Trip Stats and Random Thoughts

 Location: Rocky Point COE Campground on Lake Wright-Patman; about 12 miles southwest of Texarkana, Texas

This is one of the campgrounds I use to un-wind or decompress after a long trip. A lot of the time on trips, I feel like I'm almost on "fast-forward" which sounds strange because I'm really at peace while traveling. Perhaps it's the feeling of being "on-guard" due to being in strange places all the time. There are times on my trips where every single thing I see, besides Freedom and Liberty, are brand new. Even Walmart stores are slightly different than each other. Heck, just the other day I had to google the Walmart store I was in just to find out where they did the bottled water. With so many new things being sent to my brain on a new trip, it takes a while to sort it all out and discard the meaningless stuff and file away the important things. I think I need a new Administrative Assistant to handle that chore. Anyone know where to place that help wanted ad??

Campsite #4 with Lake Wright-Patman in the background. The next site farther down on the peninsula is the best site, but it wasn't available.

As I rounded Liberty for a little walk around the campground, I saw this staring me down. She/he stared at me as we walked parallel to each other for a while. It was a little surreal for a little while. 

This would be a nice campsite with a great view out the back window.

A look back at Liberty from the dock at the boat ramp

Remember that deer from earlier? Well he/she brought their gang back around sundown. This is looking out my back window. Fortunately, no brawl ensued. 

Before I get into the highlights of the trip, here are some raw statistics: 8 states (Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky). None of them are new states for me and for those wondering, there are still 2 states in the lower 48 that I haven't been to which are Delaware and Rhode Island. Nope, I don't have any plans in going there just to claim those states. The trip lasted 97 days with 56 days in 17 COE campgrounds, 33 days in 9 state parks and 8 days in 1 county park at the FROG Rally. The average cost per night was $17.35, which I'm OK with that number. I stayed in the state parks simply because I couldn't find any conveniently located COE's. The state parks were about 2 1/2 times more expensive without any additional benefits. At least I didn't have to stay in a privately owned campground which would have been 4 to 5 times as expensive.

I confirmed that 3 days per campground is just about right with 4 nights being OK if I need a little rest or there is more to see in an area. I was very disappointed with 4 to 5 campgrounds where I couldn't get a strong and reliable cell signal which meant no internet. I still haven't figured out the reason for sure but will blame in on the "cell phone industry". I do remember some Democrats promising Rural Broadband several years ago. Instead of things getting better, they got worse. Makes a person go,,,,hmmmmm.

Overall it was a good trip even with having to run for shelter from a tornado warning, getting Freedom's windshield shattered from that storm, having a slow leak in one of Freedom's tires and the poor cell phone coverage. I also started feeling worn out? lack of energy? lethargic? lack of pep in my step? for the last couple of weeks of the trip. I'm not sure the cause of that and still thinking on it. I hope it's not something physical.  

Some folks have wondered about the memory demons that I've spoken about in the past. I'm happy and proud to say they only came out to play a couple of times on the trip and were quickly defeated. Most of them have learned to only come out when I give them permission to do so, so I can personally deal with them. I've realized for a long time that these demons will always be with me and never go away permanently. Maybe it's a side effect of traveling alone? The problem is when they come out and surprise me then there is a problem. That doesn't happen nearly as often now-a-days. I believe, simply by recognizing them for what they are, I've already won most of the battle. 

I was reminded of a song today that has thought provoking lyrics. The name of the song is "Goodbye Time". It has been sung by at least 2 artists (Conway Twitty and Blake Shelton). I personally like the Shelton version since he recorded it early in his career when he was much better. The lyric lines that I like are: "If being free is worth what you leave behind and if it's too late for love to change your mind, Then it's Goodby Time." Granted, this song is more about losing love in a relationship and then having to leave, but it also applies to a lot more. Think about "Freedom". It means so much. Two big ones are freedom to say want you want and to worship your God the way you want. But there are many others that aren't a big as those two but still very important. For Full-time RV Travelers, one freedom is the ability to go where we want, when we want. To turn left, right, go straight or U-turn. To stop for an hour or a week and to return to home base when we want. The song lyric equates freedom and what you leave behind. Of course we have to remember what Janis taught us in her song, "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." 

Everything has it's price, even freedom. Military veterans understand that price more than most people. Like another saying says, "A veteran is someone, who at one point in their life, wrote a blank check payable to the United States of America for an amount up to, and including, their life." Yep, our freedoms are worth fighting for.

I had planned to leave today to get back to home base early this afternoon but the rain forecast has caused me to stay an extra day. There is no reason to risk driving in or setting up in the rain and mud. And since this campsite was available, I took that as a sign to stay.

I will make another post in a day or so with mostly pictures of the highlights of the trip. 

This is from my campsite about 30 minutes before sundown.

I only had to walk about 100 yards to find a clear view of the lake. 

Ya'll take care of each other. Maybe I'll Cya down the road.

  

Willow Beach & Indian Mounds

 Location: Willow Beach COE Campground; North Little Rock, Arkansas

I've stayed at this small and quiet campground several times over the years. It's location is perfect for me when returning to Louisiana from the north or east. With so many stays, I've explored most everything around the area including some urban locations in Little Rock. This time I opted to explore some Indian Mounds at an Archaeological site nearby. I didn't do any in depth exploring of the site like I have at similar locations in years past, but did do enough to know a little about the people who left the mounds behind.

I think I've been slacking in posting travel pictures so here is one of northeast Arkansas. To the one who wanted to see travel pictures, I'm still keeping my promise. :)

My campsite with a off-shoot of the Arkansas River in the background. 

Later in the evening of day 1 a front passed through that brought mostly wind, but some light rain. I'm camped under a pecan tree so about a dozen fell on Liberty. Yeah, I had visions of the tornado/storm from earlier in the trip.

The view out my back window. I've grown to like these a lot.

I've explored many Indian mounds around the country and find them interesting. Most of the time I feel as though the "experts" are trying to convince me about the truth of their interpretations or as I like to call them, "wild ass guesses". But, for some reason, the "mound builders" were busy for a while doing something that is hard to explain. I've always asked the same question to the experts. "Why would people who were hunter/gatherers and mostly just trying to survive put so much effort into piling up dirt"? The best answer I've gotten was the mound was an annual or semi-annual gathering spot for separate tribes in the area. The tribes would gather at the same location to trade, learn things, look for spouses, etc. It was similar to what the Mountain Men of the Rockies used to do  annually at their "rendezvous". While there, they would put add dirt on the mound to mark the spot until they met again. There was probably a competition between tribes as to which could add more dirt. After many, many years, the mound grew higher and higher. This theory doesn't apply as strongly to the mounds around here. These mounds were surrounded by a moat and palisades. Defensive structures? Maybe. Too much of a puzzle for a simple man that is just passing through.

 

Those are the mounds in the background. The park has a nice paved path with descriptions posted along the way. There is also a semi-nice museum to wander through.

Other than that short exploration trip, I've just been hanging around the campsite and doing some walks. I've used this campground before to decompress after a long trip and am doing the same thing now. 

This is from the evening of the second night. Seems the front is hanging around.

Tomorrow is moving day and I'll be heading to the 27th and final campground of this trip. As with Willow Beach, it will be a campground that I've stayed at before. It is a great place for sunsets over Wright Patman Lake and I hope to see a couple while there. I think I'm ready to relax for another 3 days before finally getting home.

Picture #1 of the sunset last night

This is picture #2 of the sunset. I couldn't decide between this picture and the one above, so I posted both. 

 Ya'll take care of each other. Maybe I'll Cya down the road.