A Winning Road Trip – Part 1

Last year on my road trip, I stopped to meet Melissa Waters (Helene Hadsell’s granddaughter) and drop off a few of her grandmother’s treasures. Our schedules didn’t align, so our visit was only a quick cup of tea.

This year, I was already registered for the Annual National Sweepstakes Convention in Little Rock, Arkansas (August 7–10). Since Melissa lives just an hour away, I reached out. This time, our calendars aligned—so I left early to spend extra time in Arkansas.

If you haven’t guessed from the title, I drove from my home outside Toronto, Ontario, Canada, all the way to Little Rock, Arkansas, USA—about 1,938 km (1,204 mi).

While planning, Dike Hadsell called to say he’d found a few more tapes of his mother. Since I was already heading south, what’s a little side trip to Texas? (Only another 574 km/357 mi.)

Off I went on my combined Words For Winning and Contest Queen adventure.

July 31

The total drive to Melissa’s is just over 18 hours. I could do it in two days, but I’ve learned those “nine-hour” days easily become twelve with rest, gas, and food stops. Sensibly, I planned three days.

First stop: sweepstakes friends Beverly and Bill in Brownsburg, IN. They’re lovely. I say they are young people trapped in older bodies. We went to Ford’s Garage for dinner (huge portions; half went to-go). Back at their house, we chatted and entered sweepstakes until 1:00 AM, when I finally called it a day as I had a long drive ahead of me.

Aug 1

After Bill made breakfast, we chatted (too long—again!) and I hit the road. I made it to Blytheville, AR, and stopped for the night to relax, eat, and get some work done. Thankfully, I still had last night’s dinner, so no late-night restaurant hunt was required.

Aug 2

A beautiful sunrise greeted me as I packed the car and continued through the state. I reached Melissa’s mid-afternoon—perfect timing, as she arrived home from teaching a yoga class.

We spent the afternoon with tea and conversation, followed by a lovely homemade spaghetti dinner. Then the fun began.

Melissa hauled out a small trunk of photos. We sat on the floor, combing through years of adventures. I hadn’t laughed that hard in ages. There were envelopes, albums, and memories everywhere.

It was also my first time seeing pictures of her mom, Pamela—Pat and Helene’s oldest child. Sadly, Pamela passed at 47 from a brain tumor when Melissa was only 21 and in college, so I never met her. (I vaguely remember meeting Chris when I visited Helene in 2008; he popped in to check on his mother.)

I set aside a selection to scan for the online Hadsell photo album I created. (Yes, I traveled with an old inkjet printer, hoping to scan family photos at Melissa’s and Dike’s.)

Aug 3

Every Sunday, Melissa takes a class at Tula Yoga. Knowing that, I brought my mat. (One perk of driving—you can pack everything.) After a much-needed stretch, we grabbed sandwiches and headed to Lake Ouachita. It was gorgeous. We floated on noodles, searched for quartz, and had a picnic. The perfect Sunday, and it wasn’t over.

We drove to Hot Springs to try the baths, but after walking the city and peeking inside, they felt small and cramped; I’d imagined open-air pools. We skipped the spas, opted for homemade root beer, and then visited a crystal shop. I bought Yellow Aragonite and Red Jasper.

On the way back, we stopped at The Star Portal, where Melissa sings kirtan and works in the Star Essence shop. I picked up Obsidian Snowflake, Light Codes of Unification, and Ancestral Empowerment—an excellent day for upgrading my metaphysical toolbox.

Then back to her house for leftovers. (My Adventures in Arkansas Short)

Aug 4

Treasure-hunting day! We headed to Crater of Diamonds State Park. I’d packed a trowel and gardening gloves, and we watched videos the night before on the three search techniques (surface, dry sifting, wet sifting).

Evelyn kindly offered to drive, so the three of us left at 6:30 AM to arrive when it opened (8:00 AM) so we could miss some of the August heat (averages 92°F/33°C). We chose the south end of the East Drain and split up. We skipped renting sifters and combined surface searching with a bit of digging and hand sifting. I tried walking the perimeter, lifting grass in the plowed rows (maybe a diamond caught in the roots?), and digging in the drain path. It turned out that without a screen, that last bit was fruitless.

Four hours later, one knee scrape, and a long-sleeved shirt (I forgot sunscreen), we called it. We found plenty of jasper; Melissa also found quartz. Maybe next time.

We lunched at a local Mexican restaurant and downed heaps of water. I napped on the drive back. Then, while Melissa snoozed at home, I scanned all the photos I’d set aside. (The Crater of Diamonds Adventure Short)

Aug 5

Today was a garden day. Melissa wanted to catch up on weeding her vegetable patch. I brought gloves and love gardening, so we dove in after breakfast. Her garden is large—she focused on cucumbers and tomatoes while I tackled weeds. A few hours later, I’d cleared a quarter, and Melissa had her section ready for a fall planting (one of the luxuries of living farther south).

Her grandmother, Helene, was a Toastmaster for several years. I’ve been one for almost 20. Our weekly meeting was at 11:00 AM CT, so we hopped on Zoom. Melissa got a feel for the skills and format. (If you’re wondering: public speaking, evaluation, and leadership—plus the chance to lead, listen, and speak using Robert’s Rules of Order.)

After lunch, the day was too beautiful to waste, so we returned to Lake Ouachita to float around again. Time flew.

Every Tuesday at 6:00 PM, Melissa teaches at Tula Yoga, and I had a much-needed stretch after our adventures. Then I did laundry and started packing.

Aug 6

I don’t think we could have squeezed more into four days. After a relaxing breakfast, I finished packing and headed to Little Rock to pick up my sweepstakes friend Wendy at the airport and attend the Annual National Sweepstakes Convention.

Head over to Contest Queen for Part 2.

Read Part 3 here on Words For Winning.