Sometime in late 2021, I caught a NatGeo special on the firefly synchronization in the Smokey Mountains. I knew I had to go, so as soon as the recreation.gov reservation window opened up, I was able to score a prime site for four nights.

Day 1: May 17, 2022

A little nervous this morning, about starting my longest and farthest trip so far. It takes 6 hours and 48 minutes, without stops, to drive from Roseville to my predetermined destination, Barstow. The boring drive along CA-99 S actually settled my nerves. For me, there was nothing to see along the way. I took only one photo of some windmills along the Bakersfield/Tehachapi Hwy; not even worth posting. I started looking for a campsite about an hour before my destination. I typically don’t make reservations, as Iike to be flexible about where I stay in case I get tired early, or want to drive further. Owl Creek Canyon received some good reviews, so I went for it.

Now seeing the pics and the video, I can’t believe I was brave enough to camp here. It looks scary now from my perspective at home.

Day 2: May 18, 2022

Once again, long stretches of nothing to see from Barstow to where I stopped in Williams, CA. Today’s drive was only 4 hours and 55 minutes, without stops. Even just one stop is at least 15-20 minutes. If I had more time, I would have liked to have visited the Grand Canyon. That will have to be another trip. No road pics again on Day 2. My Smokey Mountains campsite reservation is from 5/23 - 5/27. I still had 26 hours to go.

Day 3: May 19, 2022

Winslow, Arizona

Finally, along my route, something I’ve wanted to do for a long time; stand on a corner in Winslow, AZ. What a neat little town, trying hard to revive itself.

Here is the first thing I see and hear after parking in Winslow. Mind you, it’s before 9 am!

When I talked with my sis-in-law, and told her I was in heading to Winslow, she told me she had just seen an episode of HGTV’s Home Town Kickstart . They had finished filming 10 days before I moseyed into town. So timely. Thanks for the reference, Barb!

Hwy 40, Just West of Winslow

En route to my night 3 destination, I was puzzled as to why there were so many motorcycles on the road!

What an impressive way to honor our fallen soldiers. It was astonishing how organized these riders were. Designated traffic controllers were directing and funneling traffic in the most efficient way possible. It was worth the very long wait at the pumps. No doubt they were emotional when they reached DC. Check out the link to their website for Run for the Wall.

Tired of driving, I stopped at the Route 66 RV Park in Edgewood NM. Super windy, I didn’t want to go outside of my van. It got the job done, but I was anxious to leave in the morning.

Day 4: May 20, 2022

I Wanted to get further east of Amarillo today, to make my drive to Fort Smith AK a bit shorter tomorrow. To my chagrin, there weren’t many campgrounds in this area. I stopped at the Longhorn RV Park in Alanreed, TX. In spite of good reviews, I didn’t get a good feeling about it at all. I later learned the family may be dealing with some current hardships. Across the street was the Alanreed Travel Center.

This RV site/restaurant/motel/post office might have been great in it’s heyday, but it was now a ghost town, permanently closed. I can only guess due to Covid, as some of the last pics posted were from early 2020. There was not much else showing up on Google maps or Maps on my iPhone, so decided to try “Ways” for a different perspective. “Shaffer Farms” (no website or FB Page) popped up as an RV site, so I gave them a call. I spoke with a very friendly and helpful owner, Blair Shaffer. He recently decided to create an rv site on his farm. If only his location wasn’t 20 minutes west. I definitely didn’t want to backtrack. He suggested I call a woman named Pam at the Cactus Inn about 20 minutes east of where I pulled over. Pam manages the small motel, but has a couple of spots for RV hookups. She was not on the property but offered to meet me there in about 10 minutes so I could take a look. Very accommodating, she offered me one of two elec/water hook up sites behind the motel or a parking space out front without hook ups, for free. I opted for the latter as it seemed less confining. Located on the main Hwy, 40, this town is so small, what little traffic passed by, was a non-issue, even on a Friday night. The bird calls were delightful. Shout out to Blair Shaffer and Pam (last name)! Stay at either place and be happy when you’re in the Amarillo area. By the time you read this, Blair may have upgraded, as he shared some future plans for his farm/rv site with me. I hope he shows up on the Harvest Hosts list soon.

Finally settled in at the Cactus Inn, a cold beer sounded great, so I walked across the street to the Red River Steak House assuming I could get one there. Silly me. The waitress/hostess sent me up the road to a tap house called the Country Rose. I was so excited because the outdoor garden looked delightful! I was surprised to see that no one was out there. I followed a cute chalkboard sign “Open Come Around Back”, but no entry was found. I walked all around the entire building, and could not find an unlocked door. I walked across the street to “The Chuckwagon” (no website or FB page available) where the friendly owner/waitress offered to call a private number she had for the Cactus Rose, She relayed to me that they must be out somewhere in a very matter of fact way. Oh well, stuff comes up, I guess. I couldn’t help but think how packed a beer garden like this would be in Roseville on a Friday afternoon. The Chuckwagon owner said it’s pretty much byob, anywhere you wanna go here, and spying my van, she suggested that if I have one in my van, I could bring it in and enjoy it with a meal. Too bad I didn’t have one! I asked if there was anywhere else in town to get a beer and a snack. She suggested the convenience store in town. By the way, there are only two main roads in McLean. Both one way; east and the other west. I ended up making dinner in the van and enjoyed it on a nearby concrete table and bench. I made my way to the convenience store, bought a single can of Modello Especiale and fueled up. Looking forward to an early start to Fort Smith AR, tomorrow.

“There are only two main roads in McLean. Both one way; east and the other west”.

Day 5: May 21, 2022

Continuing on Hwy 40, I still had 365 miles to go; 5 hours and 20 minutes to Fort Smith, AK. Oh my goodness I’m getting lonely. Thank you to all the friends and family who let me ramble on just to hear the sound of my own voice!

On the Road Again

Made it past Fort Smith to Alma, Arkansas! The Fort Smith/Alma KOA was a peaceful place to recharge. A friendly and helpful family greeted me in the reception area and made sure I knew about all of their amenities, especially the newly remodeled showers. I have to say they were posh. The playground equipment might be the next upgrade, but the nostalgia of wooden teeter totters and Maypoles were endearing.

I’m calling this my Forrest Gump video.

Day 6: May 22, 2022

Day 6 of driving was my most challenging, so far. I just wanted to get past Jackson, TN to lessen my drive to Gatlinburg tomorrow. I had a tough time finding campsites of any kind that weren’t 20+ miles off of Hwy 40. I plugged a KOA into Maps on my phone and it was about an hour away. That was more than I wanted to drive, so was hoping something would appear along the way. Something did appear and FOUR separate times I pulled over to follow signs to either non-existent , abandoned or too far off the Hwy campsites to warrant staying. It was getting a bit frustrating that the Hwy signs were not kept up to date. So frustrated on my way to the Koa, I see billboard signs about Loretta Lynn’s RV Park only 7.7 miles out of my way. At this point I’m wishing I would have chosen the State Park that was only 11 miles off the road 30 minutes ago. Inside the office at Loretta Lynn’s Event Center and RV Park, I was told at the front desk that a big event was over that day and most folks had left. “Just pick any spot that’s open”. There was no satellite signal, but I could pay for decent Wifi. After dinner I land upon a Netflix special “Viola and Oprah”. They are discussing Viola’s new memoir, “Finding Me”. What a story she has to tell. Her words “Courage is the real cure. inspired by Maya Angelou’s quote “Courage is the most important of the virtues, because without it, you cannot practice anything” struck a chord with me. Anne Lamont also quoted “All courage is is fear said with prayers”. I can’t in any way compare my life to any of those great women, but the words still inspire me to stay on the path of gratitude. I fell asleep with gratitude that this was my last night out before the park.

Next Up: Part 2!