Spring 2023: West Memphis, Arkansas to Waxahachie, Texas

 Monday, 3/27: 337 miles, parked at Tom Sawyer RV Park, West Memphis, Arkansas

We had a long drive today, so we were on the road by 8:45.  This was the first morning on this trip where we broke camp and it was not raining.  The route was Interstate 40 the entire way.  We did take the I-840 bypass around Nashville to avoid some busy traffic, and that added about 15 miles to the trip.  We arrived at Tom Sawyer just about 2:30.  This is not a fancy campground, but it one of our favorites.  Located right on the banks of the Mississippi River, it offers fantastic views of the river and barge traffic.  The sites are open and decent size,  and best of all, acres of green space to walk the dogs.

Site 56

Of course, the day was not incident free.  Judy opens the camper door and discovered that the kitchen island suffered some damage due to the bouncing on rough roads,  UGH!!!!!  This is the same kitchen island that was damaged on a previous trip.  The repairs I made then held.  This was new damage caused by Grand Design using cheap cardboard/sawdust lumber when building the toe kicks for the island cabinets.  In this case, the toe kick on one end collapsed.  The manufactures all brag about what great hardwood cabinets they have, but that's usually the doors only.  The lumber used that is hidden behind the doors is imitation and cheap!!!!!!  There, I've vented and feel better.  😀

We spent the evening rigging up a temporary solution and will figure out something more permanent when we land in Stonewall, Texas soon for a 5 day stay.  What fun Judy and I had fixing the cabinet with a wild and crazy puppy running circles around us and chewing on our socks.

Collapsed toe kick.

Never travel without tools, and a bit of patience.  😀

Not pretty, but stable.

Every time we stay at this park, I can't get over the amount of barge traffic.  As I wrote about it last year, the amount of goods and materials shipped on the Mississippi is astounding.  When we were here last fall, the river was near record lows and barge traffic was stalled in places.  This year the river is full and moving fast.

Probably grain products in covered barges.

Barges heaped with coal.

Tuesday, 3/28: 271 miles and parked at Sunrise RVPark, Texarkana, Arkansas.

We left Tom Sawyer at 9:30 and took I-40 to Hot Springs, where we picked up I-30 for the rest of the trip. Sunrise is a very basic park, but with full services and only $35 per night, it is a great an over night stay.  The overnight  section has very narrow spots, but the monthly sites in the back rows are much larger.  And the campground was full.  In spite of being the least expensive park and having the most narrow sites of any park on this trip, their wifi was by far the fastest.  I struck up a conversation with a talkative man traveling in a Class C.  They used to have 5th wheel campers, but have recently downsized to a Class C.  They love it, and it got us to thinking about our future travels.  Time will tell.

Site B-10

Another fifth wheel pulled in later on the site next to us, and our slides were nearly touching.  I ended up having a nice conversation with them, and they had just been to the Stonewall area where we are headed.  They were from Ohio and on their way home.

Wednesday, 3/29: 211 miles and parked at Northside RV Resort, Waxahachie, Texas

I-30 to I-635 bypass south of Dallas, to I-20 and then I-35 south.

We were on the road at 9:30 and arrived at Northside RV Resort right at 1:00.  This park is the complete opposite of last night in Texarkana.  Northside is a gated community for RV's.  The grounds are immaculate, as are the campers.  There is every size and shape RV here.  Everything from huge 42 foot luxury diesel Class A's to small pull behind travel trailers.  There are even a couple of very old vintage campers here.  But every unit is extremely neat and immaculate.  It appears that many of the campers work in the area, as the cars and trucks thin out in the morning and fill back up at night.

Site 316

Site 316

Dusk at the park, with the lighted palm trees.

Tomorrow we are off to Stonewall, Texas for a 5 night stay.  It will feel good to settle in for a while.  

Spring 2023: Gouverneur to Monterey, Tennessee

                                         

Wednesday, 3/22: 337 miles, parked at the Jonestown KOA  in Jonestown, PA

The drive to Jonestown was, fortunately, uneventful.  Parker the puppy slept and entertained himself in the travel crate for the 6 hour drive without a peep.   Maybe puppy training while RV'ing won't be so bad after all.  We arrived at the KOA just about 3:30 to a mild 60 degrees, a pleasant change from home. 

Jonestown KOA, site 46

Parker's very first night camping, 10 weeks old.

We will have to develop a new routine.  Always before we set up first and then walked the dogs.  Puppy training is going to involve dog walking first.   The sleeping ritual will be just like we do at home.   Parker will sleep in a crate that we brought along, while Zoey the Malamute will sleep on the bed with us.  Believe it or not, Parker slept through the entire night.  Whew, one night down, 55 more to go on this trip.  😀

Thursday, 3/23: 142 miles, parked at the Candy Hill Campground, Winchester, VA

We  left the Jonestown KOA  at 11:15 to light rain.  Nothing like packing up camp in the rain.  Fun, fun.  The drive is a short 2 hours today, so we purposely got a later start.  Well, that idea backfired.    As soon as were on I-81, we ran into a 30 minute long, bumper to bumper traffic jam.   Then suddenly, the traffic mysteriously thinned out and travel was smooth.   We arrived at Candy Hill about 2:30.

Interstate 81 the entire way.

Site E-4

The "Monster" acting all innocent at Candy Hill.  😀

We had a beautiful afternoon with temps in the mid 70's, but very windy out.  We have stayed here once before.  It is very convenient off I-81.  The campground is immaculate.  The only real downside to some, not us, is the road noise from US 37.  We turn out the traffic sounds and are very comfortable here.  We must plan on a longer stop sometime.  There is much to see and experience in Winchester, and we need to spend a couple days doing just that in the future.

Friday, 3/24: 242 miles, parked at the KOA in Wytheville, Virginia

UGH, we had to break camp in the rain again this morning.  We  left Candy Hill about 10:00.  The drive was Interstate 81 with heavy traffic,  but there were no slowdowns or stoppages today.   We pulled into Wytheville KOA almost exactly 2:00.  It was a nice warm 75 degree afternoon to set up in.

Wytheville KOA, site L-3

Judy and I like this park.  It has a nice choice of site types, many of which are newly constructed.  There is lots of room to walk the dogs, both on and off leash.  There are even a couple of "glamping covered wagons" to stay in.  And a unique feature I have not seen before, 6 campsites with designated EV charging stations.  We checked in to a nearly empty park, but by nightfall, is was quite full.  Then it hit me, it's Friday and the beginning of a weekend.  We ended the day with a beautiful evening sky with the moon and Jupiter setting over the camper.

The inside of the camper, however, was a different story.  This is what camping with a 10 week old puppy looks like by the end of the day.  Contrasting views of a demon's play and an angel's smile.  😀

Saturday, 3/25  278 miles, parked at Spacious Skies-Bella Ridge, Monterey, TN

I-81 to where it ends in Knoxville, then I-40

We left Wytheville at 10:30 on the dot.  The drive today was a bit over 5 hours today, but because entering the  CDT Zone, it was only 4 hours on the clock.  Traffic was heavy, especially around Knoxville, but it flowed smoothly.  For the third consecutive morning on this trip, we had to break camp in the rain.  Ugh!! But the good news was that the sun was shinning when we arrived at Bella-Ridge.

Site B-4

Bella-Ridge is a new campground for us, and what a nice find.    The sites are large and immaculate.  This is not a resort type of park.  It's much more like a State Park.  There are lots of hiking and off road UTV trails.  The campground is gated, and you ring a video doorbell and are buzzed it.  The gates are a must to prevent unauthorized UTV riders because of all the trail.  

Sunday, 3/26:

Today was a nice and relaxing day, just what we needed.  The weather turned out warn and sunny.  The downside was that puppy Parker required daylong babysitting since he did` spend 4 to 6 hours in the truck sleeping.  And boy, did he ever catch up on his play time with us.  How is it that he has more energy than us?  We did sneak away for a half hour to do some quick shopping.  Monterey is about the size of our home town, Gouverneur.  Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of eastern Tennessee, and located atop of Bella Ridge, the campground offer stunning views.  The trees, while barren now, must be an amazing sight in the summer and fall.

Tomorrow, we are back on the road to Arkansas and Texas.

Spring 2023 Tripping: "Head out on the highway"

"Get your motor runnin'

Head out on the highway

Looking for adventure

In whatever comes our way"

If these words from "Born to be Wild" don't make you feel like hitting the road, I don't know what does.    I'm dating myself here, but I love that song and video from the theme of the independent and counterculture movie "Easy Rider" that came out in 1969, the same year I graduated college.  You can catch a YouTube video here

So with that song pounding in my mind, here are our plans for the next 8 weeks.

I've always wanted to catch the bluebonnet wildflower bloom in the Hill country of Texas.  So that's on our list.  However, like the leaves changing color in the Northeast, or the cherry blossoms in Washington DC, Mother Nature is always the variable.  Fingers crossed that she cooperates for us.  Other stops in Texas include San Antonio and Houston.  

What we hope to see in Texas.  Fingers crossed.

Then it's on to Gulf Shores, Alabama for about 10 days and then Carrabelle Beach, Florida for another 10 days.  Next up are stops in Jekyll Island and Savannah, Georgia.  We end the trip with a weekend in West Virginia to visit Matt and Jaime Sipher, and the grandchildren.  Then, finally home in mid May to catch up lawn mowing and other yard chores.

I'm a bit OCD about trip planning.  I've been working on this trip for several months.  First step is to use the app "RV Wizard."  It allows me to customize, such as low clearance hazards, weight limits, ferry crossings, etc.  The app details campgrounds along our prospective route.  Once we decide on the RV parks we want and how long we want to stay, I create a spreadsheet detailing parks, miles per day, travel time necessary, points of interest, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.  Where we are parking for more than a day, or on weekends or holidays, I reserve those sites first.  Some of these I reserve as far as 6 months ahead. In fact, a 2 week stay in Gulf State Park needs to be reserved as far as a year in advance. The one night stops I reserve last.  Compared to 20 years ago, reservations are becoming a must.  I know many RV'ers like to "wing it" and travel with no reservations, but that's just not our cup of tea.  Here are couple of screenshots of how we plan our trips.

RV Wizard screenshot when planning for the fall trip in 2022.

 Spreadsheet from the portion of the trip matching the map above.

Adding to adventures this year is a new member of the family.  Our beloved 16 year old Golden Retriever, Zoey, passed away in December.  Our Malamute Zoey at nearly 13 is still game to travel. Our newest travel companion is Parker, a 9 week old male Golden Retriever. Puppy training in a camper should be an adventure!!  Our two Zoeys had camped with us in 48 states.  I guess we'll have to start over again with another states list for Parker.  😀

We had planned to get a female.  But the minute Judy saw
this male with such an outgoing personality, it was love at first sight. 

Many of our friends wonder, why don't we go south in the winter?  Well, I guess you could call us "reverse snow birders."  We really don't mind the winter, especially now that we are retired don't have to commute and work in it.  Besides, on a bright sunny day it can be absolutely beautiful.

So stay tuned and follow along with us this year.  As I have said in the past, we love to share our adventures (and occasional misadventure) as we wander.  Hearing from you helps us stay grounded and connected with friends and family.

We will spend the first night on this trip at the Jonestown KOA in Jonestown, PA.  It's convenient to I-81, and one of the very few northern parks open this time of year.

Be well!!