Ruby and I got up early and took a walk around the Tyler Oaks RV Park. Just checking it out. They really have everything you would need, even propane. Every site (all 150 of them) is equipped with a picnic table and a fire pit… hummmmm. Not sure I get the fire pit thing, since it’s 100 degrees and Texas gets approximately 2 days of winter, but hey! Let’s put it this way, they all looked brand new.
I tried to go for a swim, but the pool didn’t open until 10 am. My exercise sabotaged once again. I showered instead and cooked some sausage and eggs to sustain me on the trip.
It was a fun drive most of the way. Rolling Meadows and big trees. Cool small towns with a Dollar General is each one. No Lie! The first leg was never over a 40 mile stretch and seemed to go quickly. Keb Mo radio helped me along the way.
The last 70 miles we just 18 wheelers and orange cones and road work. There were some white knuckle moments. I didn’t think it would ever end. Finally, my exit! Wow, I lucked up. I am in the Iron Mountain Recreation Area, Arkedelphia, AR. This place is so beautiful. I am situated up high with a beautiful lake below. Praying that the parking break holds. This is a state park so it’s so inexpensive at $17 a night. The Tyler Oaks was $38 – big difference in ambiance, that’s for sure. So you have amenities on one hand and nature and beauty on the other. It’s a no brainer for me.
Left Bastrop TX, probably for good (except perhaps for an occasional visit) at around 10:00 am. Destination, Tyler, TX. I made it to the Tyler Oaks RV Park around 2:00 pm
Most of the way, it was Farms and blue skies. Ponds and Cows. Small towns and skunk carcasses (street crossing epic fail).
Pretty boring, actually. Every now and then you go up a rolling meadow and are able to see far into the distance. It’s actually very pretty.
It took Ruby a little while to finally settle down and go to sleep. She was rubber necking at first. This is a test. We are trying out her new doggie booster seat. That way I won’t throw her into the dash if I have to stop abruptly. I can’t reach her in this Motorhome. Also, it will keep her in her seat and not all over me while I am driving. Safety first.
About an hour from my destination I turned south on Hwy 155, not to be confused with Interstate I-55. All of a sudden it was pine trees everywhere. Then a beautiful break in the trees, to what I later discovered, is Lake Tyler. Very pretty.
Tyler Oaks RV Park is a nice park with lots of amenities but no trees, just gravel and concrete. Very little grass even. They can pack them in here, that’s for sure. Hot though! Not the shaded lot like I had at the Buescher State Park. It’s only for one night, so it’s fine. I was able to get my laundry done, cook dinner, and go get a shower in the bath house all before 5:00 pm
It’s gonna be an early night! Wait, I believe, every night lately is an early night. What is happening? I’m Old!
I purchased a 2004 Winnebago Minnie Winnie 31C about a month ago. It’s not so Minnie at 31ft and a super slide. It’s actually quite roomy. Was it just another of my impulse purchases? Well, we are yet to discover the answer to that.
Next step was to sell my car, which I actually kinda enjoyed. I was not towable so I would need something to pull behind this big rig. The day before I left town, it sold! Crazy!
I set out on my first journey. It was only a few weeks after my purchase. I headed back to Texas where the work would begin. We (Ruby and I) intentionally made it a 2 day journey. I was trying to find that magic number of miles to drive in one day. I think I discovered that it is about 5, however, we made it 7. We stopped in a very nice part of the Davy Crockett National Forest. Radcliff lake I believe. It was beautiful and first come first serve. All went well. All the hook ups were easy, the slide worked, the A/C worked. We got a good night rest.
Unfortunately, but handled, I woke up to a somewhat flat outer tire. It was drivable so I found the closest tire store. There was a breakfast spot right next door, so that worked perfectly. It didn’t take long and we were on our way.
Here’s the best part… on the way home, I basically sold the 5th Wheel. I had been advertising it for a couple weeks, not knowing how long it would take to sell it. The first guy that text me wanted it, sight unseen. There were several hundred lookers. Anyway, a couple days after I returned, Leonard came and put a $500 deposit down. It was his. So let the games begin. I had now severn days to get all my crap out of the 5th wheel and either sold or put into my Motorhome. So I began selling. I sold everything, even my beloved yellow couch. I miss it already. Isn’t it silly how we get attached to “things”. It just had special meaning and it was literally the last piece of furniture I owned. Oh well, it sold on the very last day.
Once the 5th wheel was gone, I could move back into my old spot at Bastrop RV Park. Well, that didn’t go as planned. It had been raining and apparently my new rig is much heaver that my old rig. Anyway, easy peasy, I backed into my new spot and BAM!!!!! My right back tire sunk into the mud and into the electric box – knocking it completely over and putting a nice big tear in the side of my new “near perfect” motorhome. Yes, I cried a little. The troops had to come pull me out with the tractor and I moved to the spot across the street. Geeze, now I see why my friends call me “Mayhem”. They moved me once more 3 days before I was checking out.
The last night I was in Bastrop RV Park I thought would be my last here on this earth. Really, I am not usually scared of storms but wow! I can see the lightening in the distance and it’s beautiful. However, it seems to be getting much closer. Now I have no TV. I did get a weather update on my phone of a severe storm. They weren’t kidding. It was raining and blowing so hard. Ruby was shaking like a leaf and I was right with her. The hail started to come down. I actually called Katie, which I am not sure why. I was scared and she felt it. She knows me. I am not a scaredy cat. We (Katie and I) decided I should make a run for it. No use in feeling like a sitting duck or a target in shooting practice. I hung up the phone and Ruby and I covered ourselves in a blankie and ran for the concrete building that was the community bath house. By the time we got there, we were drenched but safe. I was very happy we had a back up plan. I should always have a back up plan. We finally got some sleep. When we woke up I saw the building next to me had the entire metal roof torn off of it. Two trees had been uprooted. I wasn’t scared for no reason. Geeze!
Now I am in the Buescher State Park in Smithville. This was my first night here. Another totally new experience. There is nothing but woods surrounding this motorhome. It is eerily quite. There was so much road noise and people coming and going at the other spot. When I decided to go to bed, a gun actually popped into my head. It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to learn to use it. Oh, I have it. I have two! They are pretty useless at this point. I wasn’t scared, just felt somewhat vulnerable. I wake up very early. Ruby usually sleeps in. So it’s 5:30 am I am doing my reading and writing and she wakes up. She wants to go outside. Nope! It’s too dark out there, so I make her wait. Now, it’s 7:00 am and she is still sleeping with me here on the couch. At least there is light now, so maybe we will take a walk.
We will be here 6 nights then we will be heading back to Brandon, MS. Stay tuned.
