Life On The Road With Niki | RVing solo

What's in a name? The beautiful Corps of Engineers park just east of Fort Smith, Arkansas, near the small town of Ozark is called Aux Arc Park. We arrived late today because I decided to drive into nearby Fort Smith to the Orr Cadillac dealership to find out why the engine warning light was still on. Ralph, the service manager, plugged the car into the computer, printed out several pages of information, and took it back to the technician for diagnosis. Niki and I sat in the waiting area, feeling a bit like we were waiting in the doctor's office, wondering what the news would be. Luckily, it was just a fuel solenoid valve. Ralph told me I could drive the car back to the campground and set up an appointment first thing tomorrow to have a technician replace it. As soon as we arrived back at the campground, Niki wanted to explore. We spent about half an hour checking out all the smells. Then we set up the camper. Before we settled down for the night, we took a moonlight walk along ...

We hit the 1,000-mile mark today! The check engine light came on, so I checked the owner's manual. It said it could be bad gas or a pollution control issue. The car is still running fine, so I'm going to keep going and get it checked out in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Tonight, I'm staying at T.O. Fuller State Park near Memphis, Tennessee. It's a bit cooler here, so I might not have to use the air conditioning. I had dinner on our picnic table with a nice couple named Doug and Rita who are camping next to me. After leaving the main Highway the roads leading to the campground were in poor condition, so the trailer bounced around a lot. All the towels ended up on the floor of the bathroom!

From our last stop in Georgia on a winding road through cotton fields and pecan orchards, I drove towards Cherokee Campground in Helena, Alabama. The hills were a welcome change from the flatness of Florida, and Niki was excited to explore a new campground. When we arrived, the office was set back from the road, and I was greeted by a friendly woman who took my reservation. She asked to see my camping discount card, but I explained that it was in the car. She took my word for it and didn't hassle me. It appeared the campground was built in the 1950s, and it showed its age. The campsites were uneven and the concrete was cracked. There was a cutout of Sasquatch leaning against an overturned wheelbarrow and down the road a purple cross was fastened to a tree trunk. What stories could be told about this? But the utilities were adequate, and the trees provided plenty of shade. After we set up camp, Niki and I took a walk down to the lake. The path was muddy, but we eventually made it to...

I had a good travel day today. I arrived at the Reed Bingham campground near Adel, GA around 3 PM. Not too many campers were hardy enough to enjoy the The 94 degree Fahrenheit heat.  I'm glad to have air conditioning in my RV. There is lots of space between campsites and the utilities are new. There were plenty of empty sites. Lots of stuff to do here but we must move on. No time for a catfish dinner at the Catfish House restaurant near the park entrance. I wonder if it’s dog friendly? A rainstorm is coming to cool things off, but otherwise the weather has been good. Niki is having so much fun exploring her new surroundings. I'm currently near the middle of the cone of hurricane Idalia but I'm heading northwest tomorrow.

Outrunning the Storm We arrived at Lake Louisa State Park in the middle of a driving rainstorm. We had to wait in the car for about 20 minutes until the rain stopped. As soon as we could, we got out and explored the park. Niki was excited to run around and play, but we were soon distracted by a news report on our phone. A hurricane watch had been issued for the Florida Gulf Coast! We were relieved that we were just passing through the area. We should be in Alabama by the time the storm comes ashore. However, we needed to be aware of the evacuation routes in case we needed to change our plans. We were assigned campsite #15, which was a back-in site. According to the brochure, Lake Louisa State Park is one of America's Top 100 Family Campgrounds. Visitors can rent bicycles and kayaks, and there are 60 full-facility campsites nestled between Dixie and Hammond lakes. Each site has 30- and 50-amp hookups, and some can accommodate rigs up to 50 feet. A dump station is located between Dix...

Getting ready for an RV road trip can be a lot of work, but it's worth it to be prepared and have a stress-free trip. Here are a few things I have done to get started: Planning my route and booking campsites. This is one of the most important things to do, as I don’t want to be stuck without a place to stay. There are a number of websites that can help me plan my route and book campsites. Using a combination of resources has helped me plan my route. Maybe I am too detail oriented but spending time planning a trip is part of the fun of travel. Others might disagree but as I gain more experience maybe that idea will change. I enjoy visiting out of the way places and finding them takes some digging. My favorite overall route planning tool is RV Trip Wizard. Pack my RV. This is where I make a list of everything I need to bring, such as food, clothes, toiletries, entertainment devices, spare parts, tools and essential equipment. I pack for all types of    weather, as well as any ac...