Monday (Travel Day!)

Cleo finally did it! She busted out of solitary confinement during travel day. She had been working on the stitching in the corner of her carrier on earlier trips. I was researching better carriers, but she beat me to the punch and after about an hour suddenly appeared walking around on the backseat of the truck! This caused me a panic, because the last time she was in the back seat she pooped. So I grabbed her, swaddled her in a towel and we made a beeline for the nearest Walmart to get a hard-sided, Cleo-proof carrier to finish the trip. Greg was such a great sport. He ran in, bought a carrier and put it together in the parking lot. Cleo was fine in the end and acted like nothing ever happened once we arrived at our campsite. Ever since Cleo found out she is part Maine Coon she has been such a diva.

Upon our arrival at Indian Creek Recreation Area in Woodworth, LA, we were greeted by the least engaging gate person we have ever met. And then after doing a drive-by of our reserved spot, we decided that loop was way too crowded. Then we went back to Miss Personality and asked to be moved. She did that with the comment, “It’s going to be $40 more.” You’re welcome.

The spot we chose ended up being nice. It was further from the water, but was a pull-through which usually means there is more space around you. We really prefer to be apart from other campers, if possible. We have a wooded view with water in the distance. We, again, have water and electric hookups. Typically, the more natural the surroundings, the less chance you have of getting full hookups that include sewer. Since we were only here for two nights, we can just dump on the way out, no biggie.

Around 10 pm, Greg noticed a suspicious car parked behind another camper across from us. The man was drunk and laying half-way out of his car yelling on the phone. A woman was pacing and walking while she was on the phone. Greg silently sat at our picnic table observing and ready to call the park authorities. Then the next day we discovered that those people are part of a mysterious group of very loud, vulgar people staying in what appeared to be cattle trucks made into multiple sleeping berths for humans, like 20 per trailer. They had offensive signs in the windows and were attracting attention from their neighbors. Why is that allowed at a campground?

Tuesday at Indian Creek Recreation Area, Woodworth, LA

Wednesday (Travel Day!)

I-49 heading north to Shreveport left us feeling like we’d been stuck on one of those exercise vibration plates for three hours. No meds for Cleo who was meowing at full throttle on the bumpy parts and then silent on the rare smooth sections. I even deployed a fresh bottle of Feliway spray and spritzed her cushion and the blanket covering her carrier. This is why we are keeping our travels to a maximum of three hours at a time. Nemo, again, just took a nap and looked around. So chill. Snoop Dogg in a cat.

The road construction around Shreveport is no joke. There were signs a few miles before as we approached the area that said something about stopped traffic, use an alternate route, blah, blah, blah. If we weren’t pulling a 11’5″ high camper, we would have considered that. However, we were and we rely on GPS that takes that into account so we don’t end up on some viral video as we scrape off our camper roof.

We arrived at Lake Bisteneau State Park around 2:30 and were greeted by beautiful fall colors all around. The people working in the administrative office were absolutely wonderful and so accommodating and patient as we extended our stay and even contemplated a different campsite. The roads to the campground are a bit chopped up in spots, so you have to steer around some holes. This is a pretty big park with a campground of 67 fairly spacious spots with water and electric hookups, dump station, bath house and laundry room: $1.75/load and even takes FasPay app so you don’t have to have quarters! Equine activities and trails are a big deal here. We even saw horses on the trails as we made our way to the campground.

We ended up in the original spot we reserved, 16. It backs to the lake, and there is a dock behind our site. HOWEVER, the lake is in what they called a drawdown. So it is completely dry almost as far as we can see, crunchy even. Several hundred yards out we can see a faint glimmer of water, but all the cypress trees between us and that glimmer are standing in what is essentially a field. Oddly enough, it is still beautiful.

Our spot (and I think most spots) was asphalt that really should be replaced. There were two deep troughs with a big hump in the middle from tires. Very unlevel side-to-side. Greg had the ingenious idea to back up onto some concrete that separates the lovely wooden deck from the parking pad. That small move made us completely level without using our leveling blocks! That’s one of those great things about having a smaller camper AND a skilled camper-puller like Greg.

Even though the entire state of Louisiana is under a burn ban, several state parks have “opted out” of it, including this one. Not sure how that even works, but we gathered a few sticks and made a campfire for the first time in a long time. It was nice to sit in the pitch blackness, listen to arguing raccoons and have a chat. Being our second Louisiana State Park in a week, we are pretty impressed by the LA state parks. They are affordable, have that great state park rustic vibe, and offer a military discount.

Thursday through Sunday at Lake Bisteneau State Park in Doyline, LA

We spent most of these days performing maintenance on the camper, cleaning and driving into Shreveport for supplies. We also popped into a couple of casinos to see what they looked like. Margaritaville had the most positive vibe of the ones we saw. Overall, I’m sad to say that the Shreveport area seems a bit chaotic and feels less friendly than the other places we visited in Louisiana. Even Barksdale Air Force Base, as busy as it is, felt slightly run down.

The coolest thing about Barksdale is all the B-52’s based there. We saw them doing touch-and-go’s where they come in for a landing and then pull up and take off again without stopping. That is very impressive no matter what, but these planes are massive and have floppy wings. They almost look like they are flapping. They also look like they are leaning forward when they are in the air…almost like it shouldn’t fly so well. They have been around since the 1950’s, so it seems to be working! Tin roof, (not) rusty!

Monday (Travel Day!)

We got an earlier start than usual since we knew we had a nearly four-hour drive ahead. No meds for Cleo after her Cujo drool on the last travel day. I felt bold and actually drove camper to the dump station! This is a big moment for me, as I haven’t pulled the camper very often. The trip to the dump station at Bisteneau is fraught with narrow, curvy, bumpy roads. And then once at the dump station I actually had to back up a little bit. Nail biting, for sure, but I did it! 

Our tanks needed the dump after five days with no sewer hookup. We had decided to test our tanks’ capacity and NOT periodically drain the gray into our portable tote (aka Meals on Wheels, the Honey Bucket or Blue Boy). We wanted to see how long it would take before the water from the sinks and shower started to come up through the lowest drain (shower). In five days, it never happened! We could tell it was getting full on the last day by smelling a bit of dankness. Our gray tank holds 30 gallons. So by using more paper plates than normal and taking quick showers, we made it five days without taking our tote off the ladder. The black tank also holds 30 gallons and typically takes longer to fill (a good sign of our bodily health, if you know what I mean). We have a rule of only using it for number one when we don’t have sewer hookups. This is simply because we feel better about not having number two in the portable tote. Think on that. Talk amongst yourselves. You’re welcome.

Both of us received a ceremonial fire ant bite while camping at Lake Bisteneau…I got three on my left foot and Greg got one on his wrist trying to disconnect the water hose. Those little devils need anger management lessons.

Our drive to Lavonia Park in Lavon, TX was uneventful. Cleo meowed for the first hour. Took a nap when we refueled and then barely meowed after that. I had to check on her to make sure she was still breathing since silence from her carrier is abnormal. She was fine!

Lavonia Park is an Army Corps of Engineers recreation a short drive to the northwest from Dallas, TX. Let me start by saying that we paid $15/night for a lakefront campsite with full hookups. That, alone, makes it difficult to complain. However, the entire park is run down and lacking in upkeep. The roads are awful. The majority of grills in the day use area are leaning over and unusable. Trees that have fallen on shelters are just sitting there, not cleaned up…it’s strange.

Upon first inspection, our site was being used by a camper from another COE park nearby simply to dump their tanks. The sewer system at that park was “down.” So we waited while they finished up before we were able to back in. While we were waiting, we chatted with the campground hosts. They are a lovely family that has been hosting here since April, and they love it. 

Once we were able to back into our site we had to lower the front almost down to the ground and the back end was way up. The passenger side also had to be leveled 2.5.” So those wheels were completely on top of our leveling rockers. Greg remarked that from the side it looks like our camper is suspended in the air! We chocked, chocked, chocked and then chocked and x-chocked so that we wouldn’t roll into the big, beautiful lake. And then Greg donned a glove and picked up a bunch of cigarette butts and a couple of band-aids. Later we found a wash cloth and a bar of soap on our water spigot. What exactly do camp hosts do? The sunset over the lake was as thrilling as the sunsets at Key West, on a smaller and less crowded scale. And the thousands of gulls, plovers, wigeons and occasional pelican that circled in front of us took our breath away. 

Tuesday at Lavonia Park near Dallas, TX

We awoke to Lake Lavon with a faint sunrise hue over the vast blue/gray water that was brimming with the same giant vortex of birds. This time they were preparing for a mass exodus for the day only to return in the evening. Where do they go during the day? Do they punch a clock somewhere?

Nemo has always loved sleeping in an Amazon box. He used the same one for several years until the great barf of 2023. He loves his new one just as much. And recently Cleo has discovered the joy of a good box nap and was encroaching on Nemo’s box. Today we got them a second box while we were at Aldi. Within an hour they were both sleeping in their own box. Living the life!

Cleo was dive-bombed by a bluebird and several house finches today while she was in the catio. Now she isn’t too keen on hanging out there. I think they startled her. It was pretty entertaining for us, though. She kept going back in the camper, peering out and then going back out. This repeated a few times until she just stayed in. She’s a genius.

Tuesday’s sunset and bird extravaganza was even more spectacular than Monday’s as the sky was perfectly clear. We ended the night by racing to the nearby railroad bridge a couple of times to watch a big freight train roll right under us…followed by Greg’s continued dominance of our Monopoly games.

Wednesday at Lavonia Park near Dallas, TX

Basically, this day was uneventful. We ran into town and returned an Amazon item at Kohl’s, ran errands, looked around a bit. This area is super-packed with traffic and so many of the things we like to avoid (people, stores, crowds, people. traffic, ways to spend money).

Thursday (Travel Day!)

We got kind of an early start heading to Lake Arrowhead State Park in Wichita Falls, TX.  The traffic leaving the Dallas area what a NIGHTMARE. Cleo did not approve, of course. We got Nemo a hard-sided carrier that is a bit larger for him in case he wants to stand at all. He didn’t. For the most part we have little  desire to visit big cities in our travels. We will at times, of course, but not as a rule.

We arrived at our Lake Arrowhead campsite to find two volunteers cleaning our campsite! Actually removing trash from the firepit and tidying up! What a 180 degree difference from the lazy hosts at Lavonia Park! Yay! We have always heard that Texas State Parks are top notch.  This park is gorgeous and is our introduction to the prairies and open skies that we eagerly anticipate. Many coyotes yipping at night. And the ranger at the entrance warned us of wild boars. We only ever saw marks in the dirt from their rooting around, and Greg MAY have heard one at night.

Friday through Sunday at Lake Arrowhead State Park in Wichita Falls, TX

The park filled up for the weekend, but it never felt crowded. We set up our little string lights and created a modestly festive vibe for ourselves. It also gave us a little light to watch for the elusive wild boars at night. It poured rain one night creating a subtle mud pit that we then tried to avoid tracking into the camper for the rest of the weekend. 

Visited the actual Wichita Falls, definitely underwhelming and not worth seeking out. They are manmade falls right next to the interstate. It is loud and you have to park on the street a couple blocks away and walk in a sketchy area to get to the falls. They look pretty from one angle. I was surprised at how grimy this small city is. It seemed that everywhere we went there was black grime and gum on the sidewalks. We did find a healthy grocery store that had some nice plant-based items, supplements, fun stuff like that. I believe it was called Natural Grocery? We loved Lake Arrowhead State Park. No reason to spend much time in Wichita Falls itself, at least on first impression. Tomorrow we travel to a new catio view!