More rain and higher lake

May 31 – It rained all night again.  No sign of deer at my corn crib.  I might need to move it back some until they find it and then move it forward every few days.  Still no regular birds but a couple of hummers still.

These kids are sitting on the top of a
picnic table.

It was too nasty out to start weeding the big plot by the gatehouse.  It was also too ugly to

The top of a picnic table is all you can see

walk so we did laundry and waited until it cleared some and walked over to see how high the lake is now.  It’s 8 feet over the road to the little island and some of the picnic tables are completely under water.  There’s hardly anyone in the campground.

We really didn’t do much all day.  Mid-afternoon we went to McDonald’s and used the wifi for almost 2 hours.  I was researching stuff and places and Bill was watching videos and doing email.  Nothing special.

We stopped at 2 automotive places for Bill to check on seat covers for the Edge.  He looked on line and they are ridiculously expensive.  He found some at Auto Zone but will look a bit more before deciding.  We made our normal stop at Wal-mart and then home.

I made a quickie chicken pot pie with canned white chicken, cream of chicken soup, can of mixed veggies and a bit of milk and put dumplings on top.  It was pot pie kind of weather!  Supposed to be in the high 50’s tonight.  It was very tasty and not enough for another meal, just one serving left.

Nothing much on TV, reruns, so we watched a Hallmark movie.  We started looking at stops on the way to Idaho in July and National Parks and Sites that we have not been to yet.  That’s all part of the research!  It all takes a lot of planning.

Bill went to bed around 10:30 but I was up til almost midnight to finish my book!

Out and About!

May 30 – It was not looking good when we finally got up at 9 this morning.  Gradually it started clearing.  After breakfast we had planned to check out a couple of stores in town then visit the Farmer’s Market.  We weren’t sure they would be set up with the weather as it was. 

The highlight of my morning was looking out and seeing my first humming bird on my feeder and later there were two but one was not good at sharing.  Still no one on my seed feeder!

We headed to look for Ozark Country Store which is a bulk food place with handmade crafts etc. If we had gone to where it looked like on the map instead of putting in the address we'd have found it right away. The address took us into the town of Heber Springs and it was actually on the main road south of town. Anyway, we found it and I bought a dill plant to replace my dead cilantro and we got some roasted corn that tastes a lot like corn nuts. I checked out the inventory and they had a good selection of spices, flours and gluten free products.

In town we swung by the bookstore to pick up my list I left behind and they didn't open until noon. We weren't sure about the Farmer's Market which we understood to be at the city park and there was only one “booth”. Apparently they sell from the backs of their trucks or just set up a table anywhere around the block square park. We got some sweet potatoes and zucchini. We stopped in a thrift store and then a HUGE consignment shop that had half price this weekend. I got a couple of things, so good deal. Next door is a Fred's which is like a Big Lots with a pharmacy. Just checked it out!

By now we were running out of stops so we circled back to the bookstore and it was open 15 minutes early and I got my list. The young lady who works the register told me she is autistic and is such a sweetie. She is a talker and wanted to know all about our travels and what we've seen here and so on. Bill thought I was buying more books!

We had heard about the Smokehouse for barbque. It was good but they only do pork, no beef. I had a baked potato with pulled pork on it and a salad. I just put the bbq sauce over it and it was delicious. Bill went with a sandwich and slaw which he enjoyed. We shared a cherry fried pie which was not fried but baked. It was nothing to write home about!

Finally, it was time to head towards home, just a drive thru the post office to drop off mail and then Wal-mart. I wanted corn to lure the deer to the back of the RV. Bill says I'm doing them a disservice because they will get used to feeding there and then I'll leave. Someone before me built a corn crib and it was further back in the woods. Bill moved it closer and I moved it to where I could see it from the window. I cleaned it out and put a line of loose corn in it. Will have to see if they show up!

I planted my dill and started cleaning our filthy picnic table. It was moldy and aluminum with grooves so really needs a toothbrush. I did a pretty good job on the benches and started on the top. My rag got too dirty to continue so time to take a break. I baked 2 batches of banana bread with the overripe bananas Kerry left behind. One was plain and one was chocolate. Gluten free – pretty tasty!

Computer time! Did some journaling and posting our expenses. Time to make salads and heat up leftover lasagna I brought with us. Easy dinner, I needed that!

We worked tonight 8 – 10 again.

Kerry and Harry are on their way....

May 29 -  I was up first and crept around while everyone else was asleep.  Finally about 8:30 I rousted everyone.  I thought they would want to get an earlier start but they were in no rush.  Harry was pleased I made corned beef hash, coconut chocolate chip scones and cantaloupe for breakfast.  Bill had an egg in place of hash. 

Kerry and Harry showered and packed up then we took them for a walk to the marina to see the flooded area and how big it all is and then through part of the campground.  They got to see Jean and Paul’s space.  There were very few campers here last night.

Ready to hit the road

Kerry made sandwiches while Harry carted things back to the car and sadly it was time for them to hit the road for Oklahoma City.  We said out good-byes, not so tearful as when we left home and gave them strict instructions to be careful and to stop at the dam for a photo op on the way out.  It was about noon by then.

It was a bit of a downer once they were gone.  Bill asked if we wanted to go to a movie and he checked the times in Searcy, about 30-40 minutes from us.  We needed to hurry so he showered while I tidied up, then I showered and we hit the road.  We had a choice of 1:45 or 2:00 for movies and I broke down and said to stop at Wendy’s for burgers to have for a quick lunch and we made the 2:00 3D version of “San Andreas”.  Back to that lunch, I never order a burger but Wendy’s are my favorite, a single with mustard and pickle with a small frosty chaser.  I was pretty excited but then she put cheese on my burger and ruined it for me.  Plus my frosty was already melting so I shared it with Bill.  I guess I was being punished for not having my normal salad.  We enjoyed the movie, totally action packed but not all that blood, gore and killing people although you knew a bunch had died.  It was pretty predicable but I’m a “The Rock” fan since his first movie, The Scorpion King.

After the movie we did a quick drive around Searcy to see what was there, stopped at McDonalds for iced coffee then headed home.  We took the road Donnette said was scenic but curvy both ways and I was pretty nauseous on the way there, so on the way back I didn’t look at my phone or anything and did fine.  It was a much prettier and faster drive than when we came from there in the RV.

I did my first load of company laundry as doing sheets and towels in the little washer will take a bit when combined with our own laundry.  We discussed eating out but I decided to finish off all leftovers and have a side salad and that was fine. 

We went to work at 8 and by 9 the skies had opened up once again.  I felt bad for the tent campers arriving and having to set up in it.  Bill watched a movie on his phone and I finished my correspondence and crocheted.  When it was time to leave the rain had slowed up so we didn’t get drenched but after we got in the real rain came and lasted all night.

We have company

May 28 – Nothing major to do today except be ready when Kerry and Harry arrive.  They left Georgia this morning and stopped in Memphis to tour Graceland and then to here.  We ate and then did our longest walk so far almost to the end of the campground.  The distance is one thing but the up and down of the roads is another.  On the way back we stopped in the Volunteer Village and met 2 more of the volunteers.  One works in maintenance part of his time so he could come in handy.

We cleaned the RV and tidied up then showered and I mopped from the back to the front then we left.  Our stop at ACE was good.  We got a new key made for the RV.  Not sure how one of the door lock keys got bent, but it did and got a board cut for my printer stand.  Now maybe that maintenance guy can rip it to the proper height.  Nice!  Then I will screw my two pieces together.  I also found out that Moen might replace my broken sink stopper for free so tomorrow I will contact them and see.

We had lunch at McDonald’s.  We have been out of lettuce for a couple of days and I was really ready for a salad.  No Wendy’s here, drat!  I tried the new Asian chicken salad and it was pretty good, still not as good as Wendy’s.   Then we zipped by the post office to mail a small package and postcards.  The plaza next to it had a sporting goods store Bill wanted to check out and another shop we never heard of.  It was teenage low quality clothing so we didn’t stay long.  Then it was Kathy’s Book Nook.  I had one book to trade in.  Bill found one book and I found 2.  I need to get some from garage sales to trade in for more credit!  Bill refuses to give any of his up.

Last stop was Wal-mart for a few things, then home.  I finished a load of laundry and put our purchases away.  Kerry texted when they were leaving Memphis.  I decided to have leftover meatloaf and chicken and corn on the cob and my special carrots cooked in coconut oil.  We had strawberry shortcake for dessert with fresh whipped cream.

We got a soaker rain around 4:30.  Kerry and Harry arrived about 6:30 and after unloading their gear, our mail and some things we left behind we had dinner.  After dinner she showed me Harry’s graduation photos and some she took at Graceland today.  She, Harry and I played a card game, Chasing Demons, while Bill watched TV.  He eventually went to bed and it was after 11 for us.  They crossed a time zone this morning so their day was an hour longer!

All day on the job!

May 27 – No walk this morning but since we were going to sit all day we should have.  We had to be in at 10 and worked until 5.  We had a variety of issues come up and were able to get most resolved.  We learned a lot more today!  Only 2 reservations had to check in and they are easy.  Answering questions for walk ups and on the phone is the challenging part.  Without computer access we can’t extend site stays or check for availability up upcoming dates.

We both took books to read and I started on my summer scrubbie project.  I wrote a couple

See how hard Bill is working?

of letters and Bill did some work on his laptop for our camping club.  We had TV to watch so I was rotating as to not get bored.

I went home to get lunch when it was time.  The weather was really nice today after a 5 minutes shower just before we left to walk over.  Crazy people called to ask if I knew what the weather was going to be for tomorrow and the weekend.  Darn, I forgot to bring my crystal ball!  Idiots!

They stopped charging for day visitors around noon as the water at the beach was tested and showed signs of e coli so guests could still swim but at no charge and at their own risk.  Then people started calling and asking if it would be clear by the weekend or if they should cancel their reservations.  Now where did I put that crystal ball?

Several of the other volunteers came by to visit.  One guy, Bruce, is going to stop by tomorrow and cut a board I’m rigging up to put my printer on the dash but set up so I can still close the window shade.  I still need my other board so will try to get it at ACE tomorrow.

After a rest we went into town for dinner.  Bill wanted this to count as our Saturday night dinner since we’ll be working.  Any time he can eat out he wants to!  I wasn’t too anxious to go.  First he looked for a Mexican place he saw on Trip Advisor and it’s no longer Mexican but a breakfast place.  Then he wanted a pizza place and it had the wrong address.  Then once we found it he said let’s eat at the seafood place beside it.  It was written up also as good and I think he did it because I prefer seafood.  We ate at Mack’s Seafood and it was OK.  The waitress really didn’t know which fish was fresh and then I was charged to substitute veggies (which were frozen) for a baked potato and extra to blacken my fish.  Doubt we will go back!

At least we know some of the layout of the area better as we ended up making a circle.  By the time we leave we might know how to get everywhere!

While I was on the computer tonight I saw a bunny at our site and later 5 deer cross from behind us to the other side of the roadway!  Cool beans!

Road Trip!

Flags still flying above Greer's Ferry Dam

May 26 – We really overslept today, good thing we didn’t have to be anywhere special.  After our morning walk we had some calls we needed to make after breakfast.  I put a call in to Winegard, the satellite dome people but had to leave a message.  Our plan for the day was to visit the town of Mountain View, about 40 miles away.  On the way we crossed the dam and saw the American Flag still flying for Memorial Day and the Corp of Engineers flag.

We stopped at family farm that raises and sells strawberries in Draco.  I read an article about them winning the county award for family farming.  We missed getting the first choice of berries as she was sold out except for a box of seconds.  It was quite a lot of berries for $3 but some were blemished or mishapened and small.  We didn’t care as long as they tasted good and they do.  We snacked on some for the rest of the drive to Mountain View.

As we were arriving in town I got a call back about the satellite and our best option was to get 2 new receivers.  Bill had pulled off the road into a parking lot when my phone rang and we could not believe we were parked across from a place that installs Dish, Directv and Bell TV.  However, he was out on a service call and left his number to call so I called and left him a message.

We had lunch at PJ’s Rainbow Café.  It was the number one place on Trip Advisor and it was really good.  I splurged on the chicken fried chicken with white gravy but was good with my pickled beets and fresh carrots.  Bill had the chicken but different sides.  It was a BIG lunch and we needed to walk it off.  While we were waiting for our meal the dish guy called me back and he had 2 of the receivers we needed but he would not be back to the office for a while.  I asked him to call when we was as we were spending some time in town and could come there whenever.

We checked out all of the shops in that block and Bill found a couple of books and I got a tank top for Shiloh.  Then we drove out to Mellon’s Country Store.  It was built by Pappy Mellon who is a folk musician and he has a small theatre inside called “Hole in the Wall Theater” where live performances are held March thru November.  Pappy sold the place but still performs there.  They have a lot of throwback candy, games, toys, drinks and the like.

Instead of Where's Waldo, Where's Bill?

Mountain View is the center of folk music in the area and we were surprised at the number of motels and fast food places in the area.  Near Mellon’s Country Store is the Ozark Folk Center State Park.  We went in to get information.  Their goal is the preservation and perpetuation of Ozark Mountains Crafts and Music.  There are live performances several nights a week throughout the summer and food and craft demonstrations and classes.   It’s a living history facility.  I want to go back, maybe when Jean and Paul come.

We spotted an Amish Bulk Food store along the way back into town and made a stop there and got the call to meet the tv guy so headed there to get the receivers.  He said to call him if I had any problems but he could tell I pretty much knew what I was doing.

Our last stops were a produce stand for cukes and a cantaloupe and then McDonald’s for the restroom and Bill a soda for the ride home. 

I got the receivers hooked up and running but still waiting for the update of our location to take place.  At least we have TV!  Bill is now the proverbial “Happy Camper”!

I was glad to have leftovers tonight as after dinner I still had a box of berries to clean and sort.  Guess we’ll have shortcake tomorrow night!

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day!

May 25 – As much as I wanted to sleep in I got an early morning call (since we’re an hour earlier than Florida) from Golden Pond where my parents now live.  Nothing urgent but of course she didn’t know where we were.  I read until Bill got up and we had our breakfast, dressed and headed out for our walk.  Today was a bit more challenging even though we stayed in the campground.  There are 8 or 9 loops and since we’re on the side of a hill the roads are up and down and so are the loops.  We walked 3 loops today and boy, some people are pigs!  We’ve never been in a campground that they don’t at least attempt to take their trash to the dumpsters.  For crying out loud, you have to drive right past them to leave!  If we had something to carry stuff in I could have brought back 2 nice pairs of children’s boots, rafts and a snorkel but I only carried a brand new bandana that will go in the wash tomorrow.

The couple who split their time between the campground gatehouse and the day park gatehouse was on duty today so we stopped in to meet them, Joe and Angie.  They have worked in Georgia for several seasons and have even camped at Rainbow Springs in Florida where we go every spring.  Another nice couple!

After a rest, showers and lunch we headed to town.  We stopped at ACE for 2 bolts to use on the storage shed supplied to us then drove around a bit to find the used book store and 2 locations where farmers markets are supposed to be on certain days.  We may go back tomorrow and check out the bookstore and one of the markets is supposed to be open.  In the process we found another grocery store.  It’s along the line of Save-a-Lot but carries a lot more name brand products.  We spent some time at McDonalds on the Wifi and Bill had a sundae and I had a frappuccino. That was our lunch dessert and afternoon snack!  I can use my phone as a hot spot but not sure how much that is costing so for research type stuff I can always download info and print at the RV.

We cruised through the post office to drop mail and a stop at Wal-mart for Bill to check on transferring his prescriptions and back home we went.  It turned out to be a beautiful day, not entirely sunny but not dreadfully overcast.  The day use side was decently full and all day RV’s were coming and going from the campground. 

After fixing our shed door Bill set up the grill only to discover that we did not have the gas line connection for the grill to the tank.  I then remembered I took it to work with parts I wanted Kurt to work on to connect our grill to our RV propane.  With him working on our mud flap I didn’t want to hassle him about it and forgot the gas line.  Crap, again!  I texted Kerry to see if she could get it in the morning before she and Harry head our way.  I hope that’s where it is!  Well, that changed the plans from Bill grilling to me grilling on our tiny George Foreman.  I planned to grill enough for several meals, so I did a batch for our dinner then 2 batches for 2 more meals.  Corn was microwaved to go with store bought potato salad, and a side of cantaloupe and later in the evening we had a serving of homemade blueberry crisp with Florida “picked by Kelly and Bill” berries.

With no TV Bill watched an ancient John Wayne movie while I read and we settled in for the night as light showers started.

Starting to settle in

May 24 – It rained pretty hard during the night.  We had to have the AC on in the bedroom and left the other windows open, so woke to some rain on the dining table and the counter behind it.  No big deal.  Very overcast and from noon on was an 80% chance of rain today.

After our Sunday breakfast feast of scones, fruit, bacon and an egg for Bill, we dressed and went for our walk.  Today we went over to the day park area.  We met another contract worker at the gate there.  We learned that the contract people can’t live in the Volunteer Village or use the washers there.  They have their own 3 site campground and the people we work with live here by us so I guess these 2 spaces are for whoever they need to put here.  There were a few people bringing in picnic supplies and hoping for a few hours of nice weather.  The sun was in and out and some kids were in the water and out on the island across from the day park.  Fishermen were coming in and boaters were going out.

View of the Little Red River

We met another of the rangers, Jeff Price, today.  They have all been very nice and informative about the area and the park.  He told me how to attract some deer to our RV!

We did a few things outside the RV before the rain was due and Bill did up the dishes from last night and this morning.  We need to trim 2 small branches from one tree touching the slide but Bill isn’t anxious to get the ladder down, so maybe tomorrow.

I cooked a meatloaf I had made and froze so Bill was happy.  Right in the middle of cooking that and scalloped potatoes the power went off.  The storm got pretty bad and lots of rain.  Luckily we have the generator and turned it on and got my ovens back to cooking.  The power was off a couple of hours.

After dinner just as Bill was finishing up the dishes the man we met a couple days ago came

Picnic area under water

by to see if he could repair our propane door clasp.  Bill had literally just mentioned that the guy never came by but the weather had been so sketchy all weekend we figured he didn’t want to chance getting rained on.  He was so nice and said he fixed it.  Bill won’t open it again unless we have to, just in case.  We exchanged cards as he wants to keep in touch about campgrounds as they are only a few months into the camping thing.  We meet the nicest and most helpful people in campgrounds!

We went to work at 8 but since the power had been off Barb and Bob had to stay and complete the computer work for the day so they didn’t finish until 9.  It was really a slow night so I wrote a couple of letters and we watched a TV show.

Survived our first night on duty

Prime fishing spot

May 23 – Since I was up late on the phone last night and then read a spell I didn’t get up until 8 and woke Bill at 8:45.  After breakfast we took our walk.  We went to see Jean and Paul’s new space in M1.  I took a photo of it to send them!  We met a nice man with a motorhome and 2 dogs and chatted for quite a while.  He offered to stop by and see if he could repair our door lock.  If not, nothing lost!  We will call Tuesday and order the part if we need to. 

One of the marina buildings

Most of the camping loops were full and lots of kids and boats.  We walked back to the marina and took some photos and the water level has not retreated at all.  People put boards down to get to the walking dock to where their boats were housed.  It was a beautiful morning and you could smell bacon cooking and wonderful breakfast smells.

We are still battling the ants from last summer.  I found they

Baby geese

burrowed into a bag of brown sugar.  I kept seeing grains on the counter and even cleaned out the cabinet when we got here as I thought something just spilled.  Well, now I know.  Little varmints!  We need to get some Terro at Ace to see if we can draw them out.  I have bug bombs but would need to take Molly on a road trip for a couple of hours if we decide to do that.  Bill sprayed all around the tires but we need to trim a few branches back from the RV according to Jimmy the Bugman.  Maybe tomorrow.  We put out the regular bird feeder and I got out my hummingbird feeder to get ready.

Dam with Greer Ferry Lake on right and
Little Red River on left

I got my shower and dressed and we headed out.  We crossed the Greer Ferry Dam and stopped at the viewing point in John F Kennedy Memorial.  It is very impressive.  It’s so drastic a drop from the level of the lake to the bottom of the Red River.  Oh, and the river is not red it’s deep turquoise/green.  We saw where President Kennedy stood when he dedicated the dam.

Just down the road is the fish hatchery and the John F. Kennedy Park, which is right on the Red River with 4 camping areas, most on the river.  Very nice!  The hatchery was closing in 5 minutes so will go back another day. 

Having our tourist duties done for the day we headed into town.  We stopped at Wal-mart and Bill exchanged his shorts and then we drove into “downtown” to check out the Harps grocery store.  It’s a nice store with good variety and quality but a bit expensive.  We bought some potato salad for Monday

as Bill thinks is not a proper summer holiday without grilling and certain foods.  I don’t bother making it for just us unless I have leftover potatoes I need to use.  The old businesses downtown are now a lot of shops and boutique places.  We will have to go back and stroll one day.  It’s small so won’t take long.  We popped into McDonald’s on the way back for an afternoon snack. 

Bill at JFK Memorial 

When we got back I sprayed in the cabinet for ants and made my hummingbird syrup.  Started in on my journaling to get more ready to post.  I need to be more diligent!  I thought Bill might press to go out to dinner since it’s Saturday but since we didn’t eat our fish I unfroze yesterday he knew that would be dinner tonight.  He hoped Molly might rescue him from it but didn’t happen.  We finished off the risotto Harry made for me and fresh zucchini. 

Time to go to work at 8 and it was much slower than last night.  Only 1 phone call and a few people stopping with questions of where certain sites were.  Luckily the people who work all day have their own directv set up and a small TV in the gatehouse so we watched some TV, popped some popcorn and I looked up some U-pick places, but didn’t find any really close by like last summer.  After work we both read a while to wind down.

First night on the job

May 22 -   Brrr!  The day started off pretty chilly, in the 60’s.  I put on long knit pants with a t-shirt and denim shirt.  Bill wore shorts but with a t-shirt and long sleeved pullover.  It was the perfect morning for oatmeal with blueberries, well for me it was.  Bill went with cold cereal and blueberries.  After a little more housekeeping duties we took a walk back down to the marina to see if they had worked on the dock that you can’t use because the water is so high.  The road is also flooded but is a circle drive so people can get to the other part of the marina from the other direction.  The marina is huge and I think there are 7 around the lake.  There are very few open boat storage slots in the one here. 

One of the camping loops

On our walk back we stopped at the Volunteer Village and met one of the couples that volunteers in the Visitor Center.  They have a new fifth wheel and gave us a tour.  Very nice!  They have been here 15 months but decided to winter in Florida for 4 months this winter.  They are full timers but still have a house in AR.  So far all of the volunteers we’ve met are from AR and most stay here most of the year.  It gets COLD here, I thought the advantage of an RV is to escape that.

Visitor Center

As we were preparing to go to the Visitor Center and into town our Ranger Jason showed up.  He was supposed to be off today but guess his schedule got changed.  He was just as nice in person as he was on the phone.  He gave us a quick briefing.  Our position is new and in test mode.  We will not handle any money but more be checking for car passes and warning non-registered guests they must leave by 10:00pm when quiet time begins.  We can also tell late comers what sites are open and to come back at 10 AM to officially check in and get their vehicle passes.  There are 2 rangers on duty until midnight every night so if there is any trouble we can contact them.

More of the campground

We enjoyed our stop at the visitor center.  The movie of the history of the area and building of the dam was very good.  This facility is similar to the Land Between the Lakes in Tennessee and Kentucky.  There are 18 parks around the lake.  Most of them have campgrounds and boat launches and a few are just day parks. 

We drove partway into Heber Springs, well, technically it was Heber Springs but not the original town.  Once the recreation became prominent here the road from town to here developed with all kinds of businesses.  A lot of them have to do with boats, imagine that!

The folks at the Visitor Center recommended King Buffet for lunch.  It’s 95% Asian food and the rest American.  You can have the buffet or order from the menu.  Most of it was pretty good and I was happy to see they had a Sushi station.  I pretty much filled up on that.  Bill was all over trying stuff and we left full.

We stopped at Wal-mart for a few things.  It’s a Super one but not quite as large as most.  Only has one entrance and no tire/automotive part.  Bill was glad to know it was here as he can have some of his meds transferred here to pick up.

I spent quite a while trying to get our Directv working and found that our new Genie will not work with our dome.  Major Bummer!  After all we went through changing our service at home to get these boxes we should have only gotten HD boxes that would communicate with our dome.  Oh well, back to the drawing board.  I need to call the dome people to verify what HD boxes will work with it and see about getting 2.  We can watch what we have recorded but that’s all, so we did watch an episode of “Big Bang Theory”.

Since we ate rather late this afternoon Bill wasn’t hungry for dinner so we left for work at

The gatehouse where we work

about 7:30, (it’s only about a one minute walk) and went over what reservations had not arrived and some other pertinent info.  We each took a piece of fruit and some almonds and bottles of water.  The time went really fast!  We could not believe how many people arrive at 9 PM on a holiday weekend Friday night looking for a space.  Unreal!  There is hardly any light in the campgrounds so they’re out there in the dark setting up in spaces with no electric or water.  We probably had 8 go look at open spaces and only 3 reported back what site they took and one guy took one and built a fire on it and it was reserved so we told him if they show up tonight he’d have to move and if not, he has to move in the morning.  Idiots!

Kerry called and we talked quite while.  She reported in on Harry’s graduation/going away party.  There was a nice crowd and all went well.  

Arrived at Dam Site Park on Greer's Ferry Lake

May 21 – We managed to get up earlier than normal and on the road by 8.  It was a dreary

Our site, still setting up!

day and some of the worst roads.  I did spot one deer along the highway and should have counted from when we left home the number of dead armadillos.  We stopped at 10 and changed drivers and took our break near Tupelo.  Then it was on to Memphis.  Although we didn’t really spend much time on interstates, the roads were 4 lane pretty much all of the way.  I HATE driving through Memphis!  It was just as stressful as the last time we came through.  There was no rest area before or after Memphis and I was hungry and needed to go to the bathroom.  We had to wait until we got into Arkansas and the rest area said “no trucks” so I was afraid to try it towing the car.  A bit further up was a pull off for trucks with no amenities.  It used to be the weigh station.  It was fine for us and we had a nice lunch and watched the traffic passing by. 

Arkansas has had rain every day in May until today I think.  The farm fields were flooded, the rivers were overflowing and muddy.  There was water everywhere.  It was a bit stressful once we got off the highway in Searcy (where my sister-in-law Donnette is from) as we had to navigate through town to get our road out to Heber Springs.  Donnette had recommended one road as it was not as curvy as the other.  It was all 2 lane and I know people didn’t like getting behind us, but oh, well.  It took about 40 minutes and Bill wondered just how curvy the curvy road was as this was a bit hilly and curvy.  We will drive that one in the car one day.

Doing what she does best!

We arrived at Dam Site Park at 4:30 and had no trouble finding where we needed to be.  We met the couple who work the camping entrance 5 days a week and they are parked next to us.  We are literally right after the building.  The couple, Barb and Bob, live in Heber Springs and go home on the weekends to do laundry and mow their grass.  They are contracted and get paid. 

We got set up pretty much but will do more outside once Bill sprays the weeds in our site.  We get our own storage shed which is nice to keep the bikes, holey boards and bike hitch in.  I’m sure we will find more stuff to put there while we’re here.  We need to get a lock for it though.  While Bill was washing the RV front I did the floors.  It was badly needed!  While putting things away Bill found his missing ring in his sock drawer.  Thank goodness!  I guess it was too loose and fell off when he was arranging stuff.

It was pretty chilly this morning so I opted for capris, smart choice as the longer we drove the cooler it got.  It is supposed to be in the 40’s tonight.  No need to run the AC!  We drove around to check out where Jean and Paul will be parked when they visit in June and the space does not exist.  I texted Jean and he will call tomorrow and see what happened.  There are 10-12 parks around Greer’s Ferry Lake and one is called Heber Springs so I think the reservationist booked him there when he said Dam Site Recreation Park in Heber Springs.

I hadn’t taken out anything for dinner so we had a frozen bagged meal of Chicken Alfredo.  I put in the last piece of leftover chicken and it was the right amount for the 2 of us.  With a side of cantaloupe it was perfect.  I couldn’t get the satellite to work and really didn’t feel like dealing with it so spent time sorting papers I stuffed in bags and tried to get a bit more organized.  We both did some reading and Bill went to bed first.  We had some windows open and it was chilling down so hoping for a good night’s rest.

On the way to Alabama

May 20 – Once again we did not get an early start!  Nothing new.  After a fairly quick breakfast Bill put extra water in our tank and unhooked the cable while I did up our few dishes and secured everything for the day.  We planned to stop at the Tallahassee Camping World to see if by chance they carried the parts to repair the propane door. 

We stopped at Flying J and fueled up at the same exit as the Camping World but no luck on the part.  It will have to be ordered, so we will wait and order it from Little Rock.  So there were 2 stops already.  Bill didn’t sleep well last night so we stopped and changed drivers, stop number 3.  Since we were out of lunch meat we got lucky in Dothan, AL that the Wendy’s was in the same lot as a Sam’s Club and we could park while Bill got our lunch and we ate.  Stop number 4.

We stopped south of Birmingham for a potty stop and changed drivers again, stop number 5.  At our final exit stop number 6 was to fuel up for tomorrow and then we parked for the night at Wal-mart in Jasper, AL.  No wonder it took so long today with all the stops.  It was clouding up so we turned on the generator and AC and hurried in to get our few items.  Of course we were not quite quick enough and it poured.  We only waited a couple of minutes and made a dash, well, for older people it was a dash, across the parking lot as far as possible to our RV.

Wal-mart in the background

We were in such a hurry that I hadn’t even put the slides out.  As I put out the big one I heard a crunching noise, uh oh, but quickly realized it was ONLY my alarm clock that had fallen off the night stand.  Needless to say, its life was over.  It was rather “alarming”.  Bill found the missing ring and was ever so pleased.

We had leftover chicken and the delicious risotto that my nephew Harry made for me and plain old sliced tomatoes for dinner.  Then I went back to Wal-mart and bought a new alarm clock.  We got showers and I made a quick dessert with dessert cups I made with lemon filling and fresh blueberries.  The only thing missing was the whipped cream.

Time to get some paperwork done, journal and read.

Headed for Arkansas

May 19 – I really don’t know where to start!  The original plan was to leave on the 14^th and meet friends and camp for 3 nights then head on our way from there.  Well, as we all know, “the best laid plans of men” don’t always pan out.  For us it seems very rarely do they pan out when it comes to us and RV travel.  We had taken our RV in for warranty work on April 20 and as we progressed with that project we knew we would not have it back to leave on the 14^th.  So we cancelled that leg of the trip and then I found I needed a crown done.  The soonest it would be complete was the 18^th, so, if everything came together with the RV we could leave the 19^th.  That was such an ordeal! We had to have all of the mechanics of our full wall slide replaced and work done on our bedroom AC.  Fortunately our service writer said he could order the parts and if the warranty didn’t pay, we could.  Oh joy!  But, we needed the parts so he ordered them before the warranty inspector came and did the approval.  Good thing, as they came in on the 13^th and we got to pick it up on the 15^th.  That gave us the weekend and Monday to load her up.

So, we did leave today, just not as early as we had planned.  We slept later than we should and had more to load than we should and then Bill lost a ring he had on and had to go back home looking for it.  No luck there, but I was sure it would turn up.  Once everything was loaded and it was time to go inside and tell my sister goodbye I started smelling what I thought was propane.  Now what?  I went on in and said my teary goodbyes.  It smelled worse when I got back, even Bill could smell it.  I checked the gas to the water heater and it was off.  Well, maybe it was a fluke, ya think?

When we went to hook up the car we couldn’t get any tail lights on the driver side of the car working.  Luckily my brother Kurt came out and tweaked some of the prongs on the connection.  Finally about 11 we pulled out and were on our way.  We were only going to Tallahassee for the night so we really were not in a major hurry.  The smell was not going away so I opened some windows so we didn’t become overwhelmed and pass out.  Finally about an hour down the road I thought about the stove.  Sure enough somehow one burner

You can fix anything with duct tape

was on and as soon as I turned it off the smell quickly evaporated.  What a relief!  At our lunch stop Bill was diligently checking the car and the RV compartments and when he opened the propane compartment, it would not shut back.  CRAP!  Good thing they invented duct tape and zip ties.  He taped the bottom shut with 3 sections of tape and then got under the RV and used several zip ties on the hydraulic arm. 

Tallahassee RV Park

We made it to Tallahassee RV Park at 4:15 and had plenty of time to unload the carload of things I packed for Jean’s thrift store and to rest and get ready for Jean and Paul to pick us up to go to dinner.  We had an excellent meal at an Italian place that’s been in business since 1963.  We always enjoy our time with Jean and Paul and discussed their visit to see us in Arkansas in June.  They dropped us off at 8:45 and we just read and got to bed early.