We finally have time to continue the blog

We've had a very busy time the last several days.  We headed East from Tom Sawyer Campground in West Memphis, Arkansas this morning and landed in Newport, Tennessee tonight.  We'll be home tomorrow as our company from Canada arrived at the house today.  But, lets back up a bit.

We had our last campfire with everyone at Lake Catherine, we all said our goodbyes and we pulled out on Wednesday morning for Tom Sawyer Campground in West Memphis, Arkansas.  The campground has full hookups but is kind of bare bones due to the fact that the Mississippi River takes it over on occasion.  The view from our rigs was spectacular.    

We watched barges going up and down the river all day and night.  There is an eight mile an hour current flowing south so the towboats heading north were working a lot harder than the southbound ones.

We visited the Peabody Hotel to watch the Duck Walk.  Here is the Duck Master

The ducks come down the elevator from their penthouse suite every day at 11AM and go back up to their suite at 5 PM and spend the day in the fountain. 

This piano belonged to Francis Scott Key.  The hotel has no idea how they came into possession of it.

It is a beautiful place to visit and learn about its history. 


We toured the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.  It is located at the Lorrain Motel Where Dr. King was shot.

This is the balcony of room 306 where he was assassinated. 

This depicts the four students that sat at the Woolworths lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Here is Rosa Parks refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man.

The museum was done very well and there is a lot to take in.  The museum makes one wonder what our country would be like today if Dr. King and his belief in the non-violent protest were still alive.

We visited the Blues Hall of Fame right next door.

Back at the campground, right next to our trailer was a mother killdeer sitting on her three eggs. 

They hatched while we were there. We couldn't get the whole family in one picture.

Hot Springs and Little Rock

We all took a tour of Dan's Whetstones.  They mine a stone called Novaculite that is found in this part of Arkansas and mill it into whetstones that are sold all over the world. There are hundreds of uses for the stones from sharpeners for cutlery to flints for black powder guns.

This was the sign that greeted us at the front gate.

This gentleman is Dan, the founder of the company.  He employs 30 people and works every day.

Here is our guide showing us some black stone.

Arkansas Whetstones are known all over the world as the finest natural sharpening stones.

Stone is cut into all shapes and sizes; these are for coasters.

We found a little place to have lunch behind the buildings on the main street called The Grateful Head.  It was a pizza place and had really good food.  

The calzone was too big for just one meal.

The beer wasn't.

The restaurant itself was above this place, The Gin Joint

This is inside the Gin Joint.

Sometimes, we find interesting signs in our travels.  This one was in the toilet.

Vickie went with friends to visit the Clinton Library

Afterward, they found another interesting place to have lunch, The Flying Saucer.

On Sunday, Vickie and I went to the Buckstaff Bathhouse.  The Buckstaff is still in operation after almost 100 years.  The interior is original.  First, you sit in a huge whirlpool bathtub in 102-degree spring water.  Then you get a sitz bath followed by twenty minutes wrapped in hot towels.  After that, there is the steam bath, a cool needle shower, and a twenty-minute massage.

Back at the campground, a few kayaks were rented for the afternoon.  

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The Seskos came with their own inflatable kayak and dog.

We went into the headquarters of Mountain Valley Spring Water.  They have a small museum about the history of the company.

The young lady behind the counter told us to look at the urinals in the men's room.  They were quite unique and very ornate.

We walked down the street to Fat Jacks for lunch

People write their names or whatever comes to mind all over the walls, ceiling, and tables.  We were no exception. 

Another interesting sign to welcome you to the bar.

Did I mention their collection of license plates?

It's been a while but we're back at it

We never finished the last blog due to the fact that I came down with the flu and pneumonia.  We stayed in Shipshewana for three days hoping that I would start to feel better.  I didn't so we headed home.  After four days in the hospital and a month getting back to normal, Vickie and I started planning our 2018 trips.

Last Friday, we headed out for the Rovers Rally in Hot Springs, Arkansas.  The first day was a short one to Fayetteville, North Carolina where we met up with friends and the next day, we all headed west.  After overnight stops in Atlanta, Birmingham and West Memphis, we arrived at Lake Catherine State Park in Hot Springs.  It's a beautiful park right on the lake where we met up with twenty-seven other RV's.

We had some nice days for travel.

After crossing the Mississippi into Arkansas, we stopped for the night at Tom Sawyer Campground in West Memphis.  Here, we met another friend heading to the rally.  On our way back, we'll spend three nights here.  

The view from our campsite of the mighty Mississippi River

We stopped for fuel and food at a truck stop and got a picture of the boys and their toys.

Fueling with the big boys.

This is our current situation for the next week.

Some of the locals came to greet us.  They have little fear of humans, especially when you are eating outside.

We arrived on Monday and had a little time to explore before the rally starts on Wednesday.

We drove into Hot Springs and toured the Gangster Museum.

This was our tour guide, Bobby J.  He was a lot of fun and very entertaining.

Many athletes, movie stars, and gangsters came to Hot Springs for the baths, gaming, and prostitutes.  

This was one of Hot Springs more famous visitors.

Here we are in a gaming room. You didn't gamble here, you gamed.  Gambling was illegal.

Al was getting fresh.

The ladies showing off their concealed carry guns.

We decided, at Bobby J's suggestion, to visit the Ohio Club for a libation.

The place has a very impressive back bar.  The front of the building had to be removed to get it into the building.

We were told to try their local brew.  It was a light pilsner.  Vickie had one and I had something with a bit more body.   

Many jazz greats played at the Ohio Club over the years.  Here we are waiting for our lunch. 

Back at the campground, Vickie took a short hike into the woods to a waterfall behind the campground.

Wednesday evening was the official start of the rally with a catered dinner provided by Keystone RV.