Trying to Stay Warm--Texas to Arkansas

Our original plan was to stay in Crosbyton for one night. Well, when we awoke the next morning it was snowing a nice slushy snow so we decided to stay put for one more night. Since it was a slushy snow, there was no need to go sightseeing or even leave the RV so we hunkered down and stayed warm.

The next morning we set out bright and early with a destination near Whitesboro, TX. Bob had done research on the area and found many Army Corp of Engineer campgrounds around Lake Tahoma. We decided on West Juniper Campground as it was the one of the ones open at this time of year. The water was off, but the electricity was good. Unfortunately, I think our days of boondocking might be over for this trip as we are headed east where there are fewer boondocking sites.

We got a great site overlooking Lake Tahoma. It didn't take long to get used to the rhythm of traffic crossing the bridge  on US 377 about a half mile from our site. While at West Juniper we did as much geocaching as we could  (weather permitting) and we also visited the Air Force Recreation Area to do some laundry. Yes, it was still cold. Average temperatures for the area were about 20 degrees below normal so everywhere we went we had to bundle up to stay warm.

One day we were able to walk across the highway to check out East Juniper Campground. It had some nice sites, too. Most of the east sites were gravel, not concrete pads like on the west.

At West Juniper Campground is the beginning of Cross Timbers Trail. The only day it was warm enough for us to consider hiking was Saturday and unfortunately for us, there was a race scheduled for the trail. The mileage for the race ranged from a 5K to 50 miles! It was not a day for us to do recreational hiking!

We did find a geocache near the dam during one of our caching days.

When we left West Juniper, we only went about 50 miles to another Army Corp of Engineer Park north of Denison, TX. Bob's parents were joining us at West Burns Campground. Again, it was one of the campgrounds open during the winter.

Bob's parents drove down from Siloam Springs to spend 2 nights with us. Bob's dad attended Cadet Training at Perrin Air Force Base in 1949. All that remains of the base is a museum--the base closed in 1971. We spent the morning looking through the museum and talking with the volunteers--all who had been stationed at Perrin at some time in their military career.

After touring the museum we drove to the birthplace of Dwight  D. Eisenhower. We drove around the house, but did not go inside. Have I mentioned that it was cold? Well, it still hasn't warmed up to the average temperatures for the region.

Bob's dad has a friend still living in Denison so we met him for coffee and dinner one afternoon. It was fun listening to Bob and Leo talk about old times. On a shelf in the coffee shop where we met there was a picture of  Leo with John Wayne in front of  John Wayne's airplane. It seems Leo flew 'The Duke' to Mexico a few times.

After Bob's parents returned to Arkansas, Bob and I were going to stay in the area a few more days, but after looking at the weather forecasts for the next week, we high tailed it to Siloam Springs the day after they left! This cold weather is getting old, I thought that Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring!

While in Arkansas we visited Crystal Bridges.The museum is sponsored by Wal-Mart and is located in Bentonville, Arkansas. The permanent collection may be viewed at no charge, but special exhibits may have a fee. It was well worth the visit.

The museum is built around a lagoon, with floor to ceiling windows overlooking it along the hallways.

 There are places to sit and rest or view the artwork.

 This was one of the most popular artworks that Sunday afternoon. The museum had a special program for children--Fairy Tale Ball. Most of the children attending were dressed as their favorite fairytale characters and they had to find artworks based on clues they were given when they entered the museum. Later in the afternoon, Michael Buckley, author of The Fairy Tale Detectives, would be available for autographs and questions.

 

 Bob and I decided to stay in Siloam Springs for two weeks. We enjoyed visiting with his parents and keeping warm.  Did I mention that it is cold--it snowed not long after we arrived in Siloam!

We are still trying to decide which route we want to travel to get home--I am sure weather will be the deciding factor!