We've Come A Long Way

Dempolis, AL to Van Horn, TX

December 29, 2018 - January 2, 2019

We traveled a long way since the last blog.  We left Dempolis on Sunday and drove to Lincoln Parish Park in Ruston, LA.  Although it looked like a beautiful park and we'd like to return I didn't take any pictures because it poured down rain until after dark, and then again in the morning.

First we crossed into Mississippi...

...then Louisiana...

...and then Texas.
You can see on the last picture that they started treating the roads for the bad weather conditions they were expecting.

The landscape changed a lot during the day.

We were sticking to the interstate because of the weather.  We had a small detour to get around some traffic and realized that we said we were going to do the back roads.  So we headed for Copperas Creek Park in Proctor, TX and spent Monday night there.  It was a CoE park on a lake and was nice but we wouldn't make a special trip to go back.  They also didn't have any data/internet service which I didn't like.

Driving across Texas on Tuesday (Happy New Year!) the landscape changed again and the oil wells were everywhere.

At one point I counted a dozen of these gas flares.  When petroleum crude oil is extracted and produced natural gas is produced also.  There's no way to store this natural gas so it is burned off.

As we drove west the temperature got colder and colder, into the 20s.  We ran into fog and you can see what it did to the grass and bushes.  Fortunately they had treated the roads here too, although it was slow going.

We got down to a lower elevation and could see some of the scenery.  I thought this mountain was pretty.

We spent Tuesday night and tonight at Desert Willow RV Park in Van Horn, TX.

It was really cold when we got here.  Outside it was in the 20s with the wind chill in the teens.  The temp on the left is on the inside and was about 38 degrees when we got here.  The temp on the right is in the basement.  We had the Buddy heater, the fireplace, and a ceramic heater going and it was this morning before it got up to 70 degrees.  

Although we have full hookups we can't use the water because the spigot is frozen.  So we can't dump the tanks either because we don't have water.  We are learning quickly how to do this RV life.  We've already, in less than a week, discovered things we wish we would have taken with us and some things we would have left behind.  I'm sure we'll be learning the whole trip.  

Next stop, Deming, NM.

Roving on...

Allentown, GA to Demopolis, AL

Allentown, GA to Demopolis, AL

December 28, 2018

Today was a travel day so not much going on except the view through the windshield.  East of Columbus, GA we didn't like what we saw with the dark clouds.

After we got in it we really didn't like it!

It was coming down pretty hard so we just went slow.

We crossed into Alabama.  Sorry about the picture quality but it's hard to take pictures when the truck is so bumpy.

After we drove in Alabama for a while the rain stopped and we saw blue sky.

After 299 miles we arrived in Demopolis, Alabama and are staying at Foscue Creek Park (CoE park) for the next two nights.  We've been here before and enjoy watching the barges go up and down the river.

  We were originally going to stay one night but they have a two night minimum on weekends (already I had to stop and think what day of the week it is).  One night, two nights, doesn't matter.  We're retired and we can do that now!

Roving on....

The First Day of Our Adventure

Day One

December 27, 2018

It's hard to believe that the day we've been looking forward to for so many years is here! We're on our way to Quartzsite, AZ, then Lake Havasu, will work our way north as it gets too hot and eventually cross into Canada around May 1 and Alaska June 1.  So far it seems like we're on vacation, but I'm told it will take about a month for that feeling to go away.

We left home a little after 10:00.

Although the forecast called for rain we didn't get anything and for that we are grateful.

Crossing the Savannah River into Georgia.

We lived in southeast Georgia for many years but never went to this part of the state.

Our first night we are "boondocking" through Boondockers Welcome with the GA Gypsies in Allentown.  We actually are hooked up to electricity and have water available.  They are so welcoming and helpful.

Tomorrow we move on towards Alabama!

Roving on...

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.  Psalm 19:1

Bathhouses and More In Hot Springs Arkansas

Hot Springs, Arkansas
April 20, 2018

Today we spent in Hot Springs touring the bathhouses, having lunch and going up to the Hot Springs Mountain Tower.  Part of Hot Springs is a National Park, including the bathhouses.  The other side of the street is part of the city of Hot Springs.  We started at the National Park gift shop where I got my National Parks Passport book and my first stamp.  Here are some of the bathhouses along bathhouse row.  The Lamar, the Buckstaff, the Ozark, and the Quapaw.  Notice the Indian head design over the entrance of the Quapaw.  The bathhouses were for the very rich of the era.  Most of these pictured were built in the teens and 20s.  After WWII they declined in popularity and most of them closed.  Only the Buckstaff and the Quapaw are operational today.

Then we went to the Fordyce bathhouse, which is the visitor center and museum run by the park service. 

One of the park rangers gave us a tour which was very informative.  We learned a lot more than if we had walked around on our own.  Here is one of the tubs.

There was one room where they did some things that seem a little strange to us today.  The picture below is of two methods of getting rid of bad stuff in your body.  In the box on the right it had light bulbs to make it hot; the one on the left had a block of ice to sit on.  You would go back and forth for about 20 minutes.  

The picture below is of their version of a shower with multiple heads.  We still have those today.

Below is the Hubbard Tub Room.  They had a track in the ceiling and brought people up on the elevator to lower them into the tub.  The sign explains it more.

This was the third floor lounge.  All of the floor tiles were laid individually.

This is the gym, also on the third floor.  I walked in and it reminded me of my high school gym.

This is their version of our modern day BowFlex.

Here is the electromassage room.  While this seems archaic it's not much different than our modern TENS units.  Notice at the bottom of the sign it says the room was converted into a mercury rub room.  There was a machine in the room with the hot/cold boxes that actually injected mercury into your body.  They also injected arsenic.  I wonder how long they lived after those 'treatments'.

By this time we were getting hungry, so we went across the street to BubbaLu's Bodacious Burgers and had a couple of cheeseburgers.  It was really good!

After lunch we walked to Mountain Valley Spring Water.  We bought a sampler of their spring water and flavored bubbly waters.The building used to have a drinking lobby where people could come, sit, and drink the water.  It was used for everyone from racing horses to presidents.  It's a beautiful old building.

Our next stop was the Hot Springs Mountain Tower.  It was at the top of a switchback road, and then you take an elevator to the top of the tower.  The views were just beautiful.  This is a picture of downtown Hot Springs.  The green part in the forefront is in back of bathhouse row and part of the National Park.

It was a fun day!

Ocean Lakes Campground, Myrtle Beach, SC

Wednesday evening we all went to Villa Romana Italian restaurant for dinner to celebrate Jim's birthday. It was very good good and we had a great time.

Thursday morning everyone else left to go home. Later we went for a walk on the beach. It was the best weather day we've had since we've been here.  We have very much enjoyed looking out our windows and door and seeing the ocean.  Soon we will be heading home.

Stay tuned.

Ocean Lakes Campground Review

6001 S. Kings Highway, Myrtle Beach, SC
Site #HH55

Fee $44.80 per night

Electric/Amps: 50

Water  Quality:  Good

Sewer Hookup:. Yes

Dump Station:

Privacy/Site Size:  No privacy at all, site size Ok

Quiet/Noisy:. Not to noisy because of time of year, but still more vehicles going by here than at home

Site Level:. Yes

Big Rig Friendly:. Yes

Pull-Thru Sites:. Yes

Bathrooms Condition: Didn't look

Cell/Email/Texting/Web Coverage: Excellent

TV/Satellite: Cable hookup

Solar:  Excellent

Elevation: Sea level

Lake/River:. Ocean, beach

Playground:. Yes

Weather:  Rain, wind, sun, cool, cold

Date: January 27 - February 3

Other sites to try: 

Comments: Good view of the ocean from this site. Definitely would not come here in the summer. Would not come here again unless meeting friends. Good place for families if you don't mind being packed in and lots of golf carts and traffic.