Dunes and more dunes

What a great visit to Warren Dunes! Not only did we have fantastic trails to hike on that were dog friendly, but also a beach that allowed furry friends. We hated to leave but were excited that our next stop was Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore that promised even bigger and better dunes. The only negative about Sleeping Bear was we only had about 24 hours to stay before pushing farther north to a campsite in the Upper Peninsula before the Labor Day crowds descended. We made the most of our time and decided we would definitely like to return to Sleeping Bear when/if the opportunity ever presents itself.

 

Ohio to Michigan

Our first State Park in Ohio was not only beautiful but had the added perk of having a rated mountain bike trail in the park. Even though we only had two nights there, we got in a ride and loved our secluded camp site. (M10). We drove close to 300 miles, on Sunday, to reach Warren Dunes State Park. We made it to Michigan! We had just enough time to hike to the top of a dune and get a peek of Lake Michigan. It is spectacular! Looking forward to exploring the Dunes the next couple days. We have another great (level) campsite. (117)

Mt. biking obstacle course 

Made it to Michigan

Late Summer/Fall trip to Michigan

Total Solar Eclipse 2017

After experiencing the eclipse with our youngest, Will, in Lebanon, TN, we got our earliest start ever (5:30 am) and headed straight to Jackson Center, Ohio to the only factory in the world that makes Airstream's. We had a service appointment for Wed. to deal with our leaks and door not shutting properly and ended up staying 3 days because we kept adding things to our list. You have to get appointments there about 6 months in advance because their technicians are so good. We feel like we have a brand new trailer and ended up meeting so many interesting people because everyone having work done can stay in Airstream's Campground for free. They have a great system: they pick up your trailer every morning at 7:00 am and return it around 4:00 so you can sleep in it and not have to get a hotel room. We took a plant tour, while we waited for our "to do" list to be completed, and we're impressed with the workmanship and attention to detail. If you buy a new Airstream, you can make an appointment and follow your unit through the plant as it's being assembled. When we finished up on Friday afternoon we went about 60 miles, down the road, to Alum Creek State Park to enjoy our leak free camper.

Home again

We left Devil's Den in the most beautiful weather possible and began the journey home. We decided to revisit Dub Patton Recreation Area to spend the night so we could go to an RV dealership in Southaven, MS to address our leak issues and have our door adjusted. We were pleased with what the service department accomplished but they admitted they didn't feel comfortable messing with the door so we will save that for a visit to a facility that specializes in Airstream's. Because we got such a late start we decided to stop in one last state park, late afternoon, to split up the long drive home. We chose Joe Wheeler State Park in AL and have concluded that there must be a rule that all state parks be beautiful. What a great ending to our trip and another outstanding facility. We also got to add another state to our map on the camper door. Our rule for counting a state is staying overnight in a park in the state and taking a shower. We just have 43 showers left to go!

Devil's Den State Park

Last night at Petit Jean State Park

We took our time packing up and got off around 10:00 headed north to Devil's Den State Park in the Ozarks. When we arrived we were instantly taken with the primitive feel of the park despite the fact that our campsite had every amenity. (Loop E, site 89) This park really feels like you've stepped back in time. We loved it! Another perk for us was having one of the top rated mountain bike trails in Arkansas we could bike to from our campsite. Fossil Flats was such a cool trail with technical loops, creek crossings and fast single track. The weather was perfect except for one midweek storm but we made use of the rain days to re supply in Fayetteville. We also took a day to visit Hot Springs National Park touring Bathouse Row and hiking the surrounding trails. We had Devil’s Den all to ourselves through the week with locals filling almost every site on the weekend. We met so many nice people. Especially Jim and Marsha from Colorado who gave us some good advice and allowed us to tour their Airstream. We loved hiking in this area known for its caves and different bat species. Definitely a place we'd like to revisit!

 

Never too old to climb trees

Petit Jean State Park

We arrived at Petit Jean State Park around 2:00 and loved our campsite. This is a big park with three loops. We ended up in loop C, site 74, which was perfect for us because of the shade trees, small stream bordering one side of our site and solitude. The more popular loop seemed to be A because of the views of the lake. We had three days of gorgeous weather then Wednesday decided to have breakfast at Mather Lodge and get in a hike before another massive storm cell hit the area. The lodge was beautiful; built by the CCC in the 30's. The storm lived up to the hype and hit around 10:00 just as we got back to our camper. It stormed for 8 hours. We have leaks around our door and the seam along the back of the trailer. They became noticeable in TN and continue to cause problems in AR. We can't really fix them until we order special caulking and reseal some seams that are cracked from age and wear and tear. The best thing about the rain was discovering the various waterfalls you can hike to in the park are so beautiful with the 2 or 3 extra inches of rain.

The downside was closed mountain bike trails we had hoped to ride in the area. Not to be detoured, when the rain stopped, Mark pumped our tires up and we rode our mountain bikes to the different things to see in the area like the Museum of Automobiles and the Winthrop P Rockefeller farm. Both really cool and worth the effort.

First Overnight in MS

We packed up as soon as the rain let up and drove to Mississippi to break up the 550 mile drive to central Arkansas. We chose another Army Corp of Enugineer park called Dub Patton Campground on Arkabutla Lake. It was a quaint, well kept small recreation area. We had reservations but decided to use their walkin site so we wouldn't have to unhitch and could get an early start the next morning. Mark walked down to the lake and talked to a man who has been living in his camper for 14 years, moving every month or two to one of four campgrounds in the area.