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Borrego Springs, CA

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Arkansas, the Natural State

275 miles might not seem much of a drive to some folks, but it wore me out.  I left Ajax, LA, a little before 9:00 this morning and headed for Arkansas.  It was good on I-49 to Shreveport, and then things got a little interesting as I got off of the interstate to take US 71 North.  After weaving around in Shreveport, 71 becomes a two lane highway that could use some repaving for a good portion of it.  I must say, it was a good test to see if the MCD shades were going to stay put or fall down.  Thankfully, they stayed put.

Once I got into Arkansas, the roads became smooth four lanes with only one detour that had ‘Jack-in-the-Box’ rather frustrated.  He almost set a record for ‘recalculating’!  Once I reached I-30 East, both he and I heaved a sigh of relief.  I would have hit my ‘Easy Button’ had it been within reach.

We sailed along for several more hours, and as I passed the exit for Hot Springs National Park, I couldn’t help but reminisce about the time I stopped there for a full body work over at one of the historic spas.  If you are ever near there, do stop in and get an appointment.  It’s an experience you’ll never forget.  If I had the knowledge or the energy, I’d include a link to my post a few years ago about my day at the Hot Springs spa.

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Anyway, along about 3:00, I finally found my way to the Maumelle Park COE campground a little ways northwest of Little Rock, AR.  Good old ‘Jack-in-the-Box’ took me on the scenic nerve wracking way to get there.  I ended up on a very skinny two lane road with no shoulders, and low hanging tree branches that whacked the top of the rig. 

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There were also three bicyclists in front of me on that road, so the five miles or so seemed to take forever.  With all of the curves in the road, I couldn’t chance trying to pass them.  I was also becoming a little panicked about ever finding the place.  My mind conjured up a dead end with no room to turn around.  I was trying to figure out how I was ever going to get out of this predicament, when the entrance to the park suddenly appeared on the left.  This was after good old ‘Jack’ had said I’d passed it up about a mile back.Surprised smile

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I was a wreck when I stopped to check in.  I got directions to the site I had reserved via the internet.  It’s hard to choose a site just looking at a map, but I really like my choice.  It’s not a waterfront site along the Arkansas River, but a rather secluded woodland site with no other campsites very close by.  It fits me to a T.

I crate Emma when we travel, and she remains vigilant the whole trip, and doesn’t sleep the time away.  So, by the time we were set up, we both were worn out from the day.  We’ll be here for three nights, so we’re just going to relax tomorrow and investigate this campground.  Maybe I’ll get some pictures of the campground sites along the river.  They’re more tightly packed together than the one I chose.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

35 comments:

  1. 275 miles is a long day for us, so I can relate you you being worn out. Sounds like Jack needs a good talking-to... you shouldn't have such a nerve-wracking drive. Hope you enjoy your break from driving.

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  2. Those COE parks are so nice, but they sure put them out in the middle of nowhere.

    When we went to visit Mike and Terri at the Modoc COE, we had a nice time, but got lost (really lost) on the way home.

    I made a wrong turn (I had this 18 wheeler right on my butt) and we were on some real rural back roads, barely paved. Finally we found our way out to the main road and when I looked at the street sign of the road we had been lost on, I had to laugh. "Lost Wilderness Road".

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  3. Continued safe travels on you journey to the north.

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  4. I'm curious about what you did about your refrigerator while traveling today. Mine works on electric only and I wonder if I could use my inverter for it, but then how to get it plugged into the inverter. Waterfront sites can be nice, but I am finding that I prefer the larger, secluded sites. I can always take a walk over to the waterfront.

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  5. Sometimes our travels are a little nerve wracking huh?

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  6. 275 miles is a huge day in my book. No wonder you are tired. I gave up my GPS ages ago for just the reasons you have mentioned here. I call ahead and ask for directions from the campground and then map it with google maps so I can blow it up and see it nice and clear. Glad you got there safely after Jack's antics. Enjoy your restful days. You deserve it. Emma too!

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  7. Looks like a nice peaceful site. Hope you and Emma both get a good rest tonight.

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  8. Lots of hours on the road. I'd be tired too. Have a great rest and tomorrow we will see some new pictures.

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  9. I suddenly became tired right after I read 275! Rest well!

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  10. I hope you can rest and relax now that you are finally there. Traveling is more exhausting than physical work for me. Especially when you are not sure where you are going.

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  11. What a good day to get over and done. You deserve to be proud of yourself. And it's a lovely camp ground. Good on Emma for staying alert in her crate. She's a dear little dog and knows how to be good company. She's earned her place in the pack!

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  12. You drove Highway 71? With your rig? That road always wore me out to drive it with a car and I was at least thirty years younger. The only worse road, to me is Arkansas Highway 7. When I got caught on that at night, it was really scary. Congrats on your survival.

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  13. If you haven't seen them, make a point to see the Peabody Ducks. Need to be there by 11 so you can see them march in. They are a hoot. Here is a link to our blog on them.
    http://wheresweaver.blogspot.com/2011/07/march-of-peabody-ducks.html

    We stayed in Site FO1. It was fun watching all the BIG boats going in and out. Not much noise at all. Enjoy your stay.

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  14. 275 miles is a long drive in my opinion and we would be tired too. With Al driving, I try to help him navigate and I use my smart phone on the maps. In the satellite view, I can usually see the campground and that really helps relieve the stress of trying to get to a spot. I don't know how you do it on your own!

    Have you considered a truckers GPS? We bought a Garmin Dezl truckers Gps for the motorhome. It hopefully won't take us on roads we have no business being on.

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  15. One of my family's favorite spots to camp.

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  16. Love the name of your GPS! When Kevin plans our drive, he always looks at Google maps and Google Earth to get an idea of the roads we will be on. If our GPS wants to send us on a dirt road he finds somewhere to pull over first and then has a look at exactly where the GPS is sending us before heading down that road. Glad you got there safely but you are right that would be a very long drive for us as well. Good thing you don't have to do them every day.

    Ruth
    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

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  17. Nice spot....you did good! We too invested in a Rand McNally GPS at Camping World. It let's you plug in your MH dimensions, etc. so hopefully you don't get stuck on dead ends or low overpasses, etc. So far, so good!

    Enjoy your time at Maumelle...

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  18. Maumelle was or very first campground when we flew to Little Rock to buy Lucy 3 years ago! I loved it and it brings back great memories. Enjoy!

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  19. Glad to see you found a nice site after your long day. 275 miles is a full-day of driving for me, that's about as far as I want to go on any day.

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  20. Glad you found your way safely! After a few years on the road, I've learned to pre-plan tricky routes by studying Google Earth, especially the Street View. It's helped us out many times. We have a Garmin Dezl Trucker's GPS too, but we never rely on her entirely. I'll also call ahead for directions, "just in case". Enjoy your time relaxing!

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  21. We loved Maumelle, got lucky and stayed in a huge waterfront site in the B loop but we remember liking the privacy of the site you are in, too. One interesting thing is they have 10 full hook-up sites for people having long term medical care at the Univ. Of Arkansas.

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  22. If you only had that spa awaiting for you when you arrived. Good job figuring it all out...especially not having someone in the other seat to help! Like Sherry's idea about an expanded Google map. Enjoy those three free days...back to checking out your plantation tour.

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  23. GPS is a fabulous thing. . .until they send you on a "shortcut". . .never a good plan for an RV. . .

    Lovely place to recoup and relax. . .

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  24. Welcome to Arkansas! Although we aren't full-timers yet, we spend a lot of time in our RV. We enjoy Maumelle, especially when we have things to do "in the city", since Little Rock is our go-to place. We live in a small town about 50 miles northeast of Little Rock. We like to stay in F Loop as it seems to have a little less traffic. I don't remember how long you have to get north, but if you have a few extra days to spend, you might look into Willow Beach COE park, also on the Arkansas River. We actually enjoy it better than Maumelle simply because it is smaller and more rural. Wish we could meet you...if you decide to stay and go to Willow Beach, that's where we will be this weekend. Travel safe! I always enjoy your blog!

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  25. Judy, I just got an email from a mutual friend who told me where you are! I have been reeeeal busy with grandbabies and such for a few weeks and haven't been reading my regular blog list much ...

    my goodness~ you're 20 minutes from my house! I would love to buy you a coffer ... I'm babysitting Charlie (my four month old grandson) until around 4 or 5 each day

    I don't see an email address for you. If you would like to say hello please leave a comment on my ol blog and we'll go from there...

    hope to hear from you ... would love to meet Emma... ;)

    http://amigoingsomeplace.blogspot.com/

    Carolyn

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  26. Judy, I haven't blogged in quite some time, but I still read blogs occasionally. Being from AR, Maumelle is one of our favs. In fact, we just left there about 3 weeks ago. There are so many areas where you can walk. The Big Dam Bridge is at the next exit, then right. It crosses the dam across the AR River. There are a lot of bikers in the area as you noticed -- the City of LR (or the county) paid a lot of money so they would have their own paved pathway, but for some unknown reason, they still use the road. Hope you enjoy your visit -- lots of good eating places in the area as well!

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  27. We have enjoyed all the COE parks we have been in, but rustic is the best word to describe them:)

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  28. I agree, I'd rather have a beautiful secluded site like yours than a more packed in site by the water. In fact, I just moved to another campground - got tired of picnickers in my front window. Now I have a site that's mine and the table is mine. No one else should be interested in it. I do still have a water view, though. Not the lake, just a nice part of the skinny Rio Grande.

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  29. I do NOT know how you drive that big rig..I would have to wear Depends.

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  30. We prefer the same kind of secluded woodland site with no other campsites very close by. It fits us to a T also. I was hoping you'd be at Toad Suck Campground (closer to Conway). Ain't it a great name for a park?

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  31. We drove a little over 200 today and were exhausted. We love to stay at maumelle park. While we were still working we made many a weekend trip there to just get away. Its a very nice park and price is great with the senior discount. If you like a good hamburger, stop on Cantrell Rd at Chee Burger Chee Burger. Yum. Safe travels to you

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  32. We aren't big on travel days over 150 miles -- just our style -- but sometimes you do what you need to do and sleep for the next two days. :-)

    We have enjoyed a number of COE sites, abut I'll have to put a note on my COE map for this one.... looks like just our kinda place!

    Cheers,
    Peter
    A retired photographer looks at life
    Peter Pazucha dot Com
    Life Unscripted on Wordpress


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  33. That looks like a beautiful, peaceful site.
    Teri
    markteri.blogspot.com

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  34. Me thinks another spa appointment is in order

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