they live.

As usual Bruce was the tour guide and I swear he knows every back road in that part of South & North Carolina.

Next stop on the friends tour was Ft. Lauderdale to catch up with Gustavo and Jim.

We started thinking about something fun to do, and Jim said he had always wanted to do an air boat ride.

Now, we, as old Floridians ourselves, had done air boat riding with the kids a long time ago but that was mostly along the St. Johns so it was research time.

We knew we did not want to do one of those large “30-people-on-one-boat-out-and-back-in-30-minute-deals” - so after much searching George found Flo Adventures.

The guys at Flo Adventures - Antonio and Manny - give personalized tours and really concentrate on the ecology of the glades and are well schooled in the flora and fauna. And they were really nice.

I don't think we could have found a better crew to take us around and we all really enjoyed it.

We saw this on the map so we decided to drop down toward the coast and check it out.

By now you know we love museums of all sorts. We also love planes and history. So how could we lose?

I highly recommend a stop here if you're ever in the area. The number of flying things they have is outstanding.

Buckle up because there are a lot of planes and we took pictures of almost all.

Ah, more history.

Since we are in the area we thought we should spend more time on the coast, and naturally we have to do forts.

Fort Morgan - actually there is a town called Fort Morgan so don't get confused - was called Fort Bowyer when built in 1812.

It was renamed in 1833.

It has had multiple upgrades and rebuilds over the years but it's main purpose - to guard the coast and Mobile - has never changed.

It was bombarded into surrender by the Northern forces in 1864.

It last saw active used in 1944. So, lots of history.

Our next stop was across Mobile Bay, so rather than drive up and over we just went across on the ferry.

We haven't done ferries in years and years, and even more years so it was a little experience for us.

The water was pretty choppy and the wind was really blowing but the ferry ride was pretty smooth.

Across the mouth of the bay is Dauphin Island. Since it flanks the entrance to Mobile Bay it was the natural site for a fort.

The ferry docks right near it so you drive off the boat and into the fort parking lot.

So, Damn The Torpedoes! Full Speed Ahead.

Yes, this is where Admiral David Farragut ran the Confederate blockade and won the battle for Mobile.

This is a bit smaller than the sprawling Fort Morgan complex but it is very well done. We really enjoyed this tour.

Heading west and through the continent of Texas. Yes, I know it's a state. If you have ever driven across it, you will agree with me; continent.

More forts. YEAH!

Fort Griffin was built after the Civil War to help protect settlers moving in and moving west. It seems to have been a rather complete fort, not stockade type but rather having all the necessities required.

True, it was not plush, but not much was then

A little bit down the road is Fort Phantom Hill. It was established before Fort Griffin but for the same reason; settlers moving into the territory and the Natives opposing the loss of their homeland.

Today it is a nice, quiet grassy area with some reconstructed buildings and a nice way to spend an hour.

No Longhorns however.