Wondering about wild grapes

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Wondering about a great camping spot (I can't find)


Quite a few years ago, back when I had a 1997 Ford Pick-up truck and pulled a Mobile Scout travel trailer, we were coming back from one of our many trips to Pennsylvania. We were in Arkansas and it was getting about time to stop for the evening, you know, a little before supper time.  So we looked up camp grounds in some book and found one not too far from the rest stop where we pulled over for a break.  It was along the river and according to the book, close to the interstate highway.  The decision was made to stop there for the night.

Another hour or two up the highway we found the exit we wanted.  Followed the directions from the book and then we started to get worried, at least my wife did.  I am sort of like Alfred E. Neuman’s “what, me worry?”  This road kept getting more narrow and windy, then it started going down what looked like the side of mountain.  We kept going down, down, and around turns mainly because there was no place to turn around.  After what seemed to be a thousand miles and an eternity, we saw the river and it was beautiful.  Pulled into what looked like it used to be a farm, parked by the barn and waited.  Finally someone came out of the farm house up on the hill and came down and checked us in.  There was only one or two other RVs in the park and it was simply beautiful.  The camping area was all wooded and it had a cliff on one side going straight up and a river on the other side.  (Probably not a good place to be in a flash flood.)  We enjoyed our stay and I sure wish I had my canoe and more time on my hands, I would have stayed there, canoed the river and large creeks, and maybe even done a little fishing.  As we were leaving the next day, my wife and I both said that we would be coming back to that place.  Ever since then, we have been trying to find it.  There was no paper work saved with their name on it, and since I throw the camping directories away every two years and get more (that was the year to get a new one) we have not found it listed.  We have taken that route many times since and keep looking for signs to that camp ground but have not found any.  Finally gave up looking, but maybe someday we will find it, if it is still in business.

For the first few minutes that we were there, we felt a little uneasy but those feeling vanished quickly and we really enjoyed the rustic surrounding.  If any of you have ever heard of this camp ground, please let me know.  I have to admit that I haven’t done a good search for it lately, but just might try again.  Things change over time and maybe it got wiped out in one of those floods they have had in the past several years.  I sure do have good memories of that beautiful place.  It was by far the most beautiful and peaceful RV park I have ever been in.  And no, we didn’t see Li’l Abner when we were there.  Now you all have a great day and let me know if you have heard of this RV park.

13 comments:

  1. There have been several places I wish I had kept a record of, but like yours, they vanish over time. I hope someone can help you out and let you know if they are still in business.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I know the feeling,been there done that, forgot where it was. :-(

    How bout you load up Google Earth full screen and find the place on the road that you last remember before you turned off for the campground. Then just slowly follow that road. shoot, you can zoom down to ground level even.
    Best of luck on your hunt for that perfect campground.

    ReplyDelete
  3. LOL Dizzy, welcome the the RV'n world. Even though I have all my "favorite" campsites wrote down in Walmart special notebooks, I don't know which ones to look in. I've lost many sites I would love to visit again.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think Ben has the right idea. Google Earth.

    My wife and I lost one of our campgrounds to a hurricane one year. Wiped off the map.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sure can't help on that one, DD. Hope you do find it and i can look, tho. GL!!!!!!
    O BTW,,any up to date pics of that swamp? Just asking,,

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sure do hope you can find it again! Sounds like a really nice place to spend some time!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Gypsy, I think it was along I-30, but it could have been I-40. It was in Arkansas. I just did a quick search but haven't found it.

    Ben, tried that but still haven't found it. It was so many years ago and my memory is not real good anymore, but I will keep trying and let you know if I find it.

    BB, Yep I know what you mean. If I plan in advance I usually can find the places again, but not always. Remember on RV park a couple of days away from home that we always stop at on our way to Pennsylvania, but last year I even forgot which side of the road it was on, and almost got lost, but finally found it.

    Sixbears, Same happened to us. Galveston State Park lost most everything in Ike. We used to spend Christmas there.

    Trouble, haven't found it yet but will keep looking and let everyone know. Took one picture yesterday. It don't look too good.

    Hermit, I am going to keep on looking. It was a very beautiful and peaceful place. Far enough away from any highway so that all the sounds that you heard were from nature or other campers.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well, as Rod Serling used to say "The sign up ahead...welcome to the Twight Zone" Maybe it never really existed except for you on that special evening.
    Weird huh?

    Windy

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sorry forgot a few letters, should have been
    "Twilight Zone"

    ReplyDelete
  10. Windy Bob, I have been to the Twilight Zone way too many times. I have been in some really strange situations in my life and travels. So far, I have returned from the "worm holes".

    ReplyDelete
  11. Cartoonist Al Capp (1909-1979) created "Li'l Abner," regarded by many(me) as the greatest comic strip of all time.I've seen many people that I would have loved to see Al Capp draw.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ted, Al Capp was a very talented cartoonist. All those characters that he draw were something and Moonbeam was the cutest, don't you agree?

    ReplyDelete
  13. I was RVing in Arkansas one time, and spent a lovely night in a campground with a small lake and beautiful weeping willows. Wish I knew where that was!
    Happy Tails and Trails, Penny, TX.

    ReplyDelete