Northwest towards home

 Well, Sorry for the delayed post.  We spent thursday afternoon in town with friends for lunch. I drove along the coast afterwards looking for a good place to enjoy the beach and let the dogs roam but sadly there wasn't a good spot to get parked when we finally found a nice stretch of beach.  We headed back to the park and spent our last night getting prepared for our return trip.  We awoke Friday morning and were treated to a visitor enjoying the local flora.

I had seen a few doe on occasion during our stay but this was the first I'd seen the buck.  So keenly aware of his surroundings, he wasn't sticking around to pose for me.  We got everything closed up and disconnected by 7:30 but making our way out of the park took nearly a half hour before passing the gate.  From there the GPS was in charge and it was a 6 hour trek to one of my favorite overnight stops at Mount Olive, Mississippi.  So much so that it is the background scene on the blog.  Being winter, we always have the place to ourselves and the boys really enjoy the freedom to run.

It's only an overnight stop, then back on the road again to our next stop and where we are currently for a visit with Lynn's brother Scott in Winnsboro, Louisianna.  This too was to be an overnight stay but winter weather was threatening our return as well.  It's still two travel days from here to Bella Vista and temperatures are expected to be about 5 degrees at home Monday evening then back up to about 20 degrees Tuesday overnight. With the Bitter cold comming down from the north and moisture comming up from the gulf, 3 to 5 inches of snow is actually expected to fall here in Louisianna monday afternoon.  

Our plan now is to head out Monday morning ahead of the snow and make out way north to Maumelle park again. Then make the final leg home on Tuesday arriving home early enough to get unloaded and winterized before nightfall.  Fingers crossed, Let's hope it all goes to plan.  Cheers!

Florida Panhandle

 We got up early Monday morning getting ready to make the final stretch to Florida.  This trip was all about escaping the frigid temps and snow which we accomplished but thats not to say we had escaped the cold. The same actic air was dipping down to the gulf coast as well with just a little less vigor.  For the most part, we've been able to stay above freezing temperatures but 40 degrees isn't exactly t-shirt weatheer either.  I really can't complain, Its good to get out and I'm happy not to be shoveling snow.  

The skies were cloudy when we were getting ready to pull out and a squadron of White Pelicans came up the bayou dipping for breakfast.  Of course, they spun around and headed back out as soon as they saw me but not before I got a good shot with my camera.

We had gotten under way by 10am and drove East on I-10 as far as Pensacola before dropping south to US-98 and following the Gulf Coast the remainder of the trip.  We had plenty of time to kill before check-in time and making an easy drive along the coast was better than racing traffic along the interstate.  After a few pit stops and a re-supply at Publix, we pulled in at St. Andrews State Park and got checked in.  We had been just ahead of another cloud system on our way east and it had caught up to us by the time we arrived.  It was overcast and with temps in the low 40s overnight but the clouds had cleared and we woke up Tuesday morning to clear skies and sunshine.  It's still a little brisk at 46 right now as I'm writing this but the high for today is 59 degrees. If not for the constant 12-15 mph winds out of the north, I'd be in a t-shirt now. 

Being on the gulf coast, there isn't a selection of forested campsites and, RV sites in Florida aren't exactly easy to find during the winter.  This will do just fine.

We'll be here till Friday.  I'll try and update again before we leave but there isn't any Wi-Fi and I'm having to tether to my cell phone signal for a connection.  Until next time, Cheers!

Sioux Bayou

 It's a cloudy gloomy Sunday, quiet aside from Bilbo wanting to play fetch.  Saturday was actually Sunny for a few hours.  The Sun came out about 2pm and although the temps were in the low 50s the sun made it quite nice.  I even broke out the lounge chairs and we sat out in the fresh air for a while to soak up some sun.

It's been many years since I lived anywhere near the coast and although I've not forgotten it, being here along the bayou reminds me that the moon does a lot more than light up the nights.  I've watched the tide rise and fall about three feet here.  Something I took it for granted so many years ago that now seems facinating to observe. The Sioux Bayou has a rich diverse fauna, although I'm limited to what I can observe from the campsite.  I always expect to see the cranes perched on tall stilts for legs on the banks, and half expect to see a gator poking out of the water but as cold as it has been I imagine they aren't moving around very much.  I did get to see a Belted Kingfisher, not a common bird in Arkansas.  A Great Blue Heron, Brown Pelicans, White Pelicans, and several other coastal birds have made appearances during our stay.  The beautiful sunset (below) Saturday evening was tranquil but another low pressure system moved in overnight blanketing dense clouds over the area and now we're expecting rain to start up and continue for the remainder of our stay here.

I'm going to start putting away everything I can before the rain picks up.  We'll be heading out tomorrow to make our way further east and settle in at Panama City Beach for the week.  Untl then, Enjoy the rest of your weekend and drop in again soon when you can.  Cheers!

Winter Storm Cora

 Well, we got it right.  We left Maumelle Park Thursday morning and stayed just ahead of the storm front arriving in Vicksburg Mississippi for our next overnight stop.  It pretty much rained the enitre time we were there and was letting up as we were pulling out Friday morning.  

Heading Southeast Friday we were on the trailing edge of the storm all day with a light misty rain.  My daughter is back home watching the house while we are away and sent us pictures from the back patio this morning.  Looks like we escaped just in time.  Six inches of snow in Bella Vista, and although it's quite beautiful, I'm happy to be down on the Gulf coast for the next week plus.

We're currently staying just outside Gautier, MS at a place called Sioux Bayou RV Park.  Like the name says, our RV Site is backed right up to the Bayou, and not more than 3 miles from the Gulf or locally Pascagoula Bay.

We'll be staying here for the next couple days, I'm not sure if I'll post again before we leave but just check back when you can.  Thanks for stopping by. Cheers!

Arctic Escape 2025

 After starting out the New Year with single digit temps and an inch of snow it was decided we would head down to the gulf coast.  Nothing exceptional but the promise temperatures above freezing.  Our plan was to leave on Friday but, another arctic blast and significantly more snow was forecast to begin on Thursday prompting us to scramble out Wednesday.  We're stopped at our favorite launching off point, Maumelle Park, just outside of Little Rock.  Watching the current forecast, Little Rock is expecting snow and ice to begin Thursday afternoon.  If we get this right, We'll be headed southeast early and should be out of the way of the snow and ice long before it arrives.  I expect we will still see some precipitation but, closer to the gulf coast it should only be rain. 

I filled the water tank about half way before we left home, purged all the air from the lines and turned on the water heater.  After several days below freezing, water was obviously unavailable in the park but all we needed was a spot to park with an electrical hookup. More to come, Thanks for dropping in.

October Farewell

I've started this post a half dozen times only to start over again.  I was awaken at around 6am to the less than familiar sound of rain comming down on the RV.  It's a gentle rain and one that is long overdue.  Lynn said it's expected to end around 10am and if so, I'll be able to get the RV ready for the trip home.  I let the boys out about 8:30 but they weren't exactly excited to get outside.  I put up the outdoor amenities last night so the only thing left this morning is breakfast and final checks to get on the road.  Treasure Isle RV Park was a blessing this trip.

We met a delightful family that was in a fifth-wheel RV here.  Lynn and I have often filled our time browsing other RVers who have blogs/vlogs always looking for helpful info.   Ashley and Rob Peeples are Full Time RVers who keep a blog on Instagram, somewhere I had not considered to look before. I was quite impressed with it and wanted to share a link to there blog here. Peeples.and Places  I only wish we could have spent more time getting to know them better but I guess our blogs will have to fill in the gaps for now.

It's now 10:22am, we just finished breakfast and the rain is dwindling.  I guess I'll just have to make this a short post and get started on the road.  This ends our little October adventure.  I've got a new windshield ordered and have to take the RV in for a few days to have it installed.  We have a few jaunts scheduled for November but nothing set in stone just yet.  Glad you stopped in to catch up, feel free to call us anytime.  Cheers!

Ouachita River, Lake Hamilton, Hot Springs, AR

 We arrived at our next campsite about four O'clock and immediately regretted it.  Leisure Landing RV Park was marketed very well, Wi-Fi, Clubhouse, Fitness Center, Dog park, on the shores of Lake Hamilton.  What it turned out to be was a 1 acre Homesite with the attached garage converted to an office, the entire yard was gravel with 33 side by side RV sites designated by painted lines in the gravel. There was an 8 x 10 patch of grass under each of the plastic picnic tables. The shores of Lake Hamilton was the end of a cove and maybe fifty feet of seawall but view of the lake.  The Wi-Fi was so bad you couldn't watch a tv show more than three minutes at a time between buffering.  Thankfully it was good enough to book another place for the rest of our stay here. We got up and left first thing in the morning and made our way down into Historic Hot Springs.  We couldn't check-in to our next campsite till after 2pm so we decided to explore the local picnic grounds and found a beautiful spot at Gulpha Gorge.  A Hot Springs National Park Campground with a picnic area too.

I wish I had taken more pictures of the place. This was all just a great way to kill a little time, we stuck around for a while and ended up doing a drive around the campground too.  It was beautiful, autumn colors, a nice breeze, a cold mountain stream and the whole picnic area to ourselves.  It was enough to settle my attitude after being stuck in a gravel parking lot last night. Wanting to see more, we headed back to the historic district and found our way through to the Hot Springs Mountain Tower. There is a one-way winding road to the top of the mountain overlooking Hot Springs.  A sign at the entrance to the mountain loop forbidding vehicles of 30 feet long.  HA, Georgie Girl is 27 feet long... There were a LOT of hairpin turns but the road was very well planned and the drive to the top was very enjoyable in itself.  The view was wonderful and we continued around the north mountain loop just because!

After that, we still had a little more time to kill and found a simple picnic area called Bull Bayou out in the woods several miles away.  We fixed a quick lunch and let the dogs out to play.  It was quiet, practically deserted, and far enough out of the way there was no hint we were anywhere near town.  Still more time to kill, we made the drive out to Brady Mountain where we were originally going to stay but cancelled because of the communications dead zone.  It was a 30 minute drive and 7 miles off the highway down a narrow winding two lane country road.  Brady Mountain campground was beautiful, secluded, and surrounded by Lake Ouachita.  It's a COE (Corps of Engineers) campground with only electrical hookups.  This means we would have to fill the water tank on the way in and go back again when we run out of water or need to empty the waste water tanks.  Not really an issue since we can usually go 3 to 4 days on the water tank.  The park is closing for the season November 1st and our little tour revealed only 5 campers in the entire park. Too bad about the signal.

And Finally, Ahhhh, This is the view behind our campsite for the next few days.  This is Treasure Isle RV Park on the Ouachita River upstream of Lake Hamilton.  Full Hookups including cable tv and excellent Wi-Fi.  We'll be heading home in a few days but I'm planning to get another post in before we head home, for now it's all rest and relaxation in Hot Springs Arkansas.  Until next time, Cheers!