Saturday, May 31st, part two
Thursday, May 29th
We had a dual mission when we left Bella Vista, Arkansas ... we needed to have the folks at Big O tires look at one of the new tires that we had just purchased as Bruce had discovered a slow leak. The other place that we had to stop at was Camping World. Our levelers - which had worked prior to our stop in OK - were no longer working. We stopped at Big O in Springdale and discovered that the extension piece of the air intake valve was malfunctioning; we had to pay to get it replaced because it wasn't part of the tire. (Remember, this is Jean writing this ... not too knowledgeable about vehicles/RV's/etc.)
Pouring rain descended on us again as we looked for a place to stop. How appropriate to find a place minutes from Little Rock called 'Trails End RV Park.' It had two spots left; the gal said to pick the one with the least puddles! And it continued to rain ....
Friday, May 30th
On we went to Camping World in North Little Rock Arkansas. Loose wires in the control panel had caused the levelers to malfunction and they were able to fix that; however, diesel fuel is leaking out of a pump located near the levelers and will need to be fixed. The service man at Camping World told me that RV's and boats ... be prepared to be shucking out the bucks to get their problems fixed. He said an RV is like going through an earthquake every time you drive it! That was encouraging. On I-40 heading south, we had passed near the small towns of Mayflower and Vilonia where a devastating tornado had struck about a month ago. We did not see any damage but if you Google the event, you can see that it traveled right over the interstate.
On we went to Camping World in North Little Rock Arkansas. Loose wires in the control panel had caused the levelers to malfunction and they were able to fix that; however, diesel fuel is leaking out of a pump located near the levelers and will need to be fixed. The service man at Camping World told me that RV's and boats ... be prepared to be shucking out the bucks to get their problems fixed. He said an RV is like going through an earthquake every time you drive it! That was encouraging. On I-40 heading south, we had passed near the small towns of Mayflower and Vilonia where a devastating tornado had struck about a month ago. We did not see any damage but if you Google the event, you can see that it traveled right over the interstate.
We decided to stay at the Downtown Riverside RV Park in North Little Rock. There are 36 sites right on the Arkansas River near three bridges - two pedestrian bridges and one for traffic. It was extremely easy to find. We quickly set up "camp" and then walked to the USS Razorback and Ark. Inland Maritime Museum. We got to go down into the submarine - the longest serving submarine in the world that was also commissioned under the Turkish government. That tour was an eye-opener!! Unbelievable the conditions that those men lived in for 6 months at a time.
Saturday, May 31st
Bruce and I walked over the Clinton Park Bridge to tour the Clinton Presidential Center and library. And, as luck would have it, we also got to take in the astounding exhibit of glassworks by artist Dale Chihuly. He is credited with revolutionizing the Studio Glass movement ... Oh my goodness ... the beauty is hard to describe. They had several pieces for sale, and Bruce was going to buy me a little trinket to commemorate the day but we were afraid it might break in the RV. Oh ... and the prices started at about $7,000!!!
We walked down the river through the park to the River Market area where the Farmer's Market was in full swing (got a big, fresh Florida tomato for our salad), listened to two different bands, and fought the raindrops. We took the River Rail Electric Streetcar around the city ($1 total) and back to North Little Rock to the camp area.
Talked to some folks in the park tonight. They were full-timers (for about a year now), having left a 7,000 sq. ft. home on a golf course to live in approximately 250 sq. ft. He owns his business so he works out of the RV; they are not yet retired but plan to stay full-timing.
As we walked over the bridge, I took a picture of our RV. We are the far greenish/silver one.
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| The path through the William J. Clinton park |
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| Bruce didn't give me a chance to smile. (Notice my naturally curly hair in this damp weather!) |
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| A sweet volunteer who told us about the time Bill Clinton came into the museum dressed very casually and people didn't even know who he was. She went around and tapped the shoulders of the folks and pointed him out to them. There is an apartment on the roof where the Clintons stay. |
Heifer International World - didn't get a chance to see but passed this on the River Rail streetcar ride.
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| Beautiful, aren't they? |
As the day winds down, Bruce and I are sitting in our motor home enjoying the sound of music* coming from the First Security Amphitheater across the river while the lights on all three bridges change color continuously.
*Legends of Arkansas Music Festival 2014 The all-Arkansas music festival returns with more than 25
musical acts and free admission. Enjoy performances from the Good Time
Ramblers, Stephen Neeper & The Wild Hearts, Swampbird, 607, Flatland Fund
Donors, Joe Pitts band, Moonshine Mafia, Jamie Lou Thies, Weakness for Blondes,
Whale Fire, Fitra and many, many more!
Me hard at work on this blog!!!
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