Sept 26 2020 Heading Home

 It was another overcast morning when I got up with cool temperatures. Instead of cooking breakfast this morning I decided to go gas up my truck and get some kolaches. Ha, there were no kolaches to be found in Ozark, they are just donut people. I broke down and went to Sonic and got some breakfast burritos. We got on the road and headed to DeQueen Lake. We had some bumpy narrow two lane roads for awhile. It stayed overcast all day with a little fog. When we got to Dequeen Lake I didn"t even unhook trailer, just put my jacks down. After looking at the weather we decided to just head home in the morning. Since I no longer watch any pro sports (except rodeo) i enjoyed watching college football all day.  Watched K State upset Oklahoma, then the Texas/Texas Tech shootout and finally the Aggies which was rather boring but a win is a win. September is a great month to bounce around Arkansas, the weather has been just awesome for us. Another successful trip in the books.

  

Sept 25 2020 Our Last Day in Ozark

It was a cool foggy morning here when I woke up. It was almost like a fine mist falling. Even with the awning out there was enough breeze to keep you from wanting to sit out. Susan allergies started up last night and she felt bad this morning. I went to the store and got her some eye drops. She has been taking allergy drops for three years but still there are times when she gets bad. I went down below the dam to look around , there were only about 3 boats fishing.  Not many folks were camping below along the river. Around noon we went to visit some kinfolk that live in Altus, which is about 6 miles form Ozark.  We visited Lou and Deville until Lou had to go to work at the hospital. Then we grabbed something to eat and headed to a winery called Mt Bethel. It is a neat old place and we always like to go here. We ended up getting a case of different wines. I"m just about out of room to carry anymore. When we got back to the trailer we watched Mackenna"s volleyball game on the internet. They beat College Park but it was really close sets. Tomorrow we start our way home. We go to Dequeen Lake tomorrow which is about a 3 and a half hr drive. Not sure if we will spend one night or two before we make the last leg home.

Mt. Bethel

I enjoy sitting in my recliner watching the boat traffic

The lock below the dam

Below the dam

 

Sept 23 2020 A Wine Day

We had another nice morning, just cool enough for a fire.  I spent my first hour this morning trying to get my satellite tv set up. I could get no signal. Finally changed my cable out and that was the problem, That cable was only a few months old. Good thing I carry spares. After breakfast we headed out to a couple of winerys. The first one was Cowie Winery. Its a nice little place. The owner is 80 years old. His daughter does most of the business now. Its funny as she says she doesn"t even like wine. We picked up three cases for a friend who ordered it ahead of time. We tasted several wines and I bought 4 bottles.  The next winery we went to is my favorite. Wiederkehr Winery has been around since the late 1800"s. They also have a restaurant on site. I picked up a case of different muscadine wines and Susan got a case of Sangria wine.  After we left there we headed back home. We ate a late lunch . Susan took a nap and I read and watched the boat traffic thru the dam lock.  That evening when we were sitting out having our happy hour we noticed as the sun was going down it was creating some different colors on the water. It was pretty and I haven"t seen it do this before.  Tomorrow will be our last full day here.    As you can see I"m having issues with my post this morning. Pictures are going above and below my text and I can"t caption anything. 

Sept 23 2020 Travel Day

It was still chilly and overcast when I got up this morning. At least the rain was gone. We were in no hurry to leave as we didn"t have to go far. We got loaded and headed out about 10:30.  We took Ar 23 south out of Eureka Springs, It is a pretty drive and runs into what is called The Pig Trail. This part is crooked and up and down. There is probably 20 miles where my speed wasn"t above 40.  Susan didn"t love it as much as I did. We stopped and ate at a little cafe in Huntsville.  Another good Mom and Pop shop. Everyone in there were locals except us. We got to Ozark and set up at Aux Arc Park. The park is on the Arkansas River above the dam and lock. We have stayed here many times before. I like to watch the barge traffic come thru the lock. Also I like hearing the trains that run along the river. We will be hitting the winery"s tomorrow.

It seems we hit road construction wherever we go

Dam and lock at night

Tug headed into lock

Our side is all motorhomes except us

Our site

It was a chilly start to the morning

Watching trains come by

Sept 22, 2020 Our First Rainy Day

It had to happen sometime. I woke up to a light rain falling this morning. It was not nearly as cold this morning as the temperature was around 63. It pretty much stayed overcast and a fine drizzle the rest of the day.  This is our last full day here.  We pretty much stayed inside most of the day. I did fill our water tank up so I could go ahead and put up those hoses. Since we are still getting used to this trailer we found that 8 days is about as long as we can go without dumping our black tank. I had to use my Tote Tank and head to the park dump. I was hoping not have to use it but we just didn"t make it.  Normally I would start loading a few things but we don"t have to leave until around noon tomorrow. The rain is supposed to clear out in the morning.  We have really enjoyed our stay here. We are now headed to near Altus, The Wine Capitol of Arkansas.

Sept 21 2020 Just Another Beautiful Day

I think we had our last real cold morning for awhile. I think I like it better when its about 60 instead of 48-50.  After breakfast we decided to go do our laundry, refill propane tank and restock groceries. When we got back we just enjoyed the rest of the day. Not much to write about.

Susan in her sewing corner

A gorgeous day

A chilly morning

Sept 20. 2020 A Cold Morning

It was 48 when I got up this morning. I quickly turned the heat on and warmed the trailer up. It seemed a little colder with the 10mph hr wind blowing. It was clear when I went out at 5 but by daybreak the lake fog had rolled in. I built a nice wood fire outside as the wind had died down. Susan said it was still cold. Our plans were to stay home today but I did have to run to the store for some things I needed for supper. By noon most everyone had moved out. We expected not many folks here tonight but we were wrong. Trailers started rolling in here about 3:00. By nightfall the park was nearly full. It did warm up to a pleasant 74. I think it should be a little warmer in the mornings next week with lows around 56-57. There is also a chance of rain Tuesday and Wednesday. We have not seen any rain since the first morning we left on our trip. 

The Morning Parade

Its pretty cool outside

Sept 19,2020 A Relaxing Day

 We got to try our furnace out this morning for the first time. It was 53 outside with a light breeze. When it got close to day light I built a wood fire to sit by instead of using the propane fire pit. We planned to just stay in camp today. i cooked us a little breakfast about 9:30. After that we went inside and watch Mackenna"s volleyball game on a live broadcast on our laptop. They beat Klein Oak in straight sets but they were close games.  Later we took a little ride below the dam along the river. When they are not generating there is not a lot of flow. It is very pretty and there were a lot of trout fishermen out. We headed back to camp and just enjoyed the day. The high was about 74. For supper we just ate left overs.

Homemade Houseboat

There are a few trees changing colors

Our island looking from the dam

Looking back to the entrance , the dam is to the left

The White River about a mile below the dam

our morning fire

Sept 18, 2020 Short Day Trip

 It was a very cool morning around 54 degrees with a slight breeze. When daylight came I saw we had several rv"s come in during the night so the hill is almost full. We sat by the fire till about 9 and then I cooked breakfast. After our showers we headed out to Beaver , Arkansas population 100. Its a nice little drive and there is a winery on the way.  We stopped there for a tasting. Riverview Winery is a small but nice little place. It was so nice sitting out trying different wines and chatting with the owner. I could have stayed awhile but we bought a few bottles and headed on. The highlight of Beaver is an old one lane wooden suspension bridge. You don"t see many of these anymore. They are now in the process of repairing the bridge with new lumber.  It will be almost brand new when finished. We then headed into Eureka Springs. Susan made a short quick stop at a quilt store and then we stopped at the grocery store. When we left we headed back home. On the way we drove up to Thorncrown Chapel .  It is a beautiful place built in 1970 by an individual.  They do have services there and hold lots of weddings. Its open to the public to enjoy. We finally meandered back home. We both took little naps. It was such a nice day as we sat outside till after supper.  The sites below us were empty but by nightfall they were full again. We were able to watch Mackenna"s volleyball game on my laptop as someone is live streaming the games. She is playing on Kingwood High JV team. They beat Clear Brook High 2-1.  It was great to be able to watch while we are gone.