Meridian and I-20---We Remember It Well!

So, we woke up Tuesday morning itching like crazy! Turns out we forgot to put on our DEET when we went geocaching in the woods and we got CHIGGERS! As always, we travel with a special spray to ease the itching and we both bathed in it before we got on the road.

Now Meridian stands out in my mind from previous trips as a town with inconvenient exits and entrances to the interstate. This time was no different! After looking a the map and checking our GPS's, we headed south on highway 19, going to old US80. Unfortunately, about a mile from the entrance to I-20, there was a warning about bridge clearance, we checked and we would fit so we continued on for about another 1/2 mile. Bob suddenly pulled over into a gravel lot--he spotted the sign before I did: WEIGHT LIMIT 6 TONS! We were able to unhook the car (did I mention it was raining?) and I drove across the street to the Moose Lodge. Then I went back to direct Bob so he could back and then turn into the lot. As we were waiting for traffic to clear we were astounded to see a flat bed semi coming across the bridge! Now, it wouldn't have been so bad if the truck had been empty, but it had a FULL load of liquid. Now water weighs about 8 pounds a gallon and this truck had at least 20 five hundred gallon tanks fully loaded. The driver must have been concerned, he slowly crept across the bridge.

Well, after that detour, we went back to highway 19 and found the long way onto I-20. From there it was a bumpy, bouncy ride across Mississippi. Interstate 20 from Jackson to the Louisiana border has improved since we first started RVing in the late 90s, but more improvement is needed. This section of I-20 is still one of the worst sections we have ever traveled.

Since we had no idea as to our destination that night, we stopped at the Louisiana Welcome Center. We found a brochure on a park we were considering and decided to give it a try. We were less than a 100 miles from the park, so after lunch we were on the road again.

At the rest area just before Ruston, Louisiana, we stopped to call the park to make sure there were spaces available.  Luckily for us, there were, so we drove to Lincoln Parish Park just north of Ruston. It turned out to be an excellent choice for the night. In fact, it is a park where we would like to spend more time. It is known for its mountain bike trails. There is a small lake with a paved walking path. And to top it all off, the sites had 50 amp electric, water, sewer, AND free wi-fi! All for $25 a night.

This was the view behind our site.

After we got set up and rested for a bit, we took a walk around the lake.

 The park was well maintained and had many amenities.

 Fishing, boating (no gas motors), swimming, hiking, and mountain biking are just a few.

We had an enjoyable evening in Sol, but Wednesday would be another travel day. I know, I know, this is not our usual travel style. For the first part of this trip we are on a schedule. That will change in early August.

Wednesday morning, before traveling, we took the time to walk around the lake once more. Of all the ducks in or near the lake, this one stood out from the others with her stylish bouffant. We saw one other duck that's head feathers looked more like a mohawk, but she wanted no part of our photo session.

Time to pack up and hit the road.....next stop Rocky Point COE near Texarkana, Texas.