Day 2 KY TN into Arkansas

I awoke to gentle rain drops in Carbondale, IL.  Scattered light showers, ceilings of 4000 with viz of 6 miles or better with blue skies to the south, convinced me to launch.  I said goodbye to my son, his wife, and my granddaughter, and took off around 8:44 a.m., heading straight south under overcast with scattered showers, but good visibility, to Cairo, IL at the junction of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.

I departed Cairo, heading SSE toward Fulton, KY but as I crossed the Mississippi River (the first time); I took a photo of the I-57 bridge.  A few miles down the road, I crossed the Mississippi (the second time) and could not resist taking a photo of a barge pushing cargo northbound.  Next stop was at Fulton KY where I joined the original path of the Buck brothers.  I met two pilots who liked The Champ, one stating that was the first plane he ever flew.  I departed in sunny skies, heading a few miles SW to Union City, TN (where Kern Buck found the gas he needed). At Everett-Stewart Regional Airport at Union City, believe it or not, I met two pilots who liked The Champ and one of them started flying in a Champ.  Then, I was off heading southwest toward Dyersburg TN.   I crossed the Mississippi River (the third time), landing in Blytheville, Arkansas.  Weather was severe clear with a gentle 6 knot breeze out of the west. 

Then we were off turning southwest toward Brinkley, Arkansas.  I phoned an old friend of mine in Little Rock, Arkansas, another trial lawyer and we agreed I’d take some time off from the trip for a visit.  So, I decided to stay overnight in Brinkley (the home of Jennifer Flowers).  As I announced our approach into Federer Municipal, the airport manager warned me that men were bailing hay just off the runway.  After we landed, the manager pulled up in a golf cart, with his 8 year old granddaughter driving, and welcomed me.  We talked about The Champ and my flight.  He spontaneously offered me the airport courtesy car and directed me to the best motel in town.  (He didn’t even ask me for any identification!).  Nice folks, those flying folks.