By the time we got on the road, it was 10:45. We took 271 from Tyler to Mt. Pleasant, then decided to take the interstate (I-30) into Texarkana, since there were not any direct routes. The last "indirect" route we took, from Giddings to Tyler, we relied on Lucille, and we took lots of backroads, most of them were not even on my map. It was a nice drive, and we got to see some of Texas' backcountry, but we opted this time for the "direct" route. But the semis certainly own the interstates -- there is very little traffic that is not a semi. We crossed the Arkansas state line about 1:15, having spent 13 days in Texas! It was windy every day, and our gas mileage suffered -- we averaged 6.5 mph on our last 3 tanks of gas. We were ready to leave that state, especially since we will be returning next month. We drove 256 miles today, and lucked out to find the very nicest campground ever!
We were out of the wind today, and were able to drive without the air conditioner on, so our gas mileage improved. We ended up at Lake Catherine State Campground, which was a few miles out of the way, but it was time to get off the road. This campground was absolutely beautiful, and our campsite was to die for. It was really a patio, right on the water, with a little dock right down from us.
I thought if we were going to have a day of rest, this would be the place.
The water was laying nicely, and we would see an occasional boat go past. There was some kind of power plant right across the lake from us.
We had full hookups here, and good tv reception, but when I asked the camp host about wifi, he didn't know what it was, so I assumed we did not have that. However, that camp host is now my BFF -- when I raved about how nice the campground was (I told him I was going to build a house on my campsite and move here), he told me I should fill out a Comment Sheet. The next thing I knew, he was back with a Comment Sheet for me, and told me that "Little Rock needs to hear these things, about how important this campground is." So I filled it out for him, and all was well. But he also told me that it gets over 100 degrees here in the summer, so Alaska may still win out on my relocation.I got up early this morning and caught the morning mist on the lake.
Joe finally joined me outside and we enjoyed our coffee looking at the water. A mean-spirited squirrel kept dropping things on Joe. We saw turtles, fish jumping, squirrels, ducks, geese, and lots of different kinds of birds. But I'm still looking for my first sighting of a live deer on this trip.
Joe washed the windshield again this morning, and declared this a "No More Bugs" Day.
But at the end of the day, the windshield was full again. Looks like he gets to get that ladder down again tomorrow.
They have one rental tent (furnished with a stove, lantern, table, grill, cots and other camping equipment) and one rental yurt here. I'm not sure if the yurt is furnished or now, I assume it is. We saw these yurts for the first time on our trip last summer, in Idaho I think.
Reluctantly, we broke camp and headed out. Here's what our camp site looked like when it was empty.
In my spare time, I seem to always be looking for something. You would think I would know where every single thing is in the confined space of this RV, but I am constantly looking in drawers and cabinets for something -- usually successfully, after a while. But I cannot find our tubes of ointments and medications that I was sure I packed a clear plastic bag, and I have searched high and low for them, all the time wondering if that little plastic bag is still sitting on the bathroom sink at home. It's enough to drive a person over the edge!
Anyhow, we drove through Hot Springs, which was quite pretty. There were some huge old buildings, and it appeared to be a really clean city. If we make it back through here (and we might, because of that awesome campground), it would be fun to explore the town, and to drive out to the Hot Springs National Park. We took Scenic Route 9 northeast through Arkansas, so we again got to see some backcountry. I finally saw my first deer, outside Paron, about 11:35 this morning. She was standing in a real clear creek -- didn't get a picture, but it was a pretty sight! We missed our turn once, coming out of Clinton, and ended up on a really squiggley road when we cut back over to Highway 9. This one really slowed us down, but we spotted 2 wild turkeys so that was exciting. We drove through Quachita National Forest, then along the edge of the Ozark National Forest. Our road took us up and down the mountain twice, and we came out at Mountain View (I guess that should have been a clue).
We drove through one town where Lucille was popular -- I think there was a Lucille's corner, in addition to this business on that corner.
There are not many campgrounds in this area, and probably fewer as we get closer to Vincennes. We made it out of Arkansas today, barely, and are spending the night in Thayer. There are no campgrounds around, so we are on the Walmart parking lot -- my how far we have fallen, from last night's beautiful setting to Walmart. But free camping works too, so I guess it's ok.
So tonight we have no hookups (although it is cooling off nicely), no wifi, no TV. So Joe is sitting here watching the Walmart customers come out of the store, keeping track of what they are buying. He said he is taking a survey, and I believe he thinks he might be able to sell this vital information to the manager here.
We should be out of Missouri before noon tomorrow, crossing Illinois and into Indiana. Not sure if we will arrive in Vincennes tomorrow or Friday morning -- we'll have to see how the day goes.
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