DigitalRoadtrip: April Roadtrip, Day 10... Atlanta, Texas

Day 10

April 10, 2023

The first stop of the day didn't open until 8A. It was the perfect excuse to linger over a second cup of coffee. Thirty minutes north of Shreveport sits Cyprus Black Bayou Recreation Area in the town of Benton.

My hiking guidebook mentioned a series of trails behind the nature center. I paid my $5 at the gate and drove it. I ditched my car and walked around to the back of the building. At the trailhead, there's a pretty good map posted. At every trail juncture there are signs. The problem is, not all trails are named the same on the map as the signs. Still pretty easy to navigate though.

The trails were in decent shape and well marked. The hills weren't very steep and the muddy patched fairly easy to navigate around. On the back end the trail even runs along the lake for a short period.

The big outer loop took me forty-five minutes. The walk felt good, so I went around again, then hit a few of the other side trails as well.
I left the park and drove north out of Benton. In the town of Plain Dealing, I picked up Hwy 2 and headed west. I knew I'd be crossing the Red River at some point. The State of Louisiana has a conveniently located park and boat ramp on the opposite side.

This would eventually bring me to the town of Vivian. But first... Never gets old...

Passing through Vivian was strictly a spur of the moment decision. Otherwise, I would have spent more time here. I definitely would have gone to look for Tom's Market. It was used for the exteriors in the 2007 film, "The Mist." The 2011 film "Straw Dogs" used some of the downtown area a well. A warning, even the trailer is pretty graphic.
The roadtrip rule for meals brought me to Rascal's and the lunch buffet. One of their staff was serving and the choices were a bit limited. They were trying something new, chicken alfredo. It was actually quite good. It doesn't look it from outside, but the place was crowded.

Seen around the corner...

Feeling pretty good, I starter driving north on Hwy 1 towards Texas. I came to see what's on the ground next to that tree, frame right.

Last April I missed opportunities to hit two different state tripoints. I wasn't going to miss where Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas meet.

Since it was only eleven miles further, I continued into Texas. I'm not trying to hit all the cities named Atlanta, but I couldn't pass it up. Besides, this is the second biggest Atlanta.
Much like the one back home, railroads made the city what it is. The Texas and Pacific Railway came through in 1872. With easier access to the market, this brought on a logging boom and the city grew.

Every downtown seems to have its empty storefronts. This is a creative way to deal with some of it.

I get this is supposed to be Elvis on the right. I'm not sure who that is on the left.

The State Theater was opened in 1941 and closed in the '90s. Unlike the theater in Columbus, I couldn't find any interior pictures.

This was shot through the small gap in the ticket window.

And by putting the phone directly against the glass door to avoid glare.

I left Atlanta on Hwy 59 and headed for Arkansas.

Northeast of Texarkana is the White Cliffs Natural Area. That's where you'll find a parking lot and a 1.75 mile trail that begins at an overlook of the Little River. Note the white, chalk hillside.

The trail crossed the road and heads through the woods to even more white hillsides.

My home for the night was the Candlewood Suites on the Arkansas side of Texarkana. Dinner was in a local place called the Lost Pizza Place. I only mention it because of the Blues Brothers inside the door.