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!