‘Sometimes the most scenic roads in life are the detours you didn’t mean to make.’- Angela Blount
The great summer road trip is something I have grown up doing and fully embraced as an adult. In my previous post, I mentioned my brother had a cool opportunity in Nashville so I decided to hit the road with my new companion, Gus! After Oklahoma, we headed east. I knew roughly on the way there we were going to stay the night at Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky then on to Nashville. On the way back, the plan was to hit Hot Springs National Park and Caddo Lake. On the road, a couple of other signs beckoned so there were a couple of detours. The only true bummer was the trip hit as a massive heat wave swept across the country. Like obscenely hot, so no camping. Fortunately for me (and my budget) Gus loves a roadside motel.
Along the way to Nashville, as we were driving through Missouri, I saw a sign for Laura Ingalls Wilder’s home. As I was obsessed with the Little House on the Prairie series and tv show as a kid (and still watch the show as an adult), I had to go. Fortunately, it was one of those places that was, in fact, right off the highway. Located in Mansfield, it is where Laura settled with her husband, Almanzo. It is a small home and museum. Since I had Gus (and on a time limit), I did not do the tour or anything. I just walked the grounds. It was still fun! They had a really lovely garden out front to boot!
Along the way, we stopped at a river access point and Gus was able to wade in the water! He was a little unsure of the lapping sound but LOVED being in the water itself-his second taste after Lake Skiatook. Then a stunning sunset from the side of the road! We then continued to the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, where we spent the night and then explored the next morning. It is a series of lakes and a wildlife reserve. The best part was they had a buffalo sanctuary. First, I had no idea there were buffalo in Kentucky and second, they got so close to the car! I am not sure I had ever seen a buffalo so was very excited. Gus was less than impressed (or maybe annoyed he had to stay in the car while I hopped out for a photo).
On the way back to West Texas, we made a couple more stops. The heat was a lot so altered a lot of plans but did the best with what we had. First, stopped by the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. There is also a museum but I arrived after hours and had Gus but you can access the exterior of the hotel, where Dr. King was assassinated, without a ticketed entry. Not many people were there so it was a really peaceful and moving experience. This was the only stop in Memphis, much to the chagrin of my brother who also recommended a giant, pyramid shaped Bass Pro Shop which was a couple exits up from the Lorraine.
Our drive took us through Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas. This one is definitely not like the others. It is the main street of a town, which was noted for the hot springs and the wealthy visitors who came to partake in them. But it is literally just the main street of the town. Not the surrounding natural sights-just the town. You can access a couple of the springs for free and there are other traditional bath houses. This area was made a national park prior to the creation of the National Park Service, so it was sort of grandfathered in. Thus an anomaly within the NPS. The water is quite hot, Gus decided to try and drink some, even though I said no, and he was not a fan, lol. Hot Springs is very dog friendly. Dogs are allowed in most of the shops so we mostly just walked around. Again, it was so hot!
Our final stop was Caddo Lake State Park. I came across it looking at cool state parks to visit in Texas and, since I was going to be in far east Texas and passing through Texarkana, near where the park is, decide to go. It is famous for the trees that grow in the lake-known as the Big Cypress Bayou. Hardly anyone was there…which may have had more to do with the 100 degree weather coupled with humidity so thick that I looked like I had just gotten out of the shower after just a short walk outside. The lake is open to water recreation but beware of alligators (although I didn’t see anything more than a couple of fisherman). The park was stunning but Gussy and I made our visit quite short (sadly). I will visit again but not during a heat wave!
