The Arkansas Traveller

Yes, I made it all the way to Morrilton, Arkansas, about 55 miles west of Little Rock.

I woke up early this morning, 6:00 am CST but already 7:00 by my internal EST clock. My brain stayed asleep evidently. I left the RV park about 7:15, figuring to stop and get gas before getting back on the interstate. I pulled into an Exxon station that advertised diesel - the pumps in front were obviously not suitable for trucks, so I started to drive around the rear of the building where they often have them, right? I found myself in a drive thru lane for Quiznos subs, which was closed so thankfully no traffic. Between all the concrete sticking out from the building and edging the driveway, I looked in the mirror and saw the same accident about to happen as when I scraped the flowerpot. I tried to back up and ease over a bit, and made it a little better, but I realized it would take me hours of pulling forward and backing up to be able to get out of this spot, if I could even do it.

So I did what any red-blooded American woman would do - I went into the station and asked for help. Three men were sitting at a table drinking their coffee and (reluctantly, it looked to me) stood up and followed me outside. One of them had obviously driven trucks before, and he was the designated driver. They all got into the spirit of it, one watching out for the rear of the rig, and the other watching the front. In a shameless show of masculine know-how, he had me out of there in no time flat! God love them all! When I was thanking the driver he replied, "I really enjoyed it - it was kind of fun!"

I got back on I-20 with everything intact except my pride, and turned on US 65N at Tallulah, Louisiana. The route north to Little Rock was a pleasant drive on a Sunday morning - little or no traffic. No traffic until I got close to Little Rock, and then all hell broke loose. Where was everyone going on a Sunday at Noon? I would bet they weren't all going to and from church. When I reached I-40 the traffic was completely stopped going east, and it was slow traveling west. To make matters worse, cars kept darting from one lane to another, and because I tried to leave enough space between me and the vehicle in front of me, hoping to not kill anybody, all the cars decided they could cut in and out at will. I soon reached Morrilton where I planned to stop at a KOA.

This campground is not up to KOA's usual standards, but I can live with it for one night, and the price is a good one. I had to self register as the office manager was taking a day off. My spot isn't exactly level, and I had it to where I was fairly level but realized I would have to move forward in order for the sewer hose to reach. That put me really off front to back. My galley tank was showing close to full so I wanted to empty it. I have only done the quick math in my head but it seems like I'm using more fuel, and thought maybe it was the weight. I know I picked up a lot of items in Asheville in November, but I doubt if I could be that much over, so I decided to empty the tanks.

I hope to make it past Oklahoma City tomorrow, and either to the western side of the Texas panhandle or even into New Mexico the following day. I realized driving through Little Rock - I-530 connecting with I-40, that I really love the GPS. It makes it so much easier when driving through a large city with criss-crossing interstates. At one point though, on US 65N, she suddenly announced "recalculating" and then proceeded to give me some useless instruction that I ignored. She went back and forth until finally she realized she was right all along, which I knew all along.

I hope tomorrow is an uneventful day, driving-wise, and that I find good fueling spots, easy to get in and out of. I also hope the weather is clear because I would hate to spend an extra day in an off-level rig. I actually used boards to raise up the low side, but when I had to pull forward to make the sewer connection I just tossed them back into the truck. Once I emptied the tanks and disconnected the hose I could have just as easily tried to back up to a more level position, but it didn't occur to me at the time. Towing a 5th wheel is definitely a two person job in my estimation.

Here is a shot of my Co-Pilot and Navigator the first afternoon at Lakeside Campground. The second is of a bug I found on the side of my recliner this afternoon. I got it captured in a plastic bag and then released it outside. What in the world kind of bug is it, where did I pick it up, and how did it get into my rig? It was huge!
(When I looked at the blog and enlarged Lady's picture, I saw the tell-tale evidence of a wine glass on the picnic table. Uh, I think that might be Lady's glass???




See y'all tomorrow from Texas or New Mexico.