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Borrego Springs, CA

Monday, April 28, 2014

I’m back in Texas!

After weathering the storm yesterday in northern Louisiana, I was able to continue my journey north this morning.  There were high winds in Louisiana yesterday, but we didn’t get any rain until five this morning.  The thunder and lightening that went with it woke me right up.  I’m glad I didn’t head out yesterday because I would have been driving right into the storm.

Anyway, when I got to Shreveport, I headed west on I-20 and ended up in Texas once again.  Last year I took US 71 out of Shreveport and wandered around Arkansas for a week.  I didn’t want to repeat that route again so I’ll be taking several roads I’ve never driven before. 

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Last night I picked out this campground (Angels Camp RV Park) a little north of Paris, TX.  Jack-in-the-Box didn’t pick the route I would have taken to get here, but it turned out just fine.  I did have one pucker moment as I suddenly encountered an underpass that was only 13’ 7”.  I figure my rig is 13’ 6” tall, so I sucked in my breathe, went really slowly, and passed through unscathed. I don't know smile

Angels Park is very convenient to US 271, but that also means lots of road sounds.  Full hookups with 50 amps, cable, and Wi-Fi is $30/night.  They don’t give any discounts.  It’s a nice enough camp, but a little overpriced in my opinion.

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It does have one feature, however, that I’ve not seen before.  This is the tornado shelter.  I don’t know how big it is under that lid, but it kind of reminded me of a grave.  I suppose if I had driven here yesterday, we might have had to use it.  Disappointed smile

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The last place I visited on my tourist day on Saturday near Natchitoches was the Rebel State Historic Site.  I wanted to see two things at this state park.  The first was the Louisiana Country Music Museum. 

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I believe the lady working there told me that it was opened in 1988.  I’m not a big country music fan, but I can appreciate most kinds of music so I found the museum very interesting.  There was a good movie to watch to give you some background.  While I didn’t recognize all of the performers named, I did know some of them.

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I especially liked this definition of country music.  My only regret about the museum is that the music was missing.  There were four or five stations with a button to push to hear the sounds to accompany the era of each display, but none of them worked.  They would have added a lot to my experience.

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The second reason I came to Rebel State Historic Site was to see the grave of the Unknown Confederate Soldier, and pay my respects. 

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This grave was the original focal point of the Historic Site, before the museum was built.  I found it very admirable that the Barnhill family tended this grave for nearly 100 years, before the state of Louisiana took over its care.

Since today’s drive was a bit over 200 miles, and the winds are supposed to be blasting again tomorrow, I’ve decided to spend two nights at this campground.  I wonder what I can find that’s interesting in Paris, Texas, tomorrow…

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

24 comments:

  1. 13'6" is DOT minimum for overpasses. Our 40' Foretravel is about 12'2", counting our A/C shrouds, Winegard Travel'r satellite dish, solar panels, etc. We make it 12'6" to give ourselves wiggle room. If you look when you are parked near a semi truck, I think you will find that you are a good deal lower than they ... and they pass under the 13'6" stuff with ease. For true peace of mind, we climbed onto the roof and did an actual measure of our rig. Once you do that, you can post a little note on the dash to remind yourself and then never have to worry again! Love that part of Texas ... the Foretravel factory in in Nacogdoches (the "sister" city to Nachitoches) and we go back almost every year for maintenance. If you are ever in need of service and can't make it to your usual guy, don't be afraid to stop in!! Hope you miss the storms and the twisters as you head north. Safe travels!!

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  2. I had to look up Paris on the map.... hey... you're almost in Oklahoma... definitely on the route north now. Hope the weather is good and you have safe travels.

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  3. glad landed safely, and there was no need to use that tornado shelter!

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  4. Glad to hear they have a real tornado shelter. I think it should be required of Rv parks in tornado alley. Glad you aren't in all this storm stuff. I thought you were further north.

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  5. I think I shuddered everytime I had to drive under a bridge with my 5th wheel. I know it wasn't as tall as your MH, but I was scared no matter the clearance! Good luck in avoiding the worst weather.

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  6. I made Jim get on the roof and measure our rig so I knew for sure where we would fit. I still hold my breath on some of them. Glad you didn't have to use that shelter but it sure is nice to know there is one there. I'm really glad you didn't head to Arkansas. Things are really sad there.

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  7. Interesting museum visit. Sure glad you're safe from the storm, hoping it stays safe for you.
    - Mary Ann

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  8. If your RV wasn't 13' 6" before you went through that underpass, it would have been after... :cD

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  9. You had a wonderful day out! Wonderful pictures of the places!

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  10. We have passed through Paris Texas maybe half a dozen times in our travels years ago & twice got lost in the construction zones. I generally do what another commenter suggested & crawl up on the roof with a tape measure & measure the height. I paste that height right on the dash in front of me. I once had to climb up the rear ladder near Flagstaff Az & stay there as Kelly slowly drove under an old arched railway underpass. That was a bit hairy with not a lot of room to spare where the underpass arched at the top. Better keep a close eye on all that unsettled weather around you. Safe travels........

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  11. I think curiosity would have gotten the best of me and I would have had to look under that tornado shelter lid. It looked like concrete and if it was how the heck is anyone supposed to lift it in an emergency????

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  12. Isn't there a door into that tornado shelter?? My family in Arkansas is talking about building one--all these years they've never had one but it seems the storms are coming more often and are more severe. Safe travels Judy, keep under those overpasses!

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    1. It just seems that way because the media needs News and death is always a good headline.

      A cold start to 2014 kicked off a quiet tornado season this year, which has seen the fewest twisters since 1915, according to preliminary National Weather Service (NWS) reports. The preliminary tornado count for 2013 was 891. Depending on the final confirmation rate, this could be the slowest tornado year since 1989 when 856 tornadoes were confirmed. The 1991-2010 annual tornado average is 1,253.

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  13. I think you passed through my old home town! Glad you and the overpass didn't collide. Those are scary moments! Stay safe, and keep in touch so we will know you're okay.

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  14. Like the Confederate museum. Very interesting to find those little gems out in the middle of nowhere. And I love the pictures of the Roseate Spoonbills in the banner. My favorite bird in the Everglades!

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  15. I haven't read blogs for a while, but if you're heading north to MN, take your time. We're back home, and its been cold, rainy/snowy and windy since we've been here!!! Safe travels!!

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  16. We both really enjoy country music, and would have really enjoyed that museum. But, very strange that they had no music playing.

    When we were in Oklahoma if years back, every campground we stayed in had a tornado shelter. We actually had to use the one in Oklahoma City twice. Very scary.

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  17. Like the idea of that tornado shelter. We were at a COE park in AR just 100 miles south of Joplin, MO the night that big tornado hit. The only place to get shelter was an old wooden outhouse so we just stayed in the RV and hoped for the best. Quite a stressful night!

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  18. Safe travels during this season of violent storms! Tyler State Park is not far from you. It has a loop of Full Hook-ups and "big rig" level sites. A pretty park to walk and bike ride.

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  19. You sure find some neat places to visit!
    FYI...a friend of ours who drove 18 wheelies for a living made us aware of those height signs. He said they never take into consideration that roads are repaved!
    Have a great day!

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  20. always love your adventures. . .your decision to spend an extra night where you know it's safe seems like a good one. . .and I agree $30 seems a little ouchy. . .continued safe travels!

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  21. That tornado shelter certainly did look like a grave - maybe it was a one time. Pretty creepy place to have to crawl into though.

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  22. An inch is supposed to be as good as a mile, but I would be sweating. We will have to visit that state park.

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  23. You sure did find some interesting places and food in Louisiana. We hope to visit them.

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