Glamping Days

Spent last night in Barkcamp State Park in eastern Ohio. Besides a short drive home, the day was spent dumping the trailer tanks, winterizing the trailer, moving food & clothes from the trailer to home, etc. It's gray & rainy here, but it's still good to be home.  Will begin blogging again on May 16 when I leave for Alaska. 

Today, I drove 450 miles from a bit north of Nashville, TN, to eastern OH. It was another uneventful drive, though the sites & scenery always interest me. Didn't sleep well last night, so a late morning nap was on the agenda. Right now, spring is noticeably further along around Nashville than it is here.  Another trailer pulled in next to me at the Cracker Barrel near Nashville late last evening. Early this afternoon, I pulled in next to them at a gas station in southern Ohio; we all waved & laughed about it.  

Today, I drove from Hot Springs through northeastern AR & southwestern TN, then a bit past Nashville. Am parked tonight in a Cracker Barrel parking lot. Nothing interesting to report, which is just fine for a drive day.  

While visiting with cousins in Hot Springs, we attended this great local event.  The downtown businesses were all decked out.  Just before the parade starts, the official parade route is measured to be sure that it's still 98'; this is a shot looking down the entire route.  Of course, a flag & a fire truck led off. These were followed by 41 different vehicles or groups, which included:  the king & queen & an adult tap dance troupe... famous entities like Paw Patrol... local businesses... a rapper (unknown to me) & the Dallas Cheerleaders Miss Arkansas...                                    an Amazon delivery van & guy with packages... a group dressed up like Elvis... etc. It was a lovely visit & a fun event. 

Leaving south central Kansas, my route went through Tulsa to Fort Smith, AR.  Around Tulsa, the cherries & redbuds were blooming, & southern magnolia trees confirmed that it is a southern city.  Apparently, fried pies are an AR thing, but I found these in OK. Love this kiddie chair out front.   Around Fort Smith, the daffodils were blooming along with the cherries, & the trees were beginning to leaf. A gas station here is called Toot N Tummy - love that! 

I spent the day with Meredith, here husband, & her in-laws, & found them all well. We had brunch at a funky little diner.  After some visiting & napping in the afternoon, we went to hear one of Mer's students perform at a local bar - her student is on the right. A beautiful young cat was hanging out at the bar. This is the view of Marion Reservoir from the door of my trailer. 

I watched a red winged blackbird close to my window as I drank my morning tea; my dad loved watching them. My drive today took me from the far southwestern corner of KS to south central KS. There were grain elevators, trains, historical markers, oil wells, & an occasional interesting sign, this one featuring sunflowers (the state flower of KS). The drive was about as exciting as this post, but an uneventful drive is a good thing. The winds were fierce the entire drive. 

Though up early, it was after 9:00 by the time I pulled out of Santa Fe this morning.   The entire drive today covered new territory for me. The northeast corner of New Mexico is all high ground with my route all above 6,500' & taller mountain peaks around that.   My route then brushed by the corner of Texas & cut across the panhandle of Oklahoma. Though mostly wide open country, there were a few small old towns.  Today, I saw a real cattle drive with 3 cowboys on horseback & a dog helping with the herding. Also saw a gas station called Toot n Totem, & a veterinary hospital with corrals alongside of it.  I'm camping tonight in Cimarron National Grassland in the southwest corner of Kansas. Unlike the tall grass prairie in eastern KS, this area has the shortgrass variety.  I'm the only one here in the campground, but there were 3 people fishing in the adjacent day use area. It was 77* when I pulled in, & the Cimarron River runs b...

This morning was spent pottering around the trailer & campground. In the past 2 weeks, I drove through 2 dust storms, so the tracks of my window were so gritty that it was getting hard to open & close the trailer windows. So, I did some cleaning including cleaning the window tracks & did some laundry. Also made a couple of reservations for my upcoming trip to Alaska.  Mid-afternoon, our long time Pittsburgh neighbors, who now live here, picked me up, looked around my trailer, & gave me a tour of Santa Fe. After cocktails & a tour of their beautiful home, they took me to a lovely local restaurant. It was fantastic to catch up with them. 

Here in Santa Fe, I'm staying at an RV park that's on the edge of the city. So, while there are mountain views, the views also include buildings & such.  Scattered around the park are assorted metal sculptures by local artists, some of which are for sale; though interesting, I won't be bringing any of them home with me. Many of them are lit up at night & look pretty cool.   Love that my site faces the west toward the sunset.