Still rolling north

We have been on the road northbound since last Friday.  We left the Texan and NRVTA at about 1230 and made our way to Washington Arkansas.  We stayed at the Coulter Farmstead which is a harvest host.  The heat was rather oppressive with the humidity on arrival.  The inside of the trailer was over 100*.  

The farmstead, however was a beautiful piece of property with an old general store where we purchased some food and drinks.  It also had great AC.  We had the rig plugged in and ran our AC non stop.  We walked the property and checked out the historic buildings and farm animals, definitely a cool stop.  After our walk, we spoke with one of the owners about the area.  She cautioned us on going diamond hunting nearby as it’s a dirt field with no shade in this heat.  She told us about the small farmers market up the hill on Saturday and the state park.  The town used to be a large union outpost and the last stop before the Alamo.  Anyway we got moving early on Saturday and there was no market and the state park was still closed.

Flashback a bit to Thursday and my right eye started to hurt for no apparent reason.  Friday it was getting worse and by nightfall it would not stop watering, swelled up and was very uncomfortable.  I tried some visine, ice and heat to bring it around before going to bed.  Saturday morning the whole thing was swollen and I could hardly see out of it.  Back to a wet washcloth for a bit to remove the drainage and we left.  We made it to the highway and set up an appointment at an urgent care in Hot Springs that had good reviews.  

We made it to the Dr on time and I had all my paperwork done before my scheduled time.  It only took an hour to be seen, that is an hour after my scheduled appointment.  Two seconds to diagnose an eye infection and out the door.  I could go on and on about the boondoggle that turned into, let’s just say we waited hours to get a prescription that was called in to the wrong location.  Anyhow, it’s Wednesday now and the eye is getting better.  

The town of Hot Springs is really cool and quirky.  Not a place to pull your trailer through.  We have light damage to the door side of our rig and neither one of us knows from where.  We found a shady spot to park and walk downtown for a bit.  Scratch Hot Springs National Park off our list.  The spring water in town is hot!  We also stopped at Superior Bath House and Superior Brewery for lunch.  We split a pretzel and smash burger and had some beverages.  This was an awesome stop.  

After lunch we walked further into town and tried Fat Bottom Girls Cupcakes.  They were supposed to be amazing…they were not.  Town was pretty busy, we’d like to see it after Labor Day, midweek not a Saturday in the summer.  After town we picked up and headed for Little Rock.  We explored Trader Joe’s for one last time and then headed to our campground.  We saw the Capitol from the highway and kept going.  Willow Beach is east of the city and is a COE park on the Arkansas river.  It’s $19 a night and had W/E with a water view site.  Quiet park and worth a stop on your way through Little Rock.  

Sunday we drove up to Vienna IL in the Shawnee Forest.  We got settled in and walked the dogs, it was still hot.  We made dinner and watched our Sunday shows.  Monday we got up to Thunderstorms and then it got nice.  We went to take a bike ride on the Tunnel hill trail and it turns out it’s gravel.  We were going to try it anyway then realized I hadn’t charged Katy’s bike.  On to plan B or C, we went to Giant City State park and took a few small hikes.  Very cool area with hot temps.  

After hiking we stopped at Blue Sky Vineyard.  What a beautiful setting and they had some nice wines.  They are a Harvest Host location too.  There were two couples there who were in their late 20’s or early 30’s who were super loud and carrying on about the glory days of high school.  The depth of their conversations were shallower than a kiddie pool and we were happy to see them leave.  After a tasting, we shared a bottle of wine and tried one of their pizzas.  They said, “You haven’t had a pizza like ours!”  Home made pizza and the pictures looked great.

Turns out we’ve never had pizza like it, not in a good way.  It was a frozen cheese pizza with toppings and cheese added to it that was undercooked.  We couldn’t decide if it’s a Tombstone or Red Baron to start.  Go for the wine, not the pizza.  Also, remember they charge you $3.50 for each glass.  If you don’t want it, take them to the bar and get your $7 back.  

After wine we had a pretty good storm roll through.  We did some more meal prep and hung out.  

Tuesday we got on the road and headed for Starved Rock State Park west of Chicago.  We came in with no reservations and found about 40 spots available.  We got set up and immediately headed out for a hike.  Keeping with the theme since April, it was very hot.  The short hike up Starved Rock was nice.  This would probably be a great spot in the spring or fall when the water is really running in the canyons.  Either way it’s worth a stop to check out.  Hopefully there will be water for the falls on our next visit.  

Back on the road again today.