Finally!! Memphis and Warm Weather

 

As forecast, Saturday February 22nd turned out to be a nice day.   It was cold, but sunny when we left the Crossville KOA.  The drive to West Memphis, Arkansas was Interstate 40 all the way.  Other than some white knuckle adrenaline rushes navigating 5 lanes of traffic through Nashville and Memphis, the trip was trouble free.  Oh there was the usual construction and lane closures, but we have learned to expect them.  It's not like we have to get to work on time.  

Tom Sawyer RV Park is one of our all time favorite parks.  The weather gods cooperated and gave us pleasant sunny days.  This is a no frills park.  There is no landscaping, no garbage pickup, no pool or office store.  So why do we like it so much?  The views of the Mississippi River!!!  We never grow tired of watching the barge traffic.  It is quiet and peaceful.  There are huge open areas to walk and throw a ball for the dogs.  And.....the sunrises over the Memphis skyline are absolutely stunning.  

Riverfront site 91

The Memphis "Jinx" affected us again.  We have been here several times, but have yet to venture into downtown Memphis.  It always seems like something comes up that complicates our plans. Well, the same thing happened again this year.  In spite of allowing for a 5 night stay, we were pretty much house-bound with head colds.  Nothing serious, just stuffy sinuses, nagging coughs and absolutely no energy.  However, watching the endless 24/7 flow of barge traffic, warm weather dog walks and gorgeous sunrises made up for it. 

 

In none of our past visits have we ever seen the water this high or flowing so fast.  Recent rains and thaws upstream have created these near flood conditions, and the river is full of floating debris.  The Memphis water gauge is measuring the river now at 29 feet.  A 31 foot reading will force the RV Park to close.  Learn more about that HERE.

The upstream tugs and barges have a real slow time fighting the downstream flow of water.  The downstream barges, however travel like race cars.

The transient sites for travelers like us were nearly empty on this visit, with maybe 10 to 20 of us per night.  However, the long term monthly sites were full.  In fact the park website said there were no more vacancies for monthly stays.

Long term section

The dog walking opportunities are wonderful here.  There are some primitive trails along the river and woods.  There is a huge open field where you could let your pup run off leash if so inclined.  And just yards from the park is an access point for the Big River Trail for hiking and biking.  Learn more about the Big River Trail HERE.

Big River Trail

So after 5 days it's time to move on toward Texas.  We will be back here for sure, and one of these times we will get to explore the city of Memphis.  Until then, here are a couple of gorgeous sunrise photos over the Mississippi River and Memphis skyline to serve as reminders to come back.  And just to emphasis the beauty of Mother Nature, the colors are real.  No filters or editing used.

Thursday the 27th  we checked into Sunrise RV Park for one night, right on the Arkansas side of the city Texarkana.  This park is very convenient for an overnight.  Like many of the parks we are seeing now, the long term sites here are nearly full.

Site B-11

Long Terms sites

Friday we move on.    Stay tuned for "Texas, Here We Come: Waco and Dalles".

Our previous post from February 23rd "Virginia and Tennessee: Mother Nature, Give Us a Break!!" 

Virginia and Tennessee: Mother Nature, Give Us a Break!!

Valentines Day, February 14th:  Catching a break, we escaped the uncomfortable weather in Jonestown and had a sunny and pleasant 4 hour drive to Walnut Hills RV Park near Staunton, Virginia.  We have stayed at Walnut Hills before.  It's a very nice park with lots of areas to walk Parker and Maggie, and great hillside views.

Hillside site 416

There are heavy rain and high wind warnings out for the entire weekend, so we extended our stay for one more day and will move on to Wytheville, VA on Monday, Presidents Day.  The rains Saturday night melted any remaining snow, but also brought some minor flooding to the campground in spots.  The rain was replaced Sunday afternoon with temps in the 50's, but also wind gusts in the 50's.

We are high and dry up on the hill.

On Monday the 17th the weather was clear and so we moved on to the Wytheville KOA for one night.  This is an excellent KOA with large pull thru sites and lots of space for dog walking.  We keep thinking we are going to stay in the area for a few days sometime, but it always seems like our schedule gets messed up, just like this year.

There were only 5 of us hearty soles.  

Tuesday, the 18th.  We are in the Central Time Zone now, and have arrived at the KOA in Crossville, TN to a beautiful sunny and 45 degree afternoon.  It was a pleasant drive on I-81 and I-40, except for a very busy 5 lanes of traffic around Knoxville.  We have a beautiful patio site.

Early sign of spring...but it didn't last long!

Parker and Maggie checking out a small herd of cattle next door.

Because of a weather advisory for couple inches of snow Wednesday, and lows Friday morning of 10 degrees, we have extended our stay for 1 more night.  We will now leave Saturday and have a long drive to Memphis on Saturday.   60’s predicted in Memphis next week. Finally!!   But until then, Mother Nature is still toying and challenging us with lows in the teens and a couple inches of snow.  Sure enough, Wednesday morning!!!!

 

Looks like we landed on the moon!

Temperature wise, our 4 night stay in Crossville was BRUTAL!  Friday morning we awoke to 10 degrees!! We needed both the propane furnace and the electric fireplace to keep the camper warm.  Thankfully the day ended up being pleasant with sun and 40 degree temps. 

Blue Ridge Mountains on a snowy day.

The same view a day later.

Beautiful KOA office and store.

So, to summarize, we have survived camping in below freezing weather.  We even learned a few things.   It's not especially fun, but it's doable.  We took our time and waited out the weather to travel only on clear days.  The RV furnace goes through propane like crazy, so have a source nearby.  And most of all, keep a positive attitude.  Remember, it's all part of the RV adventure.  

This KOA turned out to be a wonderful stop, even in the cold, and family run by some very nice people.  We would like to come back sometime, maybe in the fall.  They said fall colors are their busy season. 

Saturday is looking good, so we will move on to Memphis.

Visit our previous post from February 15th; 2025:  "It's time to find some warmer weather"

Next up:  "Finally, Memphis and Warm Weather!!"

2025: It's time to find some warmer weather.

 Our winters in Northern New York are gorgeous, but.............BRRRRR.

February 5th, 2025

As Judy and I gently age into our later 70's, the winters in Northern New York, while absolutely beautiful, are not as much fun. I remember my younger years of working outside in minus 30 F weather and downhill skiing in the single digits. Not so anymore. Our creaky knees, hips and backs protest when we face single digits, especially when shoveling snow. So now that the Christmas and New Years Holidays are over, we are searching for some early and warm spring weather.  At some point in the future we will forgo the entire NNY winter, but we'll see how this trip goes first.

On the other hand, our pups Parker and Maggie love the snow!!!!

We are aiming for a 11-12 week trip, with our primary goal to "linger longer" at our stops.  We will rush for the first week or so to escape the cold, but as we near Memphis, our stays will be longer and more relaxed.  Looking at the map below, the route will follow a reverse figure 8 pattern via Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, Gulf Coast, Kentucky and back home.

Now, while we have had snow on some of our previous trips, we have never decided to pack up and leave home in the dead of winter.  There is a lot to do in dealing with the cold and snow.  We need to warm the camper to prepare to pack food and clothing.  And on top of that, there is 6 inches of packed snow on the roof.  How to get that off?  I'm not fond of the idea of just hitting the road and letting the snow and ice blow off.  I've followed way too many tractor trailers that have done that!   So, not following common sense, and without asking anyone who might scold me, I climbed up on the roof and shoveled about 15 inches of snow off.  I did some standing, and a lot on my knees, but it's done.

Every morning I've been printing off the 10 day weather forecasts for our first 4 planned stops, trying to line up when we can escape. Another concern for us is that we live just north of the infamous Lake Ontario Snow Belt.   Lake Effect happens when cold air travels over warmer open water.  The bands will shift north and south, depending on the wind direction.  But it invariably will cross Interstate 81 which is the main artery for north-south traffic in our region.  And when it does, driving can be slow at best and downright hazardous at worst.

Here is an example from a mid January storm this year.

Tuesday, February 11, and we want to leave tomorrow, the 12th.  With temperatures ranging from 5 to 30 degrees F, we won't de-winterize the water system until our first stop in southern Pennsylvania.  And even then, for the first few days we'll have to either fill the onboard water tank and/or bring in the water hose at night when temps drop into the 20's.  Thankfully by the time we reach West Memphis in 10 days, the weather forecast is looking brighter  With lows projected to be in the single digits Tuesday night, we hitched the camper up, but left it plugged in to electricity to run the furnace overnight.

It looks like we are just going to make our escape window.  Storm warnings are out for Gouverneur Wednesday night and Thursday morning.  

 It was only 8 degrees this morning, and we got an early start about 8:30.  Today is one of our longest drives at 6 hours, but it's the first campground open all year on our route.  We made it to the Jonestown KOA, with bare roads all the way, except for light snow flurries the last 45 minutes or so.  Let me tell you, setting up camp is a lot more fun in warmer weather than the cold and snow.  🤣  

Site 89

We will settle here for 2 nights since there are weather advisories out tonight and tomorrow morning for snow, freezing rain, all rain and high winds.  Friday weather looks clear, so we will have a small window to move on then.  But then there is another round of mixed weather coming across Virginia for Friday night, Saturday and Sunday.  So I juggled our schedule a bit and extended our next stop in Staunton to 3 days and shortened the following one in Wytheville for 1 day.  Then we should find calmer (unfortunately not much warmer) for a 4 day trek across Tennessee.

We had the campground almost to ourselves, although there are several long term residents with huge propane tanks and insulation installed around the camper underbellies.

We're all alone at the far end, near the pavilion.  

We both love to cook, so for dinner Thursday and Friday nights we made chicken teriyaki, and it really hit the spot on those chilly and windy evenings.

Stay tuned as we continue our search for warm weather.  Be well!!

Here's the next post:  February 23rd "Virginia and Tennessee: Mother Nature, Give Us a Break!!"