Return to Petit Jean

 It has been a rainy drizzly month with a few dry days in between storm systems.  June started off dry and warmer and a few days ago we started preparing for this trip.  We still had a late start Tuesday but thankfully the trip is only a few hours.  We brought the car with us this trip so we could get out and about and explore the area.

When we were here last month, it was only an overnight stay in the "high-end" campground.  This trip we reserved the less expensive area.  This campground area is more wooded and natural with lesser quality paved spots for the RV.  The site itself is good sized with a table on a concrete pad, BBQ grill, Fire pit, a lantern pole, water, and 30 Amp electrical service.  

More specific to our campsite than most of the others, the water spigot was placed a considerable distance from the electrical utilities.  I would need at least, a 50 foot water line to get connected, maybe more.  Thankfully I had filled the fresh water tank before we set out.  

We arrived after 5 pm Tuesday so drove the car down to the Visitors station this morning to formally get checked-in.  After that we drove over to the Cedar falls trailhead.  The "trail" was a well constructed boardwalk with a gentle slope leading down a quarter mile to the Cedar falls overlook.  Lynn commented she had made the trek all the way down to the bottom of the falls many years ago.  The boys were happy to take the trail down but enjoyed a ride with Lynn on the way back up to the parking area.

Afterwards, we drove down off the mountain to Morrilton, AR and stopped at Walmart for a few supplies and headed back to camp.  We had a bite to eat and relaxed into a couple hour nap as a rain band made its way across the mountain passing East of us by 5:30.

We'll be here a few days and head back home Friday.  I'll probably follow up with another post before then but it will likely be brief.  Thanks for dropping in and please, feel free to leave a comment.  Cheers!

Petit Jean Mountain

 We pulled out of Winnsboro around 10am after stopping for gas.  The trip was nice and easy as we stayed on US-425 most of the way.  Not a lot of traffic and 65mph speed limits most of the way.  Not exactly the best of roads being a little bumpy but still so much less stressful and missing the bigger towns.  We were on the lookout for a nice spot to pull over and let the boys out when we came upon Portland, Arkansas and pulled over at their little community park.  A nice little respite for a short break to stretch your legs, and quite well kept considering the size of the town.

Back on the road and back onto Interstate once we reached Pine Bluff and grabbed some lunch.  From there traffic was still pretty nice being a Saturday and early afternoon.  We got off of I-40 at Morrilton, AR and made our way up Petit Jean Mountain.  Lynn and I had been to Petit Jean about twenty years ago but I think we came in from the west side back then.

Wow, What a Beautiful State Park we have here.  I can definitely say I am impressed.  Petit Jean State Park is very well maintained and appointed.  It's a shame this is just an overnight stay. 

There's lots of room, lots of trees and grass, full hook-ups for the RV and a great rate at that.  That was all we needed to see and so we've already booked a week for next month.  We had just finished dinner before I started getting this post entered in. It's getting dark now and we'll be heading home in the morning.  I was just getting to really enjoy this little outing.  Oh well, I'm sure looking forward to the next trip.  Until then, Cheers!

The Scenic route

 We started our way back about 9:30 Thursday morning heading north back up to I-10 then west for a Starbucks stop in Slidell, LA.  Lynn was reminiscent being in southern Louisiana and wanted to take a more scenic route up US-61.  This would mean traveling west all the way to Baton Rouge before veering north on the Scenic Highway then onto the Old Scenic Highway past an area of fond childhood memories for Lynn.  This would lead us back up into Mississippi for a time before finally crossing the Mississippi River at Natchez.

From there we would follow US-425 from Vidalia to Winnsboro Louisiana and stay a couple nights at her brothers place outside of town.  

We all went out for a delicious dinner at a locally very popular restaurant called "Honey's" in Mangham, LA which just happens to be operated by Lynn's nephew.  It's always quite active and they are currently expanding to handle the traffic.  Afterwards, we went back and settled in for a quiet evening.  Toto and Bilbo really like the open area to roam around in after being stuck in the RV most of the day.  We'll be staying here another night before heading north again Saturday morning for our next overnight stay at Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas.  Hopefully I'll get another chance to post again before we get home, till then, Cheers! 

Gulf of America

 My apologies, I let my depression get the best of me when I should have used this to get me through it.  We spent two days at the Landry Vineyards near West Monroe, Louisiana.  While it was a beautiful setting, it was hot, humid, and without any breeze. We drove through a major thunderstorm on our way in with crosswinds buffeting the RV on I-20 just before we arrived.  It was still raining as we pulled in but cleared by the time we got set up.  Lynn had a wine tasting board and I had a glass of wine that afternoon.  Next day Lynn's niece came by to visit with a handful of kids and the vineyard had live music that afternoon.  I didn't get any pictures but there are plenty available online.

Next morning we were off again and headed for the gulf coast.  We booked four days at Fontainebleau state park just outside of Slidell, Louisiana.  The idea was to spend some time on or by the water.  Unfortunately the water was in the day use area and not near the RV campground.  We kept it simple and broke camp a few times to cruise around the area but it wasn't enough.

This morning we broke camp and drove to a beachfront RV campsite at the Silver Slipper Casino in Waveland, Mississippi.  We had scheduled this as a stop on our little winter escape back in January this year but had to bypass it due to weather conditions.  Now that we are here, Lynn has decided to make this spot a destination of its own.  We spent a little time on the beach with the boys, then came back to the RV for a bite of lunch and an afternoon nap.  Some part of this was enough to break through my funk and get this post up.  

We're heading back homeward tomorrow, spending a couple days in Winnsboro with family and hopefully home by Sunday afternoon.  I'll write some more soon. Till then, Cheers!

Downtown Riverside

 We're off again. Just a 10 day trip down south. Fist night out this time at the Downtown Riverside RV Park in Little Rock.  I have to admit I was a little reluctant before reading the reviews.  Turns out its pretty nice.  We got a riverside spot with full hookup. There's a nice grassy area with trees and benches along the riverbank.  

Rather than ramble on about nothing, I'll cut this short here.  I just wanted to let ya'll know we were out and about again. We'll be staying at Landry's Vineyard in West Monroe Friday and Saturday.  Hopefully I'll have a bit more to reflect on after that.  Right now, its just good to be out again.  Cheers!

Belle Starr RV Park

 Saturday, March 1st 2025

Our last stop on the road home. On the shores of Lake Eufaula in Oklahoma at the Belle Starr Corps of Engineers RV Park.  A nice spot to rest and relax before the final leg tomorrow.  We had originally planned to stop here on our way out but it was still snow covered last week.  Today its a nice sunny 68 degrees with a mild breeze.  

It was just two years ago we began our journeys in Georgie Girl. Now, just 27000 miles later, we've decided to get another Motorhome.  Georgie Girl has been great and we've been with her long enough to recognise we enjoy the time spent out touring the country.  As ideal as she's been, we've also figured out what more we might like beyond what Georgie Girl provided.  So, We've decided to put her up for sale. So for anyone who might be interested, feel free to contact us and we'll be glad to give you the full run down.

I'd prefer to sell her outright, but a dealer trade-in could be in the works if we find what we want and they can make the paperwork easy.  That said, I expect I'll have to get back to changing up the RV Spot at the house to accomodate the new one.  In the mean time, we still have plans for a short trip to Hot Springs, AR next month and a summer trip to New England is also in the agenda.  Hopefully we'll be in the new RV in time for that trip.

I'm glad to have so many friends follow along on our journeys, and the blog has helped me to remember all the places we've been.  Happy First day of March, Cheers!

Kimball Bend Park

 We left San Antonio about 11 am and took the scenic route north through Bourne and Fredericksburg.  After spending the past few days in 80 degree weather I'm looking forward to Spring in the Ozarks.  It was a rough and stressful drive north across the rolling hills of texas.  Nicely, many of the Texas stae highways have roadside picnic areas and I took advantage of a few to calm my nerves.  Driving the Texas back country would have been a lot more enjoyable in a car but in the RV the roads were just narrow enough to test your skills and didn't leave room to take in the views especially when there was oncomming trafic.

We stopped for gas and groceries in Meridian, TX and continued north to Kopperl, TX pulling in for the evening at Kimball Bend Park. It's a Corps of Engineers Campground on the Brazos River southwest of Ft. Worth, TX.  We arrived at about 4:30, got a pull-thru site with a nice covered picnic table, water and electrical hookups.  After getting the RV opened up, Toto and Bilbo took a walk with me across the campground and down to the river.

We'll be here overnight and split up the last 500 miles home with our next stop somewhere in between.  We've been reviewing possible options for tomorrow nights stay but haven't found a winner just yet.  I'm wishing for something more forested or maybe mountains with a view. It's all up in the air at the moment but we'll get something figured out.  

Come back tomorrow and find out.  Cheers!