Dropping in the rankings...

No, not this campground.  The guy who owns IKEA dropped from the 11th richest person in the world to #162.  "How can that be?" you ask... Kamprad willingly lost the money, after his lawyers proved that money in his Lichtenstein-based foundation -- which owns IKEA -- does not count toward his personal wealth, according to Forbes Magazine.

Which brings us to today's post: Joan loves IKEA.  Even if there is nothing she has in mind for purchasing, she likes to walk through there "to get ideas."  I love Joan.  I consider an outing to IKEA to be indoor exercise and the opportunity to laugh at the names of items.  Also, the people watching is almost as entertaining as playing People of Walmart Bingo.

We don't have an IKEA near us at home, but there is one quite close to this campground.

We went out for breakfast at a nearby restaurant (yes, I know they serve breakfast at IKEA), timing it so we'd be able to stroll through the store not long after they open.  For those who have never been in an IKEA, they are about a million square feet, generally on two stories (this was all on one), and set up like a maze where you are "directed" through every display in the store.  I think we walked about 15 miles through this particular store, but I could be off by a mile or two... I'm just judging by how tired my feet were at the end of the excursion.  But, I digress.

First displays: living room furniture.  Apparently, Swedes are normal size people who have especially long torsos, short legs from the feet to the knees, then long legs from the knees to the hips... at least that is how many of their couches and chairs feel to me.  Again, Joan likes 'em...

Perhaps the dumbest looking chair in the place...

Let the "Parade of Names" begin...

"Where could I use this?"

"Look!  It's a surfboard for Izzy!"

It doesn't seem right to treat the tramp like a doormat...

Speaking of doormats, this one is creepy...

I Googled it - washers and dryers in Sweden are apparently made of cardboard...

If it isn't a floor uplight, then what is it??

I don't wanna know...

Once you think you are almost through the store, you come to the area where the big items are stacked on shelves...

If you did it right, you have a list of all the different Snarkenflagels written out, and this is where you find them.

Then, you pass into a large area full of small stuff you didn't know you needed.  Take my word for it, they do NOT want you to throw the EIVOR...

"Go long!"

Standing in line for a check out is more fun people watching.  It was apparent that some people are furnishing their entire homes in one trip.  There are worn out kids, frustrated parents, and many people with that look of anticipation that only comes from dreaming about assembling stuff.

We did find a few small things - I am ever hopeful that I will find a comfortable pillow among their vast array.  "What is that thing?"... "I don't know, but it was only $2.99!"  Since I was on my best behavior in our urban hike (lots of tragically hip people in there, and I hardly pointed any of it out), I was rewarded with ice cream at the end of it.

Hey, even the rat gets some cheese when he successfully makes it through the maze!

;-)

Before coming back to the coach, we picked up a few grocery items at HEB.  HEB is our Texas grocery chain... we love HEB!  This particular store was HUGE and very nice... now, it really feels like we are back in Texas!

At long last...

After supper this evening, Izzy got to go outside.  She has been cooped up inside the last two days - the park we were at previously had bugs and cockleburrs, not to mention it was in the mid-90s.  None of that is good for a furry girl with a long coat.

So, this evening...

She is a happy girl.  We looked out on the water (right behind our site) and checked out some of the many passing boats...

We walked in the gravely grass, and up on the road.  She watched a couple dogs on leashes go by... and the comments: "What a cute kitty!"... "I've never seen a cat on a leash before!"... "I have a cat - I tried putting a leash on her and she just falls over."

The TOP TWO reasons to stop at Buc-ee's...

#1

And...

#2

Get it?  #1 and #2... is in: peeing and pooping.  Buc-ee's has the best restrooms of any travel center, convenience store, gas station, jerky store, candy store, or gift shop.  And, they are all those things, too.

If you aren't from Texas and have never experienced a Buc-ee's... well, I am sorry for you.  ;-)

We only had 120 miles or so to do today, so we weren't in a hurry to get on the road.  By the time we got to I-35, we started seeing the signs...

I missed the first one referencing #1 and #2.  Here are some of their better billboards...

• "If It Harms Beavers, We're Against It!"
• "Clean Restrooms, We Guaranpee It"
• "No dancing the two-step in our restroom"
• "It's A Beaver!"
• "Restrooms So Clean, We Leave Mints on the Urinals"
• "Ice, Beer, Jerky: The 3 Food Groups"
• "The Top Two Reasons to Stop at Buc-ee's: #1 and #2"
• "A Bigger Kolache I Never Sausage a Thing"
• "Don't worry, P happy"
• "Epic Flush"
• "Don't stay thirsty my friends."
• "Worth the Wait"
• "The Eyes of Buc-ee's Are Upon You"
• "Buy a gift, leave a gift."
• "Don't pass our gas!"

We didn't pass by it...

We didn't need fuel, so this was a lunch stop for us (BBQ brisket).  Little Izzy got to have lunch; we also turned on the generator and the air conditioning to keep her comfortable.  Another hot one today (mid-90s).

Back on the road, we came upon construction...

There is always construction somewhere on I-35 in Texas.  This was a major road widening project.

Down the road a bit more, and we are into our next stop, another Corps of Engineers park.  Once again, not all CoE parks are created equal.  The one in NW Arkansas is still the one to beat.  Where we stopped the last two nights, we hardly went outside... first because it was hot, but mostly because of the bugs, flying and crawling.  They had an alert there regarding the Argentine ants (aka the worst ants in the world).  I sprayed everything of ours that touched the ground, and we didn't take Izzy outside.  She was not a happy girl...

Along the the ants, there were flying black bugs - Joan thought there were some kind of "dragonfly on steroids"... I was thinking they were actual flying, fire-breathing black dragons... bodies about the size of my thumb.  I didn't put my thumb anywhere near them, for concern that I would pull back a bloody stump.

This CoE park that we are in near Georgetown is more occupied and no immediate sign of flying or crawling vermin.  Izzy may get to go outside here.  Maybe.

We were surprised by how unlevel the sites in the previous park were.  This park has that beat... when the jacks were done leveling the coach, both sets of rear dually tires were about 6 inches off the ground!  A first in all the time we've had this coach.  We blocked the tires with all the pieces of wood we carry, but more supports under the jacks, and leveled again.  The rear gate on the coach was so high, I could just barely reach on my tip-toes it to close it.  Again, we are not moving in permanently.

There is a view of the lake from our site, and the grass isn't so dry that it crunches when you walk on it.  It's all good.

In the first image above, you can see we can't get the awning all the way out because the trees are close to the pad.  While a larger coach might be able to get into this spot, I can't imagine they would ever be able to get level.  Many of the sites here look to be the same.

It is pretty, though.

Pretty morning...

A lovely sunrise to start the day...

That view only lasted a few minutes, when a cloud layer moved over at the horizon.  Then, about 30 seconds of sprinkles.  So slight, at first I thought it might be birds on the roof.

Nice way to start the day.

One stop shopping...

We left the RV resort by the lake in Texas, heading for another Corps of Engineers park on another lake in Texas.  Warm and breezy today, but the Texas roads were a delight.

Less than 200 miles today - we can't check into the CoE park until 3:00, so we didn't leave the RV resort until 11:00.  Around noon, it was time to think about feeding Izzy.  Joan pulled up Gas Buddy and found a Sam's Club on our route that had fuel about 15¢ per gallon less than what we had been seeing for prices...

Saved money on fuel, a level place to park afterwards - Joan said, "How about a sandwich for lunch?"  She likes cold sandwiches... me, not so much.  She said, You can go inside and get a hotdog, or I'll make you one in here."  Hmmmm - big ol' Nathan's hotdogs and a soda for $1.50; I am a cheap date!  I fed Izzy before I left, and Joan was just sitting down with her sandwich when I got back.

I mentioned "warm" earlier... down right hot now.  Generator on, a/c running, and it was a nice, comfortable lunch stop.

We hit the road again, the GPS saying we'd arrive at 3:15.  More decent road...

We passed through some small, and some not-so-small, towns along the way.  I have mentioned how they drive in this state...

"Run, kids, run!!"  ;-)

We are straight north of Houston (by quite a ways), and seeing no effects of the hurricane.  Well, there were a few yards that look like a hurricane hit 'em, but that was more about hoarding than the weather.

Driving through Corsicana, we saw this...

Big rig drivers have to learn, too.  He was getting the opportunity to thread through traffic.

Further down the road, we turned off the main highway onto a narrow county road to get to this next Corps of Engineers park.  We stopped at the gate to check in.  I mentioned to the two good ol' boys at the gate house that we haven't been here before... "Well, you are in for quite a treat, young feller."

There is a lake right out the back of our site.  With the hot wind out there, we will be enjoying the view from inside our air conditioned coach.  Our thermometer is reading 97º outside.  No, I don't think Izzy will be getting a leisurely walk until/unless the heat gives us a break.

The site...

Not as scenic as the CoE park we stayed at in Arkansas, and a bit off the beaten path.  And, for a night or two, home on the road.

Gimme a "T" for Texas...

Rolling through western Arkansas today and into Texas.

We have been out 97 days and are now back in the Lone Star State.  A lot of miles to go to get to the Tropical Tip.  Today was mostly about the drive - a lot of two-lane, hilly and curvy roads...

We stopped for lunch at De Queen.  Yes, that is the name of the town.  Not Da King, but De Queen.  Joan found us a sizeable parking lot next to a McDonalds... no, it is not dining fit for De Queen, but it looked easy.  While she went in, I fed Izzy, started the Honda, and did a walk-around to check the rig.  I had picked a place at the far side of the parking lot, with no other vehicles around us, and an "easy out" for the U-turn I'd need to do in the parking lot.  While Joan was inside, an old gal in a Buick parked right where I'd need to turn to get out... then pulled out her lunch and stared at our coach while she ate.

"OK, I can squeeze by her as long as nothing else parks in the way..." almost didn't get that thought out when an old couple in a pickup truck parked, boxing me in on the side.  We had planned to sit and eat, but when Joan got back with the food, I suggested we roll and eat on the run - if one more vehicle pulled alongside, we wouldn't be able to get out.  We rolled.

Twenty-seven miles later:

Welcome back to Texas.  The road we were on in Arkansas had been narrow and rough; a few miles after passing that sign...

We have been staying off the Interstates, but this nice wide, smooth road was great.  As we drove west, we were passed by a police car with lights flashing.  Then another.  A fire truck.  Then, an ambulance.  Joan pulled up her Maps app and saw that traffic ahead of us was stopped; she found us a detour that would get us around the accident (likely in a construction zone).  We were just moments behind the first responders, including an incoming helicopter, when we turned off on an exit ramp...

The emergency vehicles were stopped just beyond that overpass.  There was very little traffic on the detour, and no traffic on the west bound lanes when we got back on the Interstate just a couple miles down the road...

Odd to see no traffic on a Texas Interstate.  Sorry for whatever might have happened back there.

Our goal for the afternoon is a Passport Park that is a combination marina and RV resort... it would be an understatement to say this isn't on a main highway...

The road got so narrow that there were places where two vehicles could not have fit to pass by each other.  We were fortunate that the only place we saw another car was at a turn, and he waited for us to start our turn so he could get by.

It is clear that this resort would be hopping prior to Labor Day... but is very quiet here right now.  Long pull-through sites, a nice view of the lake, and only $14.50 with our Passport card.

No, we didn't need a park with a marina - just looking for a quiet place for the night, need power (for A/C because it is in the upper 80s), and we'll use city water as long as it is there.  When it cools off a bit, I'll take Izzy out for a walk.

The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step...

The journey of 100 yards begins with... folding up and putting away the e-bikes, same with the patio chairs, and the patio mat, pulling in the slides (press of a button), raising the jacks (another button), putting down everything loose inside the motorhome.  Then, driving about 2 miles to dump our holding tanks before coming back to the same general area and setting up camp again.

Huh?

We are really enjoying the laid back pace here; decided to spend a couple extra nights.  We were able to get our same site for one of those nights, but had to move to a different site (3 sites down) for tonight.  Not really a big deal - we needed to go dump holding tanks anyway.  It has been about a week; typical for our black tank usage, a bit long for the gray (shower and sink) tank.  We have cleaned up every day, but have been conservative with our water usage while here... not because of fresh water, rather the black and gray holding tanks.

On the way to the dump site, we got to take in the sight that Joan said would make her stay here complete: seeing a tug and barges go through the lock.  A few minutes at the sewer dump site, then back to our new digs...

Still a nice view of the water...

All set up, we took long, leisurely showers and let Izzy check out her new surroundings...

Do you see her there in the tall grass?  This is her "Wild Cat of the Savannah" pose.  ;-)

It is under 1,000 miles to home; we have made some reservations along the way to be sure we will have a place.  We aren't "on a mission" to get there ASAP - we'll take our time along the way.  Yesterday, we stocked up on groceries.  Today, we (Joan - I was there for immoral support) did laundry, had a leisurely lunch that also stocked up our fridge (Olive Garden: Buy One, Take One) for easy on-the-road meals, and ran the Honda through the car wash (the site we were in this past week had some kind of shedding tree over the CR-V).

Back to the motorhome, Izzy was anxious for another walk.  She is generally indifferent to comments, but a guy a couple sites up from us walked by and said, "Oh, I thought that you were walking a raccoon."

"Nope, a sweet cat," I replied.

"Kinda fat, huh?" he said.

"I know you aren't talking about my sleek feline, and you better not be talking about me!"

"Um, no... um, it looks like her belly hangs low."

"That is fur - there's an 8 pound cat under all that fur."

Izzy's response...

Then she said, "He's a dipshit."  I don't encourage that kind of language from her, but it was a pretty astute observation.  ;-)

We continued our walk, then sat outside for a while.  Yep, we definitely like this place.

Since we're leaving in the morning, we didn't "spread out" with our stuff.