West Tennessee, Texarkana, TX, and Home

Corps of Engineer RV Park Near Nashville

Neither of us was feeling terrific when we left Kingsport and headed west toward Nashville, Tennessee’s capital. Just east of the Country Music Capital of the World off I-40 lies J. Percy Priest Lake, a Corps of Engineer facility. We have camped there many times, and it felt good to be back. The sites are huge and giant shade trees are abundant. The weather was perfect. We even had a lakeside site with fabulous view. All we did was walk around the campground and take short trips to the water’s edge for two days. This kind of serenity is what camping should be all about.

From Nashville we traveled on west to Millington, a suburb of Memphis. There we stayed in another familiar RV park at the Mid-West Naval Supply Center. We were able to get a shady site near the laundry. Our clothing maintenance task at that facility took the better part of a half-day. Next to the RV park is the commissary, so it was convenient to re-supply without having to unhook our truck from the trailer.

Boating at Scenic Elliott Lake

Gloria at Lookout Beach

From Memphis we crossed the Mississippi River and drove on past Little Rock, Arkansas. It would be over 300 miles to our next stop at the Red River Army Depot just west of Texarkana, TX. Just short of there we elected to stay the night at another Flying J truck stop on Route 30. RV spaces were in abundance as we pulled in just before dark. The next morning we reached Lookout Beach on Elliott Lake at the Red River Army Depot. This is the best bargain in the military RV park system. For $7.00 per night with our Golden Age Passport, we had a concrete pad, lakeside view, and full hookups with 50 amp electrical service. Elliott Lake boasts good fishing and boat rentals. As well, one can rent a log cabin. A new conference center with bedrooms is under construction. 

Again, we stayed for two days and did absolutely nothing. By that time Jerry's cold was better, and Gloria's health was improving  each day. On September 27 we drove the last 240 miles to our home in Hillsboro, TX. How great it felt to be back with friends and neighbors after three and a half months on the road. We had traveled 7000 miles through 17 states and two Canadian provinces. Never have we had so many people stop by (some rapped on the door) to admire our Airstream and ask how we like our Toyota Tundra. Many said that their goal was to one day own an Airstream. One guy asked if they are maintenance free. We had to smile at that one.

All in all, we enjoyed a fantastic trip, even though Gloria had four trips to various ERs. We are so thankful that the good Lord provided so many opportunities for us on the road and so many gorgeous views. We don't know how many more of these excursions we will get, but we shall always savor this one and remember the many wonderful people with whom we got to interact. Some of them we will never see again, but this was a wonderful way to say goodbye.