Day 3: Still hot, hot, hot!

It was already warm when Ranger and I took our early morning walk, and by 8 am or so, it was getting really uncomfortable.  Good that we spent much of the day inside the RV, traveling west with the AC cranked up!

Continuing along I-40, we went through Memphis, where we crossed the Mississippi River....so I think we are officially in the West.  Arkansas is not impressive:  the roads were rough, with much (much-needed) road construction going on; there were loads of trucks on the highway; the scenery was dull and uninspiring.  To top it off, when we pulled into a rest area for lunch, every parking spot for a "truck" was taken, with quite a few semis pulled over along the road where "no parking" signs were clearly posted.  So we went on to the next rest area, about 40 miles along, only to find that it was closed for remodeling.

A couple of granola bars kept us going until we reached our destination for the day: Lake Dardanelle State Park.  As we traveled from I-40 through the town of Russellville on our way to the campground, the thermometer in the RV said 102!  

However, the park is very nice: Big (air-conditioned) visitors center, shady sites, and a level pull-through so that we did not need to unhook the car.  This is a popular place for boating and fishing; we can see the marina across the road from our site.  As I told Dan when I came back from checking out the restrooms: they have reach a settlement for the whole transgender bathroom issue.  There are a series of  small rooms, each designated with both male and female symbols, and each has a toilet, sink, and shower---and they  are well air-conditioned!  

The weather forecasts indicate a slight cooling trend over the next few days.   We'll see....

Ranger does NOT like this heat!

Day 2: Tennessee

Who knew that Tennessee was so L---O---N---G?! 

We started the day near Johnson City and within 50 miles we got onto I-40 which we will follow all the way to Arizona.  Outside the window it was green and rolling, with some mountains and farms.  Well, there was Nashville---not so pretty! 

And the heat continues. At one point in mid-afternoon the thermometer read 97 degrees.

Our stopping point for the day was Natchez Trace State Park, about halfway between Nashville and Memphis.  On the map, it appeared to be right off the interstate, and yes, we reached the park office about two miles along.  There we found out that the campground was another ten miles into the park, on Pin Oak Lake.  So we drove and drove (through some cooler forests) to arrive at the RV campground which is very nice.  Fairly new, pull-through site, good view of the lake….but little shade. 

Still that shower sure felt good after a long hot day, and we did have a little time outside in the shade of the one little tree along our site.  The campground hosts welcomed us and came over to answer my question about the route back to the interstate, quite a difference from the gruff guy at Warrior’s Path.

Then, back into the AC for a good night’s sleep (though with the time change, I was yawning by 9 pm). 

Day 1: Hot time in Virginia and Tennessee

We are off again, this time heading west for a visit to Arizona, Utah, and Colorado.  We got started a little after 9:00 and followed I-64 west to I-81, then traveled south on I-81 all the way out of Virginia (220 miles).  Shortly after crossing into Tennessee, we pulled off for a night at Warrior's Path State Park, just north of Johnson City.

Signage to the park was minimal, so it was good that we had the GPS.  Our site here is very small but adequate for the one night we'll be here.  Unfortunately, the temperature, which had been comfortably in the low 80's as we left, rose and rose, so that this afternoon it is in the mid-90's.  We stayed out long enough to give Ranger a walk and check out the campground, then retreated inside to the air-conditioning.  Not exactly roughing-it, but greatly welcome in this heat.

The park is fairly old and not particularly well-kept, not a place we would stop at again.  It does have a swimming pool and a golf course, so I guess it must attract locals.

Tomorrow, we  head across Tennessee and change time zones.