We're Back In Business!

At the beginning of the year David put our 1999 Dutchstar up for sale and it sold pretty quickly. While this was a good money maker for us it left us without a RV to travel in. We thought we'd have a new one by Spring but nothing was coming our way. Finally in May David found a good deal on this 2003 Newmar Dutchstar.

We found her near Picayune, MS. She was in bad shape folks. She was sitting in a waterlogged yard on wood pallets. She had been sitting there for around 8 years. There had been water damage from a leaky roof. The roof had been fixed but none of the inside damage had been addressed. David managed to get her out of the soggy yard and we brought her home and named her Lucky, because she is the luckiest RV on the planet that we came along and rescued her. 

After getting her home, David set to work immediately fixing her issues. Part of the floor behind the passenger seat needed to be replaced. The ceiling needed cosmetic fixing, one of the pantry doors needed to be repaired, the a/c needed attention, the roof needed a few more patches, and many other smaller mechanical issues. 

I wish I had pictures of before we started but unfortunately I didn't get any. But here are pictures of what Ms. Lucky looks like after her makeover. 

Here is the kitchen:

The dining room:

The living room:

The bedroom:

The bathroom:

And even a washer/dryer combo:

After the repairs I gave her the best cleaning he's ever had and we loaded her up because we had a trip planned that we couldn't wait to get started on. More on that trip in up coming posts! 

Herc is ready to go on another adventure.

I'm Ready For Another Adventure!

So yes, it's been almost 5 months since my last blog. The reason is because we sold our 1999 Newmar Dutchstar in January and have been on the search for a new one ever since. 

The search has been long and arduous. We have had several close calls where we thought we had found our new RV, but alas it was not to be. There were times I despaired that we would find ever find her or ever go on another trip. But I am happy to report that our search has been successful.

We found and bought a 2003 Newmar Dutchstar. She, of course needs work. It's had water damage and the ceiling needs to be replaced, there's a spot, nearly a hole, in the floor that needs fixing, one of the small awnings needs to be reattached, various mechanical issues that are not engine related and several cosmetic issues to address. But when David gets done with her she'll be a dream! 

We've named her Lucky because she is so lucky that we came along and rescued her literally out of a mud pit. The former owners while emotionally attached hadn't cared for her in years and she was neglected and sitting on boards in a wet muddy side yard. I had my doubts if we'd be able to get her out without getting stuck but we managed it and now she's ours and will get the love and care she deserves.

I can't wait until David gets her put back together and she's restored to her former glory and we can get back out here on the road. I'll keep you posted and updated on her progress.

Cheaha State Park, Alabama
October 22-25

For our annual family camping trip we decided to go to Cheaha State Park in Alabama. It was about a 4 hour drive for us and with it being autumn the last hour or so of the drive was simply beautiful with fall foliage.

We checked in, chose our sites and set up camp.

Then it was bike rides until dinner time.

Cheaha State Park has an upper and lower campground. We stayed at the lower campground. Both are similar and while they don't have the best campground I've ever been to they do have an amazing attraction, which I'll get to later. The bathrooms were clean but cellphone service is nearly nonexistent in the park.

The next day we drove up to the upper area and hiked out to Bald Rock. 

This is why you'll want to visit this area. The view is spectacular. Maybe the best aerial view I've even seen and I've been to the Grand Canyon. It is a short hike from the parking lot to this:

You can literally see for miles and we had a perfect day for viewing the scenery.

After seeing bald Rock we did more bike riding. My sisters and I rode down to the lake and enjoyed the beautiful scenery there. It seems no matter which way you look you see beauty.

Later back at the campsite we had a traditional campfire with s'mores and lots of laughs.

The next day we went on a hike to Devil's Den. It is a series of small waterfalls and large flat rocks that you can walk on. Very nice walk through the woods with a view to enjoy once you get there.

That evening we enjoyed some board games.

And then topped off our weekend with an awesome "candlelit" dinner.

We had enjoyed another successful family camping trip and would be headed out in the morning for Tucson , but that's another adventure. ;)

Eureka Springs, AR
September 29-October 4th



Out of the blue we decided to finally, at long last visit a place we've been wanting to visit for 2 years. Eureka Springs. We've heard a lot about Eureka Springs and so decided that now was the time for us to visit there. We stayed at Wanderlust RV Park. http://www.wanderlustrv.com

This campground is very clean and well run. It is central to everything you'll want to see in this area. They have 90 sites. 57 are pull throughs and 41 have 50 amps. Cabins are also available. Clean bathrooms, laundry and pool. However, they are located on a ridge in Carroll County, AR. which is known for being windy. They do not recommend leaving your awning up while you are away due to the wind. Another downside is that the sites are extremely close together. If you plan on sitting outside much you can expect to be sitting next to your neighbor's sewer.

After arriving and setting up camp we drove into Eureka Springs. This town is very unique. While there are tons of shops and restaurants it is all presented in an eclectic way that draws your eye and makes you want to explore more. Below is the Flat Iron Building at the intersection of Main St & Spring St.

The history here is amazing. The town was founded because of all of the springs in the area. In the Victorian era many people came to this town for the healing waters of the springs. Below is a collage of all the springs we visited.

While we were there most of the springs were dry. I'm not sure if this is normal or if it was because of lack of rain but it was still interesting to see all of the springs and read about the history. You can visit all of the springs by walking Spring Street. It's about a mile and a half if I'm not mistaken. This will also give you some great views of downtown and shopping opportunities.

After touring the springs we stopped for lunch at a local restaurant called Devito's. It was a small Italian restaurant. http://www.eureka-springs-usa.com/devito/ The food was good and affordable.

After lunch we did a driving tour of the town. We took the historic loop which starts at the city limits and loops all the way through town up to the Crescent Hotel and back. There are some of the most majestic houses you will see on this drive. Below is a college of some of my favorites.

The next day we went to The Crescent Hotel. It is the highest location in Eureka Springs and is notably America's Most Haunted Hotel. The hotel was built in 1886 to house the visitors coming to sample the healing spring waters and has had many ghostly sightings. There are nightly ghost tours available or you are welcome to tour the hotel on your own. You can purchase a Walking Tour Booklet for about $3. We did this. The booklet mostly covers the history of the hotel but there is a section dedicated to spirits of the hotel. Below are some pictures we took of the hotel.

Hotel Sign

Spooky Hallway

Sculpture of Michael a young man who died in room 218 while the hotel was being built.

They say room 218 is haunted by Michael.

Outside view

After our visit to the hotel we had reservations for lunch on the Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway. 

What a treat! For $24 you get to choose between beef stroganoff, chicken salad with fresh fruit or a hot deli sandwich for lunch.  Entrees are served with rolls, drink and a special dessert. Plus you get to ride in a real dining car from a by-gone era. They also offer dinner rides.

From the balcony of the hotel the day before we saw a very large statue of a man across the mountain and were curious about it so we asked the desk clerk and she told us it was The Christ of the Ozarks. We found the statue at The Great Passion Play, which was just a minute down the road from our campground. The Great Passion Play is a live outdoor drama of the last week in the life of Christ. there is also a Holy Land Tour, museums and of course the Christ.

The Christ of the Ozarks is a 67 foot tall statue of Jesus with His arms outspread. It is quite amazing to see! It is a free attraction and is lit at night.

After seeing and being amazed by the Christ statue we went to War Eagle Caverns on Beaver Lake.

It's about a 30 minute drive from Eureka Springs to the cavern. You'll see some beautiful countryside on the way. It's $15 for adults to tour the cave. They offer other specialty tours as well. You can also visit the maze or go gem panning here. The cave has lots of bats! The ceiling is very low in places so you'll be able to see the bats up close. As a matter of fact your tour guide will caution you to be careful of knocking them off the ceiling. These bats are very small. About the size of a mouse and could be injured if they are knocked off. Seeing the bats was the most interesting thing for me as I've never seen them up close and personal.

Bat

David in the cave

This was pretty cool. I'm standing inside the cave and looking out this "window".

The next day it was time to head back home. We really did love Eureka Springs and we encourage all to visit if you can. Here's Hercules in his sweater enjoying the cooler temps. 

To see even more pictures of our trip click here: 

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