Finally On The Road Again! Ready to Explore New Places

As we entered May, Florida was starting to get pretty hot and we were ready to head north for the summer. So the question was, where to go to? When we started our RV life journey, our goal was to see the lower 48 states. At this point, we had visited 33 states, with only 2 missed in the south - Louisiana and Arkansas. We thought we could visit those states and then head north to visit a few Mid-West states with a goal to get to one of our bucket list items - Mount Rushmore.

We had both the truck and van in Florida so the first decision was - do we take them both with us? After much discussion, we decided to take them both which means we are both driving so we are definitely spending a lot on gas.

We left Florida on May 6 with only one stop planned: a reservation for 4 nights at a campground in Rapid City, SD starting May 26. So we have 20 days for travel to where ever we feel like going, as long as we get to Rapid City by the 26th. This was the first time that we have hit the road without the trip planned out which to me is a little scary but exciting at the same time.

Another difference for this trip is using the van as a camper. This van is not tall enough for either of us to stand up in it. I just have to hunch over a little but Tim really has to bend over or kneel down to be inside. It works well for sleeping, but was definitely built for nicer weather camping, since you need to spend most of your time outside. A positive for us, is that its size allows us to park easily so it works great for dry camping over nights at places like Crackle Barrel. Our initial thoughts were to alternate nights using the van and staying at motels.

For the first week, that plan worked well. Our first stop was a campground off of I-10 in Alabama, just over the Florida border. Since we were still pretty far south, it was still pretty warm at night so we went to a campground with an electric hookup so we could use the air conditioner. Using the van for the first time sleeping, it was a good night. The small portable AC unit we have in the van kept us cool and comfortable. It was also convenient to have restrooms so we didn’t have to use the portable-potty that we have in the van.

The doors on the bus opened to enter the kitchen area. Definitely a cool backdrop for a diner

Unfortunately, the next morning brought a storm with heavy rain and possible high winds and hail. We stopped at a truck stop just down the road from the campground to grab breakfast and wait out the storm before starting our drive. We were pleasantly surprised to find a nice diner, decorated inside with memorabilia and knick knacks from all types of transportation. There was a lot to look at while we ate and played cards. The weather warnings looked like storms to the west, straight across I-10. We decided to skip Louisiana, just head towards Arkansas to avoid the storms.

we loved these seats with the truck tailgates as tables

so much to look at. I loved the old station wagon pulling the pop up trailer

Eventually the rains slowed down and we got on the road. That day’s travel took us through Mobile, AL, where we swung north through Alabama to Mississippi, then towards Arkansas. We left the rain behind just a bit north of Mobile and ended up with nice driving weather. Another way that traveling with the van differs is that we can take smaller state and county roads for more scenic routes than we did with the motorhome or the fifth wheel. As we traversed many back roads in rural Mississippi, we mostly saw farm lands and very few towns. The towns we went through were very small, sadly with run down buildings and very few small homes.

I was starting to get nervous that we wouldn’t find a town to get fuel before I ran out or we wouldn’t be able to find a place to spend the night. Luckily we eventually found a fuel station and we were able to keep driving. The route was pretty and scenic so worth it even though it meant a much longer day of travel.

We crossed the Mississippi river and entered Arkansas by dinner time. We found a nice Welcome Center along a pretty lake in the first town which also had a couple of motels. Definitely a good place to stop, eat dinner and spend the night. Exciting - we made it to a new state! After two years of traveling through the same states, we were thrilled to be on a new adventure and exploring again.

views from the arkansas visitors center. At first we though this was the mississippi river since we had just crossed it but it is a small curved lake that sits just above the river.

if they allowed overnight parking at the welcome center, we would have stayed there but unfortunately they did not so off to a motel we went.

The next morning, we headed north to Little Rock to do some touring. The southern part of Arkansas was still pretty flat with mostly farmland until we got close to Little Rock where we started seeing a more hilly landscape. We started our stop at the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, where we toured the museum and then walked over to see the High School. The museum was very informative and provided insight into the racial tensions of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. I had no idea that the high school was the largest in the nation when it was built in the 20’s and believe it or not, it cost 1.5 million dollars to build. I believe the year was 1927 when it was built. I also didn’t realize that it is still in use it today.

The school is impressive to see and you can really imagine how frightening it must have been to approach that huge school with an angry mob and soldiers surrounding you. Definitely have to say the Little Rock 9 were very brave. Since it is still a public high school, school was in session so we could only walk the grounds on the outside.

this sign is in front of one of the wings on the high school I thought it was the main entrance until we walked a little further and saw this:

impressive, isn’t it?

Afterwards we headed to the Clinton Presidential Library. This is the first presidential library that we have visited and we didn’t know what to expect. We were both very impressed by the building and all of the displays. The building is structured to resemble a bridge and at first that wasn’t obvious but when one of the docent’s took time to explain the design, you could really see it. I remembered many of the significant events and accomplishments during his presidency that were highlighted in the library. The best part was the lunch we started with in 42, the very nice restaurant in the library. If you haven’t been there, get to Little Rock, I recommend a stop.

the oval office as it was during clinton’s presidency

one of hillary’s dresses

I liked the china and intimate dining room setup

some of bill’s saxophones

the cabinet room

After leaving the library, we drove over to Hot Springs for the night so that we could tour there in the morning. We did our first Crackel Barrel stay in Hot Springs and it worked out well. That evening brought cooler temperatures so we were able to just open windows and use the fan for the night. We even woke up cold and had to close the window, turn off the fan and close the vent. The van is comfortable to sleep in but a little difficult to use to get dressed in. Almost like manouvering around in a tent. My thought is that it would work best for one person and would definitely be better if it was taller.

our first cracker barrel stop in the van.

Cracker Barrels are a great place to stop. We had dinner there, sat on the porch and played some games, and even had access to their restroom until 10 PM. They opened at 7 so again facilities were available and it is a great place to have breakfast. Just make sure to check with the manager to confirm you can spend the night first.

this is from the second cracker barrel we stayed at in Kansas but i included it because i like the sunset!

After breakfast, we visited Hot Springs National Park in the morning before getting back on the road. It was a bit difficult to park 2 larger vehicles in that town as there really isn’t a parking lot for the national park. We found a place that we managed to fit and just did a walking tour of the town and Bathhouse Row as well as the museum in the visitor’s center. Two of the bath houses are still open for soaks, but we decided not to take advantage of that.

hot springs national park

enjoy some pics from bath house row. these building were huge and beautiful construction and the old equipment for soaking in the spring waters were high class at the time although we may not think so today!

a sitz bath

After touring Bath House Row, we got back on the road and started traveling north through hilly and windy roads into the Ozarks. That is probably enough for the first of many blog posts on this trip. Next up will be our stop in Branson, MO.