Sunday, May 24 Today’s drive was a tour out around the countryside and through several lake communities. Degray Lake Resort State Park was especially beautiful with lots of camping, boating and a large lodge. Lake Hamilton is another nice lake backed up to the town of Hot Springs. Back at the camper we enjoyed the campsite – I really love my new chair/swing, and started a new pine needle basket. We kept our eye on the weather all day and the predicted thunderstorms kept getting pushed back. At 6:00 we cooked (steak, scallops, and potato cakes) and began cleaning up the campsite afterwards. Looking at the weather there is a high percentage for strong thunderstorms for the next six days. If we stick to our quarantine-while-camping plan we can’t go into stores, walk the mall, take in a movie, or go out to eat. . . any of the customary go-to activities on a rainy day. We decided to end this little vacay on a successful note and head for home on Monday and Tuesday. Monday, May 25
As we entered Kentucky, after driving 9 hours, we discovered that camping is not open in Kentucky yet – State Parks, or Private campgrounds! We thought to pull over in a rest area . . . but they were all full of truckers, and the temperatures/humidity were not good for boondocking. A quick calculation told us we could be home before midnight . . . if Tom kept driving. BINGO! Sixteen hour and 856 miles saw us in the driveway promptly at 11:00! Parting pictures are of our little back-seat-buddies, Charlie Button and Jasper. They were excellent travelers on this trip -- not a PEEP from the back seat!
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Saturday, May 23 Before Tom came to bed last night, he took the weather forecast seriously, and stowed our rug, chairs, tables, and awnings. By 10:00 it was raining with lightning, thunder, and some wind. It kept up all night long, but In the morning it let up enough to put the awnings back out for morning coffee. Today began with a “new deal” for us – new neighbors! (They had gotten wet in the tent site during the night and insisted on moving.) We are in a long, narrow, terraced site where the only thing giving us privacy from the RV on the level below us – is that RV’s backside! Our awning goes right to the edge of our site, where there is a 4’ tall wall and drop-off onto the site below us. Privacy works great for RV’s and motorhomes . . . not so much for little pup tents! Two Harleys roared in, followed by two more men in a little compact car. Evidently it is gratifying to some Harley riders to hear the rev of their engine . . . long after they get off the machine! They vomited noise and fumes for 15 minutes towards our awning where we sat just 5’ away. When they sat on the wall between our sites, they were about 3’ from our feet as we sit in our chairs! As their tents were all ruined during the night’s storms, they headed out to buy a couple new tents. We had a front row seat to watch as they set up the new tents for the first time. Luckily, they were fairly nice guys, gone most of the day, only stayed for one night, and were quiet during the evening. The orange Harley in the picture is not part of the group! They set up on the step right below us, in-between the two stone walls. Our afternoon drive was to Ouachita State Park, about 20 miles from Hot Springs. It is a beautiful State Park and is open for camping and boating, although the bath houses were not open. It is primarily a water sport venue and many of the campsites back up right to the lake. It also had "The Three Sisters" springs -- noted for their medicinal properties. Our return trip brought us through the little town of Hot Springs Village, and we got a drive-thru lunch. In the afternoon we headed to a couple rock shops – perfect for shopping because all the goodies are in an outdoor enclosed patio. We were looking for some good prospects for our tumbler, but they really didn’t have that kind of produce. Lots of very large pieces of . . . everything . . . and also a lot of colored glass. After dinner (Onions filled with a creamy sausage stuffing) we headed downtown for an evening walk. We were surprised to see that other people were out walking the streets – not nearly as many as for a usual Saturday night, but enough to make it exciting after all our isolation! It was easy to maintain social distance, and we didn’t go in any of the stores, although many were open. Rather than go in one of the (many) ice cream shops, we got in the car and drove to Dairy Queen. Their ice cream machine was BROKEN! The only picture on this little excursion was one for the local Bait and Tackle Shop!
Friday, May 22, There was one short pounding of rain in the middle of the night that lasted less than a minute! Weather Bug predicted a bit of rain in the afternoon, but nothing much to worry about. Before heading out, Tom fixed a big breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, etc. What a way to start the day! We headed out at 8:30 to cruise downtown Hot Springs. At that time in the morning not many were out, and we walked the long Promenade that spans the back-yard length of bathhouse row. High above the town, this shaded brick walkway is full of benches and picnic tables and also the location of many capped-off hot springs on a beautifully mowed green hillside. The magnolia trees were just past their peak blooming, still with many large, fragrant, white blooms on display. Reaching the end of the Promenade, we descended the long walk-way to street level, and returned on the sidewalk in front of the majestic old bathhouses. Because there were so few people, I was able to stand in front of each bathhouse and get panoramic pictures; usually it is very hard to get a picture the buildings without people in front of them. During the 40 years we have stopped by Hot Springs, it is amazing how the town keeps reinventing itself for the tourist business. There were times when high-end auction houses lined the main street and the Bathhouses were neglected and run down. Now, there are boutique stores and fun pubs and grills, and the bathhouses themselves have been revived for their original purpose, or for quaint little eateries. After a drive-in lunch at Sonic, we drove the one-way mountain road to the mountaintop look-out tower. Again, not many people were out and social distancing was easy. (We did not go up in the tower or in the gift shop!) By 2:00 we were back at the camper – with the threat of a thunderstorm coming thru. It skimmed us with several cracks of thunder/lightening, and a brief pick-up of wind – but no rain. By 4:30 we were sitting outside and enjoying Happy Hour (Tom’s favorite Boon’s Farm Strawberry Hill!) and planning supper.
Wednesday, May 20 I like to calculates the statistics! I wish I hadn’t figured this one: We arrived home from our last camping trip on November 7, 2019; that was 221 days or 31 weeks + 3 days ago. Folks, that is 7 months and 7 days without camping! That has to be some kind of a record for us in recent history, and it pretty much speaks for how we have been feeling the last few weeks! Quarantine is starting to open up, and we were anxious to move our quarantine quarters from home . . . to the Airstream. By the time we started searching the private nearby campgrounds for Memorial Day, nothing was available. Going a little farther afield Tom scored at the KOA in Hot Springs, Arkansas! We wrestled with the mental burden of whether it was socially responsible to make the trip, and we came up with an on-the-road quarantine plan. It involves meticulous planning to cook all our own meals, only using our on-board bathroom facilities, and avoiding socializing with other campers. We plan to do some driving tours, but have even included a porta pot in the back seat of the truck to use when away from the camper. I have been sewing new masks and have them stuffed in every nook and cranny of the Airstream and the Truck! We pulled out of the driveway Wednesday, May 20, at 8:30 a.m. New on this trip is a “Silvermine . . . And His” decal on our back window. Inside there have been a few changes from last year – new rugs and new quilts. The Silvermine has never been so ready to go! Including a time change, it was a 6 hour trip to Saint Louis. The sky was grey, the temperature in the low 60’s, and the traffic was light. Our destination was the KOA, and we arrived at 2:30 to find it mostly empty and in a bad state of upkeep. The 87-year-old owner was handling it all by himself, and he seemed a bit disolusioned and lonely. We took an hour to set up, walk the dogs and set out in chairs a bit. We took a driving tour of downtown Saint Louis, and saw cars parked on some of the streets, but very few people walking the streets. We parked by the Gateway Arch National Park and saw less than 10 people walking the paths around the arch. Needless to say, it was easy to maintain social distance. In a light sprinkling of rain we walked under the Arch and then headed back to the truck. By 5:00 we were back at the KOA and enjoying our first cook-out – brats and potato salad.It wasn’t an ideal first night out camping – but we weren’t complaining! And we were definitely excited to continue the journey the next day! Thursday, May 21 With over 400 miles to drive today, I turned on a new app (Track Me) to record our drive. I’m hoping to track it and post a picture on my blog to show our route. Today was still cloud-covered, but not quite as grey, and the temperature began to feel like May. We crossed through a section of I-55 that must have suffered from high winds; we’re thinking a straight-line wind episode that lasted about 10 miles. Trees were down, road signs toppled, and lots of shingle and roof damage. That was the extent of the excitement for the trip; we arrived at 4:00. This KOA was quite a cut above the one last night; manicured, nicely maintained, fully staffed and about 60% full. The sites in our loop were built on a steep hill and terraced – narrow but very long. The surface was a very nice gravel and we had full hook-ups. Behind us was a very fragrant high honeysuckle hedge! A nice place to land for the next 5 days. After we were done setting up I jumped in the new chair that Tom bought me as a surprise – the one I have been wanting for over two years – and commenced swinging. It is NOT a rocker – it swings! And reclines. And is totally comfortable. With a glass of wine in hand, I showed it off !
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Archives
October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |