***I am FINALLY getting back to my blog game after 9 crazy months off. This is picking up on the tail end of our trip we took in early March of 2020…BCV (before corona virus) 😉 ***

Our departure from Lake Catherine Sunday morning was delayed about 30 minutes when one of the support poles for the canopy popped lose during take down. Thanks to Handy Hubby for a stashed tool kit and Ashlyn’s 10 yr old strength, we got it repaired and salvaged our last night of camping!

On our way back to Texas, we stopped at Crater of Diamonds State Park outside of Murfreesboro, AR. I had read about numerous places throughout Arkansas where you could “mine” for your own gemstones and stumbled across this state park that touted the ability to find diamonds. As the result of a 95 million year old volcanic pipe, lamproite diamonds were deposited and can now be found on the surface of a 37.5 acre frequently plowed field. AND, apparently, is the world’s only public access mining site! We were excited!

But as it turns out, we aren’t built to be diamond miners. Haha! It was probably the mixture of ill preparedness and too high of expectations that set us up for failure. But after approximately 20 minutes of stabbing the hard black gumbo soil with spades a gentleman was kind enough to pass off to us as we were coming and they were going, the boys decided dirt clod throwing was more fun and Sally wanted a walk. As we walked, I noticed parties with SIGNIFICANT mining equipment that appeared to be camped out for the long haul. And after an hour, on our way out, I found out their reason! There is a finders board posted and it seems, a genuine diamond is only found about once a month and usually 2-3mm in size. Lol! And by the crowd we saw in just 1 hour in one day, the mining suddenly seemed more a feat of luck than work. 😉

After a picnic lunch, we loaded back up and made our way back into the great state of Texas via the city of Texarkana.

Another hour on the road and we arrived at Atlanta State Park for our final night of the trip. We had an awesome pull through site surrounded by towering pines with a short walk down a trail through the woods to the bathhouse. The sites were significantly spaced out and even though the park was filling up by the minute with folks getting their spring break started, it was incredibly quiet and you could hear the trees creaking in the breeze. What a peaceful end to our camping adventure!

Once the task of setting up camp and enjoying a simple hot dog dinner was through, we drove to the other end of the park and onto the point that pokes out into Wright Patman Lake to enjoy the sunset. The reservoir is completely surrounded by parks for lake access, so the shoreline is entirely natural and not a single residence to be seen. Again, SO peaceful!

The next morning, after a lovely night’s rest, we broke down camp and found a brief, interesting trail to hit before we headed home. The trail was actually an over one hundred year old road that led to the ferry crossing at the Sulphur River before it was dammed to create the reservoir. The kids got a kick out of it and thought it was crazy that it just came to an end at the lake’s edge, technically continuing under the surface.

Satisfied with our sight seeing, we hitched up to Wanda, headed out and made it to Tyler in time to have lunch with Nathan!

What an amazing time we had! I came off this trip all gung-ho to plan the next one! Go farther! Longer! But, within 4 days of our return, corona virus began it’s global attack and everything went into lock down. Typing this post 9 months after ALL of what 2020 ended up having in store for us is bittersweet. I am SO grateful we had that trip just in the knick of time. I know so many that had to cancel so much. We also haven’t gone anywhere with Wanda since this trip and looking through the pictures makes me miss her and what she enables us to do so much. Looking forward to that again. And soon.

-Lindsay

We left Mount Magazine by lunchtime on Friday and arrived at Lake Catherine State Park south of Hot Springs a few hours later. This camping location put us in a more ideal position for departure Sunday morning. When our trip was originally routed to start in Arkansas first, I had looked at Lake Ouachita State Park to the north of town for the same reason. Ideally, you could try for a campsite IN Hot Springs National Park, but there are only 30 some odd campsites and they are on a first come, first serve basis and I didn’t want to try my luck on a weekend that kicked off spring break for many.

Lake Catherine turned out wonderful regardless! Our site was positioned 75 yards to the bathhouse and about 100 yards to a playground at the top of a hill. And it was HUGE! The kids helped me with the essential parts of set up and burned off to the playground. Once camp was set and I looked over the trails map, I found out the park has a waterfall! I collected the kids and we drove to the trail head of the one mile loop to check out The Falls Creek Waterfall. It was beautiful! It wasn’t crowded and there was so much to explore we stayed til dusk.

After dinner, we turned in early as more and more campers rolled in for the weekend. Rest was tolerable that night, but there was this island just off the coastline where the campsites were and geese flocked there for the night and were HONKING ALL NIGHT! Do these things not sleep?? Because I had been going to bed with the kids every night by 7:30-8, I was waking up by 4 or 5 each morning. Which, worked out pretty good for beating crowds to showers especially when in a booked full campground. And, Dad, you wouldn’t survive here. I’ve never seen this in my life, but the shower has a single push button activation just labeled “H” for hot. Whatever the park deems as hot that is. Which is definitely NOT HOT ENOUGH. And it’s shuts off every 20 seconds. Completely insane. Camping ain’t glamorous, but those sites weren’t all that cheap either.

But I digress, haha. After breakfast, the four of us along with Sally loaded up for a day in Hot Springs National Park. Getting to downtown and parking in a free parking garage was easy enough. At 10 am only the top of the garage was left open, so I figured we were in for a busy day. We started at a visitor center where we picked up a map of the downtown area and hit Bath House Row first. Immediately we found one of many hot fountains scattered around the houses. We were thrilled to see the steam and feel the actually very hot water squirting out!

From there we strolled the sidewalk in front of each bath house that were all serving a different purpose except one that still allowed bathing. When we came to the 5th one, my favorite for outside appearance, we learned it served as a museum with all the original equipment preserved. With no dogs allowed inside, but with ample seating available on a large porch, I went with my gut and left 2 kids outside at a time with Sally while I escorted the other rather quickly through the building. That went rather well and all were very impressed with what folks in 1880s through mid 1900s considered a “luxury spa.”

Next we found yet another fountain tucked back in between 2 houses and all partook in a straight from the tap sip.

At the end of the row was Superior Bathhouse that had been converted into a brewery and restaurant. While we’re reading their sign, the hostess poked her head out and reassured us they were dog friendly inside! Hallelujah! Momma had a beer and the kids each had a pint of root beer made with none other than the spring water! I was even able to get a half growler of stout for Daddy!

After our refreshments, we found what I guess would considered the main spring? That area was putting off some heat as it cascaded down the hill side! Then, on our way to the promenade that takes you behind the bathhouses, we saw the wild sight of all these people loading their jugs up at a more modern fountain! They were quick to encourage us to cut in with some of our emptied water bottle and fill up on the “best, most pure water you will ever drink.” It was a hoot! Maybe it’s their secret to longevity.

Our walk along the promenade was peaceful and we encounter a few more spring areas.

We filled up one more bottle “for the road” and called it a day. By the time we’re leaving, the Buckstaff House had a line to the sidewalk for baths and the garage was jam packed with cars looking for a spot. I guess we faired well! On our way out, we drove the mountain road up and down taking in views of the town along the way. There’s a watch tower at the top that looked neat but it was going to cost $32 for us go up to the top and we just weren’t that interested.

We were thrilled with our experience at Hot Springs! I had been wanting to see what it was all about since we moved to ETX and it’s a beautiful place. Even though it was busy, everything felt safe and clean. People were courteous and the area was well organized and easy to navigate. I want to go back with Nathan for a weekend! Ideally, I would book something in downtown and walk everything. You could give yourself a day for the history part, which we did and then another day to hike all of the beautiful trails that branch off the area.

That evening back at Lake Catherine, the kids found a little more energy to hit the playground one last time and I made one more attempt to get a good campfire going to no avail. I’m not having much luck with park bought wood, but I refuse to gather firewood like so many do which is prohibited. Maybe I start bringing my own dried out stuff? We slept much better that night, though! Seems all the extra campers in the area helped absorb geese noise haha.

Sunday morning we would be on way to Crater of Diamonds State Park to dig for diamonds and then into Texas for our final night in another unvisited state park.

-Lindsay

Thursday morning, we left Tulsa after a lovely night’s sleep in a hotel and crossed into Arkansas via Fort Smith by lunch time. I didn’t know much about this town, but when I saw signs for a Fort Smith National Historic Site, my homeschooling self saw an opportunity! It turned out to be quite an educational experience!

The area preserves the remains of 2 versions of Fort Smith. The first was built in the early 1800s as a peace keeping presence between Cherokee and Osage Indians in the area as new settlers moved in. In 1830, the 2nd and larger Fort was built by the US Army as the Indian Removal Act was enforced and it stood as barrier between Indian Territory and Arkansas. In 1863 until 1871, the Fort was under Union control during the Civil War training many United States Colored Troops regiments. We were very pleased with our mid way stretch and lunch break!

Our next 2 hours on the road were quite entertaining and scenic! The roads were twisty curvy and had a quite a few steep climbs. There’s definitely more elevation in Arkansas than I thought! We arrived at Mount Magazine State Park and were set up by 3pm. The ranger at checkin got a good giggle at this Texan with my concern over the reported black bear population, but assured me they were “still asleep” haha!

With the weather forecasting colder at 2500 ft elevation, we took advantage of the 60s and sunny and hit the trail to hike the 2ish mile loop to Arkansas’ highest point. At 2,753ft above sea level, this is the kids highest hike to date!

Along the way, we also scoped out the cabins and lodge that the park offered and were very impressed.

Back at the camper, the sun was going down and the wind was picking up. Like 25mph gusts picking up! We opted for an evening of ease and ate dinner at the lodge’s restaurant. We reluctantly left Sally in her kennel in the camper once again hoping an hour away wouldn’t throw her into a fit. I also adjusted how I zipped the kennel with a carabiner in place. All to no avail. She just ripped her way out this time and was once again wandering the camp site when we returned. Twit. Now the kennel is useless and my dog has a new neurotic trait. I’m now pondering adjustments before our next attempt to the hit the road with her on trip that requires her being left alone at times.

This was a coldest night and the wind made things turbulent at first, but it was also the QUIETEST night of the trip so far and as a result we all slept really well. My trip to the bathhouse at 5 am was lovely with the stars and the quiet woods. When the sun came out, it was still only 38 degrees that morning! We made biscuits in the camper thanks to an awesome toaster oven Grandma gifted me for Christmas and then hopped in the car for some sight seeing.

We checked out a cliff side amphitheater, stood in awe of a hang gliding launch pad and the kids made my momma heart skip a beat as the older 2 walked out onto a narrow outcrop over the valley.

Over on the other side of the park, the temp climbed into the upper 40s and we briskly walked a 1 mile loop trail to a few other scenic overlooks.

After sightseeing, we packed up Wanda and drove 2.5 hours to Hot Springs for the weekend.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in “the mountains” I feel like Archer really connected with something here. He was really up for anything and asked for his picture with the scenery often. This park didn’t just serve as a strategic stop, it was a wonderful experience! Just the sheer peace and quiet would keep me coming back if I lived in Arkansas. Maybe the bears aren’t that scary ;).

-Lindsay

Tuesday morning, we packed up from Eisenhower State Park and were in Oklahoma by 8:30am. We drove straight north through the state to Stillwater where we sought out “life size” statues of Transformers Bumblebee and Optimus Prime. Thank you, Pinterest, for a fun road side tip!

From Stillwater, it was a straight shot east for about an hour and we arrived at Keystone State Park on the west side of Tulsa. Once camp was set up, we hung around the park fishing in a pond and the kids made a friend on the playground in the middle of the camping area.

Wednesday morning was overcast and chilly, but we were soon on our way into Tulsa for a day of play at their nationally recognized city park. Gathering Place made our list a couple of years ago when it started getting media attention for it size and intricacy. We went with high hopes and had our expectations exceeded. We spent SEVEN hours there. We (me included) played on everything and had an amazing lunch at one of the 2 restaurants on site. I think what we found most remarkable was that all of these designs were in someone’s brain and because of the largest private donation (465 million dollars collectively) to a public park in US history, it all came to life! I suppose I could walk y’all through minute by minute of all the cool stuff we did, but I think I’ll just drop a crap load of pictures and let yalls imagination run with it instead. I’ll start off with a map of the place. The 66.5 acres completed of the total 100 acres they plan on.

Even though we were exhausted, they still didn’t want to leave that day. I had to swear that any and every time we find ourselves remotely near Tulsa, we will always set aside time to play here.

We left Gathering Place, expecting an easy evening back at the camper. Instead, we arrived on a prescribed burn going on in the park AND MY DOG WALKING AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF THE CAMPER. Apparently, she wasn’t pleased with the length of time we were away and unzipped herself from the canvas kennel in the camper and busted through a seam of Velcro in the tent part. What the actual hell!? The ONLY reason I didn’t murder her was the fact she stayed around the camper. No one called me about her (she wears a tag with my phone number and she’s microchipped), and she didn’t disappear into the woods. That’s worth a few good girl points I guess. Needless to say… between the smoke inundating the campsites and my neurotic dog, I was a little frazzled. At 4pm, I had made my mind up and we booked a dog friendly hotel in Tulsa and received a refund for the unused night in the state park. We packed up the camper and were situated eating leftovers for dinner at a Wyndham by Hilton that I scored for $70 by 6pm.

I still can’t get over the amazing wonderland that’s been created in Tulsa, Oklahoma of all places. I can’t recommend this place enough for every kid or kid at heart. Keystone State Park, on the other hand, could do with some improving. Locking bath houses between 10pm and 6am is a joke and performing a prescribed burn without notice to guests is a joke. BUT! We came to Oklahoma for one reason and it was worth it. I was happy when we crossed the state line into Arkansas on day four.

-Lindsay

Before the full throttle of baseball season kicked in, I put together an 8 day camping road trip for the kids and I taking us to 2 Texas State Parks, the Gathering Place in Tulsa, OK and Hot Springs, AR. I had a basic itinerary in mind for quite a few months, but didn’t book anything until 2 days before we left! The weather had me in fits! But, Mother Nature took favor on us and we had a very successful trip. I’ll be breaking the trip down over a couple of posts with LOTS of pictures.

We started off with an easy 3 hours drive to Eisenhower State Park north of Dallas on Lake Texoma. We had a great isolated camp site in a small cul de sac and setting Wanda back up after a few months off came right back to us. We ate lunch and the boys quickly scattered finding snail shells and digging around the site.

The park is relatively small and narrow along the shore of the lake and the hiking trails were few. There is a full service marina and yacht club within the park that takes up a good deal of space. Along with a patch of OHV (off highway vehicle) trails, but those were closed due to recent flooding.

We selected a 1.5 mile round trip hike to get us warmed up for the days to come and the kids quickly realized how out of practice they were! Haha

We drove to the far end of the park and took in a few more points of interest. We really enjoyed the Lake Texoma over look and couldn’t believe just how big the lake truly is! The kids explored the rock ledge and enjoyed having some free range again.

After a snack back at camp, we walked to the lake shore and did a little fishing, but the kids quickly got distracted by the slate chips scattered all around. 😆

That evening we FINALLY got a decent fire going and the kids cooked their own hot dogs. We turned in for an early night after showering the camp fire smoke off and got a reasonable night’s sleep. Boat and train noises were prevalent throughout the night, but we woke up the next morning ready to head into Oklahoma for day 2.

I was glad we were able to mark Eisenhower State Park off our list, but that was about it for us. If you’re an avid boater or trail rider, this park would have a lot to offer, but that’s about it. Next up, our time in OK!

-Lindsay