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!!"