Day Four: Part 2

Once again I was on the road, headed further east.
My day had already started off on a strange vibe, after absorbing the silent reverence of the OKC Memorial and then missing out on their arts district.
I figured the remainder of the day would just be contemplative driving, and relatively uneventful, but then...

A Wild Arkansas Appeared!

This whole state had a vendetta against me, I'm quite sure. First of all, I must have timed my drive to coincide with every new big-rig driver on the interstate.
Such fishtailing. Much scare. So death.

Then, we get backed up to almost a stop with construction paring traffic down to one lane. It gave everyone a nice opportunity to rubberneck a house burning in the distance as it billowed clouds of black.
I had my map with me, and after seeing a couple signs listing the detour, I opted to go for it.

An older guy followed my lead in his truck with Georgia plates, who I mentally dubbed George.
He was pretty cautiously following, but when a questionable turn came up and I directed through it like a boss, he signaled that he knew I had a map. We were friends, at least for the time we spent on these side roads.

Soon, I realize we are being directed right towards the smoke seen from the interstate, and I start to panic, thinking this road will be closed too!
I didn't need to worry, as I soon found myself alongside the very house, engulfed in flames, and none of the locals had any fucks to give about it. People were walking, biking, and driving past without a glance, as though pyres are just a daily occurrence there.

Still unsure what that was all about, but at the time I couldn't focus much as I watched another rookie trucker completely destroy a curb at the intersection. Had I known how ridiculously long that display would go on, I would have a viral video for you nice people. I mean I was laughing my ass off at this point, it was so unbelievable.

Then, not but two intersections later, the police have everything shut down in what I think was the end of either a massive wreck or a high speed chase. There were a ton of police cars and annoyed looking officers, as well as about five drivers pulled over being handled. They let us all squeak through slowly, although this time I was behind a rig, so I couldn't scope out the incident for fear of my life.

Finally, I escaped that terrifying place with the promise of relief in Memphis.
I got up to where I had planned to stay, and realized all the people walking around were looking at me like I was a tender steak. 

I just kept driving until I crossed to Mississippi, which was like, ten minutes away. I found this inn on Yelp that had only one nitpicky review, and decided to give it a try.
After a grueling day on the road, I was finally rewarded with this lovely suite for a ridiculously low price.

It was a wonderful feeling to finally stop for the day and feel safe. I even met a fellow Libertarian and made chuckles with them for a while before we both retired for the night.
So all in all, I'd say I feel pretty good about the day, with a renewed appreciation for not being dead.