Two Week Vacation - Part 2

 The second day of our vacation began in Washington, Arkansas at Coulter Farmstead. We had spent the previous night there.  We left around 8 a.m. and made our way through Arkansas and into Missouri.  We drove for about 6.5 hours.  We made our way to Bennett Springs State Park.  This is a park that Jack, Scout and Joey loved to visit.  It is one of my folks' favorite places to stay.  I have to say that I agree that is a great place to stay.  I had a wonderful time.

Let's Go Mom!

Where are the waves?

Mom loves this spot of the park.

That's my Dad fishing.

When we arrived at the park, we went to our site.  It was in a wooded section because we couldn't get the section that Mom wanted.  It wasn't bad but it was way too far for us to walk to the areas that Mom wanted to walk plus ticks were an issue.  Dad had brought his electric bike and planned on riding it to the fishing spots.  However, he forgot the key, so he couldn't use the battery on the bike.  We were located at the top of a hill and there was no way he could ride it up the hill.  Mom said she would drive him to the fishing spots. This was fine except that she was nervous about backing up the van into our spot each time.  If you have ever camped, you know that everyone likes to watch each other.  😁We were the entertainment for the night as Mom practiced backing into the spot.  There was only one tree that she needed to avoid and she did that but she still had trouble getting into the spot.  I thought we would never get done practicing.  The next morning, we took Dad to his fishing spot and we headed home.  She avoided hitting the tree and was able to get into the spot in two tries. 😀 We then picked Dad up and she backed in perfectly.😅  She was happy but she still wanted to move to the loop that was closer to fishing.  She found out that there was an opening, so off we went to claim it.  The new site was nice but not shaded at all.  It was a very hot stay but our AC kept us cool.  Mom and I still chauvered Dad around but our site was a pull-thru so very easy for Mom.  Mom and I were able to walk to all her favorite spots and I was excited to get up at 5:30 a.m. and start the day.  Can you believe that?  I normally don't get up until 8 a.m. at home.

We drove into Lebanon on Tuesday.  The folks visited the Russell Stovers Outlet. Mom says it is a tradition. They bought chocolates to take to Grandma's house.  They also ate at Bandana's.  We do not have locations here and Mom loves their garlic bread as well as their BBQ.  I stayed in the van with the generator running the AC.  The folks have installed a pet cam, so they were able to watch me while they ate. We drove back to the campground after lunch and Dad fished again in the evening.

We were sad to leave on Wednesday morning.  It was so much fun.  The folks promised we would return soon. More to come in Part 3.

Jaxson,

The Greyhound Who Loves Camping

Two Week Vacation - Part 1

We left for our two week vacation on June 12th.  I planned to update you along the way, but that didn't work out.

We left Galveston at 8 a.m. and stopped around 3:30 p.m. for our first night.  We only had once incident where Dad missed a turn that Mom and Google told him to take and he didn't and then refused to make the U-turn that Mom and Google told him to take.  We ended up in Louisiana which was not part of our plan. 😀 Dad blamed Google but Mom blamed him for not making the U-turn.  We don't think it really added too much time to the trip.  Mom said we are getting a GPS that Dad can control because she is tired of hearing him complain about Google. 😂

We joined a program called Harvest Hosts. It allows campers to stay at wineries, farms, breweries, museums and attractions that participate in the program.  We decided to stay at Coulter Farmstead for our first night.  It is located in Washington, Arkansas.  The farm is beautiful and they are also a bed and breakfast.  They have goats and pigs.  I was fascinated by both.  There are also a few cats running around.  I was beyond excited even though it was really hot the night we stayed.  I think the feels like temperature was over 100.  When you use Harvest Hosts you are basically boondocking which means that you do not have electric.  Our host said it was okay to use our generator, so we were able to have AC. It is a pretty isolated place and our TV could not get TV stations and we did not have cell phone service. 

This is the old mercantile store. Mom bought jam and pecan brittle.

Cute log cabin that can be rented.

Our parking spot for the night.

I really liked this goat.

More goats.

Goats are interesting.

The top floor of the barn is available to spend the night.

One more of me watching the goats.

Another picture of the mercantile.

The owner's house.

The silly goat.

Our first stay at a Harvest Host was really nice and we plan to stay at more locations. We left the next morning around 8 a.m. and drove another 6.5 hours. We drove through a lot of hills.  We don't have hills where I live.  Part 2 of our vacation in the next post.

Jaxson,

The Greyhound Who Met Goats and Pigs

First Camping Trip In The Grey Crate

We went camping this week at Brazos Bend State Park.  It was my first time camping.  I really didn't know what to expect.  Camping seems to involve a lot of walking and eating.  😃

It rained the entire week before we arrived at Brazos Bend State Park so the campground was really soggy.  It also rained while we were there off and on, so we didn't sit outside.  We purchased a screened tent but we didn't set it up because we didn't know if it would dry out before we had to pack it up again. 

The Grey Crate looks tiny in our campground site.

Here I am resting after a walk.  I am partway on Mom's bed and my bed. My bed in the middle and at night, Dad makes it longer.  I slept really good in my bed.

The park is known for their alligators.  On our second day in the park, we set out to find alligators.  The first trail we took had tracks for wild pigs which made Mom nervous.  We turned around after the trail turned to mud. The second trail was paved.  We saw birds, deer, squirrels, a snake, turtles, armadillo, and yes, an alligator.  Mom didn't see the alligator until Dad yellled at her to stop.  It was along side the trail.  She got really, really scared and that was the end of our trail walking.

I have only seen squirrels a few times because we have palm trees and they don't like palm trees.

Whistling Ducks

Turtle

Alligator

I thought camping was fun except that I got tired of all the walking.  I tried to get out of a walk by faking an injury on our last night, but I ended up going anyway.  I wish I would have stayed home because it was a long walk and it exhausted me.  I came home and went to bed at 7:20 p.m. and didn't get up until 7:30 a.m. 

Our next trip is in a few weeks.  We are going to see Grandma and Grandpa.  I have to remember to act my age because when they last saw me in 2019, I was a little wild.

Oh and I celebrated my 2nd Gotcha Day on the 25th.  I have been adopted for two years now!!!

Jaxson,

The Greyhound Who Went Camping

The Grey Crate Is Ready

 The Grey Crate (van) is ready for our first camping trip.  We are heading out tomorrow.  Unfortunately, it is going to be a rainy trip.  It has been raining here since last week and the weather looked great for camping Monday - Wednesday but now it looks like rain.  We are going to a state park that is about 1.5 hours from us and it has alligators.  😕

It has been a busy week with the final preparations on the van.  Mom sewed my bed and also hemmed the shower curtain.  My bed was a big problem for her.  She used an old comforter and it was quite thick.  She thought she had it done and then realized she had sewed the hem on the wrong side.  I think one part of the sewing machine is still missing after the thread kept knotting up on her.  Sewing is not her thing.

Dad is still doing the final touches on the van.  He likes doing things the last minute unlike Mom.

This is a big week for my family.  Mom and Dad are celebrating their 35th anniversary tomorrow.  Mom reminds me that she was only 21 when she married and Dad was only 20.  Tuesday is my 2nd gotcha day.  Yep, I was adopted two years ago.  We thought our first camping trip would be a good way to celebrate. 

I will update you all after our trip.

Jaxson

The Greyhound Who Is Going Camping For The First Time

It Is My 4th Birthday!

 It is my birthday!!! I turned four day!!!  We are going to go to Wendy's for lunch  Mom said she ordered me something special from Amazon and it should be here today.  We took a walk on the beach and now I am resting until my trip to Wendy's.

We ordered a refrigerator/freezer from Amazon for the van.  It looks like a cooler.  The first one went missing in Katy, TX.  Mom thinks it was stolen because the tracking stops in Katy.  Amazon refunded our money, $448 and we ordered another one.  Unfortuantely, they didn't have the one we wanted so we had to choose a different one.  We ended up buying one that was "like new".  It was $88 less and it arrived yesterday.  It doesn't appear to have been used at all.  We have found some decent deals buying "like new".  It fits in its' spot and today we will turn it on to see how well it works.  

We are getting closer to being ready to take our "shake down" trip.  That is a short trip that you take to see how everything works and if we need to make improvements or pack more things.   We are planning on going to a state park that is a few hours from us. 

Jaxson,

The Birthday Boy