Day 61 - Hermitage, TN (Day 1)

We drove 241 miles on I-40E today and ended up in Hermitage, TN.  Hmm, Hermitage ... so where's Hermitage?  It's a Nashville suburb.

The Start:
The day started earlier than most.  Carol heard boats on the river and was up by 7am with camera in hand.  She caught the sun waking the day ...

Heading Out:
We met a couple who had been full-time RVing for 20 years.  They bought their used 34ft Airstream trailer from Tom Raper in Indiana in 1993 ... it shined like new!   They were heading for Texas to pick up their mail.

This beauty caught our eye as we pulled out of the campground.  We think it's a 1984 Airstream 345 Motorhome.

Along the Way:
I-40 crossed the Mississippi River and took us into Memphis.

I-40 approaching the Mississippi River

Tennessee greeting

The Pyramid (aka The Pyramid Arena) was opened in 1991 and closed in 2004.  It's currently being converted to a Bass Pro Shops megastore.

The Pyramid is on Mud Island

We stopped at Bailey's Restaurant in Wildersville for a late breakfast.  We'd never heard of either (Bailey's or Wildersville), but we learned of something new there ... "chocolate gravy". Carol asked about a menu side item listed as "biscuits and cocoa".  We were told it was homemade biscuits served with "chocolate gravy".  A customer stopped at our table and explained that "chocolate gravy" was really very good and it was probably a Tennessee specialty.  Carol tried some and ... it really was very good!  Who'd a guessed it?

The Campground:
We stopped at Nashville Shores RV Resort.  It's part of a theme park located along the shore of Percy Priest Lake, just off I-40.

Site #14

We can see Percy Priest Lake
from our front window

Tomorrow:
We're planning to stay here for a day or so.  Nashville offers lots to see and do.

Day 60 - West Memphis, AR

Getting on the road after spending time with Jim and Bobbie was tough.  

Jim went to work early.  Bobbie, Dick and Carol had coffee and talked as long as the schedule would allow.  These days and hours together have been precious.  

It's time to go

Our time together was really special

Bailey says goodbye

Bailey provided a nice distraction
during the goodbyes

The Route:

We only drove 139 miles today ... on purpose.  We learned a few years ago that there are few private and no state campgrounds along our route from Memphis to Nashville.  The drive to Nashville was longer than we wanted to attempt today.

We took AR-25 north to Concord, AR-87 southeast to Pleasant Plains, US-167 south to Bald Knob, US-64 east to Marion, then I-55 south to West Memphis.

The trip was very pleasant.  It was sunny and the temperature stayed in the low 80s.  Light traffic and smooth highways helped the miles go by faster.

Cotton field along US-64 as we approach
Marion, AR

The Campground:
We're camped along the banks of the Mississippi River at Tom Sawyer's RV Park. Fortunately, Carol called ahead to check availability at 11:30am.  We got on the list and were told they had plenty of space available.  We arrived at 2:30pm and learned they were now sold out.  This stop could have gotten messy had we not called.

Entrance gate

Site #49

Evening River Scenes:
River traffic was light and the water level was low today.

Heading upstream from the campground

Heading downstream from the campground

Hard turn to port (left) clears a sandbar

Gulls in flight

The river had to be running high and fast to
deposit this big trunk on the shoreline

Sunset views

Day 59 - Drasco, AR (Day 3)

Today was a sunny, low-key, family day.

We got up and moving around 10am and headed for Heber Springs for breakfast.

Bobbie and Dick leaving for breakfast

Rustic Inn was just that.  It's not fancy, it just serves delicious breakfasts and provides friendly service.  Bobbie, Jim and Dick enjoyed their Skillet Breakfast; Carol had french toast, scrambled eggs and bacon.  We all left with a big smile.

Breakfast at The Rustic Inn

Back home ...
We returned home and did some "real life" kind of things.  Carol did laundry, Bobbie made an apple pie and prepared dinner, Jim did some errands, and Dick got caught up on bills and email ...  and we continued to reminisce.

Jim and Bobbie's home

Evening ...
Heather and Haley (Heather's 4 year old daughter) joined us for a wonderful pork chop dinner. Conversation was lively and fun.

We got treated to Bobbie's apple pie mentioned earlier.  It was SO good!  We've got to get out of here tomorrow or we'll weigh too much to move.

Brother Dave ...
The day ended with a fun call with our little brother, David.  For clarification ... Dave is the youngest, but he's certainly not the littlest.  He lives in Milton just outside of Burlington, VT.  It's been years since we've all joined in on the same conversation.

Day 58 - Drasco, AR (Day 2)

The day began with sunshine and a wonderful breakfast prepared by Jim.  The highlight was "egg McCouron" breakfast sandwiches (consisting of an English muffin, egg, cheese and sugar ham).  Fresh fruit and coffee complimented the menu.

We spent the day visiting and doing a few chores ... note the emphasis on "few".

Views of the grounds ...

Jim & Bobbie's driveway

Our campsite

Drive in front of the house

Dinner was a fun outing at Mack's Fish & Steak House in Heber Springs.  We tried some of their specialties ... chicken fried chicken, jumbo fried shrimp, ribeye steak and hushpuppies. Every dish was delicious.  Given another opportunity, we'd probably order the same thing.

It's important to note that we skipped dessert at the restaurant.  Such restraint should be rewarded, so we had more of Bobbie's Ding Dong cake after we got home and settled in for the night.

Day 57 - Drasco, AR (Day 1)

The sun is out, the sky is clear and the temperature is in the mid-70s.  It's a great day to travel.

The Route:
We drove 152 miles to Dick's sister's home in the country near Drasco.  We left Hot Springs on I-30, then took AR-440, US-67N and AR-5 to bypass Little Rock.

AR-5 heading north toward Drasco

At the Couron's:
We got to Jim and Bobbie Couron's a little after 3pm.  We visited for a while, then set-up the trailer.

Dick and Bobbie talk about trailer stuff

There's a ton of catching up to do.  We visited some more and waited for Jim to come home from work.

Bobbie served a delicious dinner of poppy seed chicken casserole with noodles, green beans and fresh baked bread.  Dessert was a 4-layer Ding Dong cake that looked exactly like the Hostess product ... including the vanilla swirl on top.  "Yummy" doesn't come close to describing the experience.

We wish our brother Dave could be here to share in the memories.

Day 56 - Mountain Pine, AR (Day 2)

We're in a forest on a ridge above Hot Springs.  Phone service, and our related internet connection, is limited.  Pictures will be added later.  (Added October 9th)
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We got caught by arriving late last night.  Because of a conflicting reservation, we have to be out of site #19 by 3pm.  We'll move to site #24 early then go explore Hot Springs.

We got moved, set-up again and on the road by 11am.

Leaving #19

Setting up in #24
(Travel distance approximately 150 ft.)

Bath House Row ...
We walked along Central Avenue and viewed the bath houses.  All of the national park buildings were closed.  Central Avenue was lined with touristy shops.  A number of the shops were selling 1 gallon plastic jugs for $1 each ... people use them to draw free hot spring water from public spigots.

National Park office

There are 8 bathhouses on the row ... Lamar, Buckstaff, Fordyce, Maurice, Hale, Superior,
Quapaw and Ozark.

Lamar

Fordyce

Maurice

Hale

Superior

Quapaw

Ozark

Central Avenue ...

Seriously?  I thought we were in Arkansas.

The Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa

Shops along Central Avenue

The city offers a number of reminders

Duck Tour ...
Do we spend 20 minutes in a Hot Springs bath or spend an hour and 15 minutes touring Hot Springs National Park and Lake Hamilton in a WWII amphibious landing craft?  The "Duck" won.  The captain's constant narrative and humor was a real kick!

This is our Duck?

We're easing down a ramp into
Lake Hamilton

Whee!  The truck becomes a boat.

The captain went by many names ...
he liked "Captain America" best.
(He really reminded us of Dave Witchey)

Jerry Jones owns this home ...
he also owns the Dallas Cowboys!

Hamilton House is quite a mansion on the lake

We used this little ramp to enter
and leave the lake

Sunset ...
Lake Quachita (WAH-shi-tah) is the largest lake completely in Arkansas.  The lake features one of the largest crystal veins in the world.  It also has rare jellyfish (non-stinging) and sponges found in only very few of the cleanest freshwater lakes.  It's beautiful, peaceful and just a short walk from our campsite.

Lake Quachita

At sunset