Day 7 - Austin, TX

WOW, What a night!  I have no idea how much it actually rained last night, but it came down in buckets.  All Night!  There was some flooding this AM in the Austin area and we were actually asked to evacuate McKinney State Park by no later then 2pm.  Welcome to Austin, TX!

We packed it up after breakfast and off we went.  We headed downtown and did some more REI shopping before lunch.  Whole Foods very first store was located right across the street from REI, so Steph went in to grab some food while Roscoe and I stayed outside.  No dogs allowed.  I didn't know it, but Whole Foods is headquartered in Austin and Steph remarked that it was the largest store shed been to.

We hit the road with our new purchases and found our next campsite at another state park located about 45 minutes west of Austin.  

Days 5 & 6 - Hot Springs National Park to Austin

We've basically been on the road the last couple of days.  Definitely taking it slow and easy. 

We left our campsite at Hot Springs National Park on Tuesday at around 11. Drove to Dallas and decided to camp out in the parking lot at REI.  There are two stores in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, so we chose the closest one and arrived at around 6.  After some shopping and a walk with the dog, we decided to ask some of the REI employees whether camping out in the parking lot would be a good idea.  Idk, something about the broken glass in the parking lot and the lock your doors, REI is not responsible for any damages or loss of property signs that were posted all over had us a little uneasy.  They suggested we camp out at their other store in Plano.

 Went to Plano and quickly realized that it was a much safer looking area, besides, there was a Trader Joes next door to the REI!  Of course, we had to buy some of their good food!  But, unfortunately, we had to move on after buying some of those goodies because the shopping complex did not allow any overnight camping.  A little too safe I guess.

In the end, we pulled the trailer a few miles further on down the road to a Wal-Mart which always works.  After a good nights rest, we hit the road mid-morning after having our coffee and some breakfast.  After several more hours of traveling, we finally arrived at our final destintion in Austin, TX, McKinney Falls State Park.

We set up camp and went for a run along a 3 mile loop that circles the campground.  Was it ever humid.  OMG, we were both drenched afterwards but, but as always, we were happy to have gotten some exercise in.

Days 3 & 4 - Gulpha Gorge Campground (Hot Springs National Park)

Went for a really awesome run in downtown Little Rock before hitting the road to Hot Springs National Park.  There are miles of trails that have been developed along the riverfront and the grounds that they run thru are beautiful.  I really need to get a new camera!  

It only took us about an hour to get to the the park and it's really gorgeous right now with the many colors of fall.  Gulpha gorge campground is very nice as well.  Our site backs up to a very pretty creek and, of course, there's a mixture of trees all around us. Trails through the woods lead from the campground to downtown Hot Springs and we walked it with Roscoe once, and ran it together without him another time.

The history of the bathhouses is very interesting and we learned a ton from our national park tour guide who explained it all to us.  I also took several pictures of others that were on the tour with us which was a lot of fun.  I must have a sign around my neck that says I'd be glad to take a picture of you.  I get asked all the time.  Only problem is I never bring any of my own pictures home with me.  Like I said, I really need to get a camera.  I know my phone has one, but it's a hand me down from Alexa and I've dropped it a couple of times which I think may have cracked the lens.

Headed to Austin tomorrow.  Will see how far we get.

Day 2 - Little Rock, AR

Woke up this morning in downtown Little Rock.  We arrived yesterday afternoon at around 6pm after Steph convinced me to check it out.  I was determined to make it to Hot Springs National Park, but as always Steph was right, and I'm glad she convinced me to take the detour.  Downtown Little Rock rocks!    

We found a sweet little curbside spot to sleep adjacent to the Clinton Presidential Library which sits right along the river.  The river is beautifully developed and we enjoyed a quick stroll along a river walk before dinner last night.  We wanted to check out Heifer Village, but arrived too late as they were closed.  Need to check out the Heifer International foundation.  Appears to be very interesting!?

After dinner I watched the Cardinal game, while Steph and Roscoe caught up on some sleep.  What a game!  We have a short drive to Hot Springs national park today where we will settle in for a couple days to relax and explore.

Today's the day!

After a lot of preparation........today's the day!  We are finally ready to hit the road.

Almost ready

Well, its been a busy week thus far........packing the house is always a lot more work then you'd imagined it was going to be!  I'm tired and we haven't even left yet.