Gulpha Gorge Campground

30 July-1 Aug 2013

Gulpha Gorge Campground in Hot Springs National Park is one of the best campgrounds we have stayed in a National Park. There is everything one needs with the exception of showers, 30 and 50 amp, water and waste hookup's. The cost is $24 per night, but if you have an access pass or senior citizen pass issued by the parks service the cost is $12.

  We looked at all the sites in the campground and we did not see one bad site. A few of them at on an incline but those were not too bad. The Gulpha river runs along the outer edge of the campground and if you are a brave soul who needs showers. Sandee and I decided to give it a try after a long day of crystal hunting. The sun was going down and the water was cold when we took the plunge, but it was refreshing enough that we could go to bed having washed all the dirt off us. For those who think we used soap and polluted the water, think again. We would not pollute the water with manmade products, we used the natural sand in the river bottom to clean our self's. Of course the next day went back into Hot Springs to take the waters at the Quapaw spa again where we really cleaned up.

  If you like to camp in a tent of an RV this is the campground to visit. There was plenty of shade in each site and a good amount of space between sites.

                                                                    Our camp site

                                                          Pool we swam in

 

Lake Dardanelle SP-AR

30 July 2013.

 Half way between Fort Smith NHS and Hot Springs NP is Lake Dardanelle State Park in Arkansas and since there is an Eastern National passport stamp for the Trail of Tears at the visitor center we decided this would be a good place to spend the night, which turned out to be a great choice.

 While the site we were given had no shade and the afternoon sun beat down on us, the view of the lake was great. The one drawback to this view was the Nuclear Reactor Plant across the lake. Visions of Three Mile Island loomed in our imagination but if the plant did blow we were reassured by the local signs for "Nuclear One Evacuation Route" would guide us to safety.

 The visitor center had a 7,000  gallon fresh water tank and several other smaller ones. There were other exhibits there as well and an area to hook up to the internet.  Our camp site was in section C, site 46. If we get back to this park we know the perfect site for us, either 33 or 34. They are both close to the bathrooms and showers, which by the way were brand new and were great, but these sites are very large and have a separate fireplace patio.

 This park has it all, fishing, camping, water sports, a nice lake beach to swim in and boat rentals. The price for a 30 amp and water hookup cannot be beat, $21. You can get larger sites for only $29.  I would recommend campground for anyone heading west or east on I-40.

 

 

 

Roaring River SP- MO

28 & 29 July

 

Roaring River State Park, Missouri is the second of three state parks dedicated to trout fishing. Like Montauk SP, there is a fish hatchery in the park, a lodge where you can stay if you do not like camping, and three very large campgrounds. We stayed in campground 1 way back in a holler that narrows at the very end. Our site was right up against a dry stream bed.

  There were very few other campers around us, mainly because the showers and bathrooms were far enough away that one has to drive to them but with plenty of woods around there is was plenty of trees nearby in case of emergencies. One word of caution though, I took a walk behind our camp site to the dry creek bed and ran into a not so friendly neighbor, a Copper Head. I was just about to put my foot down when I looked and saw this little guy all coiled up and head raised as if to strike. Lucky for me it was cold and a light rain had began so I think he was just a bit too cold to strike. But if you stay in this park and your camp site is a it out of the way as ours was, you need to watch where you step as mother nature rules these woods.

 We ate the lodge one night, it was good but not as good as Montauk State Park.  The lodge was built by the CCC and it was a beautiful lodge. Massive columns of stone and a fireplace in the center are the highlight. I wish I had my camera with me so I could have taken a picture of it all.

 After dinner we walked along the river where all the folks were fishing. The water is very clean here as it was at Montauk SP.  One can see all the trout in the river just waiting to be caught. We were even lucky enough to see a fisherman reel his catch in while we watched nearby.

 All in all, if you like to trout fish this is the place for you. But the real draw for us is this state park is only 19 miles away from Pea Ridge National Battlefield and makes a great place to stay and visit this park.  And if you really want to take a road trip, as we do and did, you can drive two hours to Tahlequah, Oklahoma to visit the Cherokee National Museum and George Murrel Home.

KOA- Springfield, MO

28 July 2013

  We stayed at the KOA near Springfield, Missouri for two reasons, 1- it was a half way point for our westward trip across Missouri and 2- it was only 5.7 miles from Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. This reason alone is good enough to warrant an overnight stay if you are one to visit National Parks sites and we are.

  This was our first experience at staying in a private campground. We like to stay in state or national parks but it fit our needs this time around.  Normally when we camp at state or national parks there is plenty of room and privacy not so in this KOA. There were about 85 sites, maybe a few more, but each site was so close to each other you can hear folks around you even when they talked in a low tone.

The upside to staying at a private campground, in this case a KOA, is they are CLEAN. The bathrooms and showers were like being at home. There is a pool, internet, and they will even make a pizza and deliver it to you at your campsite. The biggest drawback to this particular KOA was the railroad tracks which run very close to the site. We heard a number of trains throughout the night, but not so many that it kept e up all night. Of course I had ear plugs in so that may have helped.

  Bottom line for this campground, it was a good stop for us because it was very close to Wilsons's Creek Battlefield, otherwise we would have passed this one up. But it was great to have internet, a pool, and clean showers.

 

 

 

Giant City State Parl- IL

22-26 July 2013

 Giant City State Park is one of those old CCC parks with plenty to do for the camper and non-camper. We parked Tricera-Pod in one of the 85 electrical sites in a secluded area away from the other four campers in the park. Yup, with 85 sites in this park we were pretty much alone, over the next five days we would have folks come and go, but otherwise it was very quiet.

  If camping is not your thing do not worry, Giant City offers a number of cabins near the park lodge. We have stayed in these cabins in the past and for the price they are not bad at all. The cabins are near the swimming pool and within walking distance of the lodge.

If you are looking for a great meal, the lodge is the place to go.  There are several items to chose from and fried chicken is the specialty of the house. I have tried just about everything on the menu over the years and there is not a bad choice among them.  A word of warning though, if you get the fried chicken dinner be prepared to eat as they do put a feed bag on.

 There are a few trails to walk around the park, the best trail is the Nature trail, lots to see and it is not a strenuous hike at all. Deer, turkey, birds and many other animals can be seen every day at this park. As we left the lodge one night after dinner we encountered a skunk almost within arm's reach.  He/she could care less we were so close and would have came right up to us if we did not make enough noise to cause he/she to move along out of spray range.

 The bathrooms/showers were nice and clean. However the sites are a bit too close to each other and I suspect if the camp was a bit full with campers one would know what the neighbors were doing.  Sites are so close that when I was backing into our site I scraped the front end of our truck on a post. The cost is $20 per day.  Each site is a mix of gravel and paved and a bit uneven, but we managed to get Tricera-pod evened out enough that we felt comfortable.

 

Ozark NSR- Alley Springs-17 July 2013

 We like the campground at Alley Springs but the only one draw back was there was NO shade in the electrical sites. Plenty of shade if you are tent camping, but all of the electrical sites are pretty much out in the open.

  The bathrooms and showers are not too far away from the camp but with the government laying off many workers the are a bit dirty, but still usable if you do not mind the trash. It seems the bathrooms and showers are getting cleaned once a week so it gets kind of dirty after awhile.

 But still the price is great $20 a night or $10 if you have an access card, which we do have. Near by is the Alley Springs Mill where you can enjoy a nice hike around the springs.  If you enjoy water sports near the entrance to the campsite is a local vendor who will pick you up at your camp, rent you the equipment, take you to a drop off point on the river, pick you up at the end of your trip and bring you back to camp.  I recall that the cost for a 5 hour trip down the river on a tube was $15 so that is not to bad for a day of fun.

                                                                Our camp site

Montauk State Park- MO 18-22 July 2013

  Left  Alley Springs campground this morning and took our time getting to Montauk State Park, Missouri. We made a stop at Round Springs in the Ozarks National Scenic River but like three out of the five visitor center in this park it was closed, more on this area in my National Parks blog.

  Once we arrived at Montauk we found out site, backed in and began to set up Tricera-Pod. We had all kinds of issues as the 30 and 50 amp electrical grid blew the GFCI switch on the camper and I had to replace this switch. Once that was accomplished we only had power to the A/C unit. Then we could not get the slide out to retract. When I was trouble shooting the previous electrical issues I had pulled all the fuses out to see if they might be bad, which they were not. I was hot, miserable and it was getting late so we went to the restaurant at the lodge in the park.

  For those who are not familiar with this park it is one of three Missouri state parks known for its trout fishing and the lodge restaurant serves a great trout dinner.  After dinner we went back to camp had a few adult beverages and called it a night around 10pm.

 The next morning Sandee and I took a 1.5 mile hike around the park, really nice hike. The hike took us right past a portion of the fish hatchery in the park. The Rangers were scooping up young trout to move them to a bigger pond. As the scooped them up they dipped them in a solution that is like giving a human a shot for anti-bodies. We stood there watching for awhile and moved on.

After the hike I checked the fuses in the camper again. OOOOOPPPPPPS, seems that when I checked the fuses last night I put one fuse back in the wrong place. Now the slide out works, still having issues with all the 110v outlets in the trailer though.

 I was so happy we had breakfast at the lodge, eggs, hash browns and a great biscuits and gravy. MMMMMMMMM good. Then it was off on a road trip to Salem and Rolla, MO to pick up the Trail of Tears national trail stamps. Along the way we found a nice little rock shop we could not pass up. Found a few nice items to bring back home with us.

  As far as the camp grounds I cannot say enough good things about this park. Everyone including those camped near us was very helpful and kind.  Great big sites, but if you are looking for seclusion you will not find it here. As I mentioned before, this park is known for its trout fishing and at the crack of dawn they blow a loud siren to let everyone know they can now fish and they blow it again to stop all fishing for the day. Seems like the stocked stream gives forth its bounty everyday as the hatchery does release hundreds of fish each day it is no wonder lots of folks flock to this park.

  Oh and if you are into collecting park stamps they have one here for you to collect.

                                                         Woodchuck out side lodge restaurant

                                          Folks fishing along Current River in spark

                                                            Fish transfer & inoculation

                                                                  Current River