When I checked into the hotel in Lonoke, Arkansas, I asked the girl behind the counter what the hell there was to do in the area.

I had been driving for hours and hours, and it amazed me how much empty space there is in the South - how spread out the cities and towns are. It may feel like we're overpopulated in the Northeast, however the South is far from crowded. 

She seemed a little defeated when she answered me, explaining that there was essentially nothing to do - that you had to create your own fun (camping, fires, hunting).

But killing is not my thing and I asked her, "What about drinking?"

"It's a dry county," she said, "They don't sell any alcohol here."

"Well," I said, "At least the people with the guns over their shoulders aren't intoxicated." 

She did not laugh, and handed me my room key. 

Anyway:

I'm on day eight of my cross-country road trip, currently in Blacksburg visiting my old stomping grounds (Virginia Tech).

This is the last day of the trip - tomorrow I arrive in the Philadelphia area, at which point I promise to start putting a little more time into my posts and coverage. 

Bear with me for now - more to come on The View Hotel in Monument Valley, and I still have to tell you about Eagle Island in Georgia, as well as my travel plans for 2012 (the first three months are stacked!). 

This photo made me laugh (although I do feel for the deer) and pretty much sums up what the girl behind the counter was talking about. 

Who says there's no culture in America???

Photo by Trey Copeland