Louise Story's 50-State Quest: Gravette, Arkansas

The best road trip moments are the unplanned ones — when something catches your eye and you just pull over. That’s what happened in Gravette, Arkansas, a town of a few thousand that calls itself “Hometown America” on its water tower. I spotted a U.S. Air Force jet mounted in a town park and did a U-turn. What I found was a whole compressed world: a memorial to Captain Field Kindley, the third-ranking American ace of World War I, who grew up on those very streets and died in a plane crash in 1920 at just 24 — after surviving the war.

Nearby, a pentagon-shaped stone dedicated by Boy Scout Troop 117 read “May They Never Be Forgotten.” And right next to it all: a time capsule sealed in 1993, not to be opened until 2043. Two minutes off the highway, and suddenly I was standing at the intersection of heroism, grief, and a small town’s stubborn faith that someone in the future will care what they left behind. That’s the thing about pulling over: wonder isn’t waiting at the destination. It’s hiding in plain sight along the way.

How far are you on your 50-state quest? And any recommendations for where I should go next? Send me your thoughts! I can’t wait to hear from you.