Mammoth Goes to Petit Jean (and the Eite Site)

Wednesday 5/11/2022

Planned Time: 5:26
Actual time: 6:10

It felt different, driving up I-30 through Texarkana. The drive is boring and blah since we've done it so many times. But usually--except for a camping trip at White Oak Lake State Park--we were going on to Kentucky. Before I even met Ed I was taking that trip and going on to Kentucky. So this one, only halfway, seemed short--

Until it didn't. Google Maps' route involved leaving the Interstate at Benton or thereabouts and heading due north on tiny roads along squiggly lines on the map; through mountains, rivers and small towns to get to Petit Jean. But by forcing a route only ten minutes slower, we could stay on Interstate Highways almost all of the way. So we did.

 

What made it seem long were the stops, although they were short in duration and well-timed to hit at the points before we needed them. We had a quick pee stop at a rest area near Sulfur Springs, a fill-up at Love's near Prescott, Arkansas, and another fill-up at Morristown or some such place just past where we needed to get off the Interstate to come here. We stayed on I-30 to I-430, the north loop around Little Rock, then got on 40 going westbound to the park. And with medium, not heavy, traffic, going ten minute out of the way was certainly faster than taking the RV up a glorified pig trail.

After getting off the highway to go to the park, we had to go up an immense slope that paused a couple of times but never seemed to stop. I'm not looking forward to going back down it! But Mammoth did excellently well, huffing and puffing and chugging along up the slope. She's done worse hills, in New Mexico and Colorado--these piddling little Arkansas hills are nothing to her.

An on to the park. The visitor center was huge and empty of other checker-in-ers at threee o'clock in the afternoon. It was easy eanough. And the campground loop, which we'd passed on the way, easy to navigate. But I must admit I am disappointed in the site. I knew it was one of the last ones available in the premium camping loop, when I booked it way back in February or so. Now that I've seen the place, I can see why the lakeside sites are so popular...but not all that much. It's a pretty place, sure, but the lakeside site aren't supremely attractive.

The park itself has lots to do and see--if you like trees, rocks and ticks. But more on that later.

For now, we ended up with a site near the road--no road noise, though, other than the people going to or fro in the campground. It's a "through" road, but there doesn't appear to be a lot of thru traffic on it. Most likely the 30 mph speed limit discourages locals from cutting through. We can see the lake from the site, but it's not lake side. The utilities are on the lake side, so we're pulled into it so that our door faces the picnic table. Which is fine, but that means a big old Mammoth Motorhome blocks most of our view. Which wouldn't be so much "scenic lake"--not all that scenic--but motorhomes widely spaced around a small lake.

 

It's fine, though. We came for the park, not the particulars of the spot. We have to move to a really crappy spot on Friday. Then I'll complain.

 

 

 

We were entertained by robins and chipping sparrows. And summer tanagers. Lots of all of them. 

Since I can't tell male robins from female, I don't know if these two were fighting or courting. But they were graceful about it.

Edward called while I was out walking Molly around the day use area. He wished me a Happy Mother's Day (late, of course) and warned us of his upcoming deployment. Not sure when, but probably the end of August and lasting the whole month of September. He was able to give me exact dates of his trailing class, Sep 26 - Nov 11, and location, Fort Knox. It turns out that's near Louisville, so the camping trip I was planning to Iowa has been canceled. I'll plan one to Fort Knox instead.

While we were talking--for hours!--at least six loud, low-flying military helicopters came over. Loud.

By the end of the day, I'd found and removed about four ticks from my exterior.

Evening at the boat ramp: