Relaxing at Toad Suck

We had heard about Toad Suck from our friends Carla and Jerry of Cozy Be Gone who had stayed here earlier this year. When we heard about it from them we knew we'd have to go there someday, with a name like Toad Suck you just have to check it out. We'd also like to welcome Carla and Jerry to the Grand Design family, after some recent issues with their former rig they've joined the 5th wheel group and purchased a Solitude 320X.

 Last Sunday we pulled into Toad Suck COE in Conway AR, this small campground is on the Arkansas river with many river front sites. Loop C is a non reservable loop, we got the last site in it. Though our site for some reason was set up backwards (table & fire pit on wrong site) we were just glad to get one on the river. We enjoyed a fire that night and made the decision to stay for a week, they weather was predicted to be in the 70's all week and we can sit and watch the boats go through the lock here at Toad Suck.

Monday on our bike ride around we found a nicer site had come available in the non reservable loop, a quick stop at the office and an hour later we're all set up in a nicer site. Our shortest move yet.






The legend of Toad Suck goes something like this: Long ago, steamboats traveled the Arkansas River when the water was at the right depth. When it wasn't, the captains and their crew tied up to wait where the Toad Suck Lock and Dam now spans the river. While they waited, they refreshed themselves at the local tavern. The dismayed folks living nearby were heard to say: "they suck on the bottle 'til they swell up like toads." Hence the name Toad Suck :) The annual Toad Suck Daze celebrates the legend, if you are in the area on the first weekend of May looks like it could be a lot of fun.

Then there history according to Dave, this was his Facebook post the day we arrived here.

 Here we be at Toad Suck COE park in Conway AR. The name Toad Suck comes from the local Toad Suck Indians who saved the town of Conway from the giant Arkansas three toed horny back toad. In 1886 the town was overrun by the toads which were eating all the baby goats and children under 5 years old. The town elders went to see the Famous Toad Suck Indian chief Suckatoejam to ask for his help to save the town. Suckatoejam agreed to help for the price of a donkey and two white woman. Suckatoejam climbed to the highest hill (Mt Cuminsuck) to summon Toesuckalot, God of Amphibians and all thinks frog like, to ask for the power to cleanse to town of the horny menace. Suckatoejam used the power to vanquish the Toads from the town to the Arkansas river where they all drowned. This is a local folk legend (Dave's) and may not be factual.

We visited the nearby Cadron Settlement which is along the Arkansas River and.where the Tollantusky Trail is located. The trail is named for Tollantusky a chief of the Arkansas Cherokee, while we didn't walk the trail due to Dave's foot being booted up we did stop at some of the scenic view points. There are old stagecoach and ferry roads that bisect the trail. If we are ever in the area again we'll go back to hike there.

We took what was marked as a scenic ride, guess scenic means different things in this area. While it was nice there was never anywhere that made us go "wow" but we did find the Natural Bridge of Arkansas.

At one time log trucks used the bridge while laden with logs, not sure if I'd trust it but guess they made it since the bridge is still there.

 A couple of old local cabins had been moved to the property, one was an office while the other housed a small display of old housewares and such. 

Our friends Bev and Dennis of Parrot Dize Travel are friends from our place at Gulf Waters RV Resort in TX, they are from the Conway area and recommended Gigi's Cupcakes. Now I'm partial to cupcakes, I can get a variety of flavors instead of just a cake and one flavor, needless to say we need to do some laps here at the campground, boot and all.

my office this past week

I always travel with an atlas in my truck, the one I've been using was from 2010 and both covers were long gone, we also keep a master atlas in the rig of all of our travels over the years. When I get a new atlas for the vehicle I transfer all of our highlighted routes to it, I spent a few afternoons sitting outside listening to the river working on that over the last week.

 We saw where there was a farmers market on Saturday, these are always hit or miss. Well this one was a real miss, a meat vendor and the 4 tables of handmade crafts. Nothing for us from the market today :(

So our week here has gone by quietly, lots of time in the lounge chairs watching the river, multiple daily walks around the campground. We have enjoyed the wonderful weather while our friends back in VT brace for their winter, already snow on the mountains and temps have fallen. We leave for Clear Spring COE near Texarkana TX tomorrow, we'll spend a week there, hoping to find a better grocery store, need to stock the freezer and don't want to do it at Walmart,

Until next time...

IL: Family time

Our next stop was central IL near where my folks live, we arrived at Bo Woods COE (Lake Shelbyville) in Sullivan IL mid afternoon on Sunday of Columbus Day weekend. This time of the year it's walkin only, we scored one of the best sites in the park, site 133 electric only, sometimes referred to as Windy Point. Our friends Mark & Nancy had stayed on this same site early in the season, I asked a few friends on FB for site recommendations and 133 was top of the list. We tried to stay at Bo Woods last fall while we were in the area, government put a kabash on that idea,  this year we got in but the weather didn't cooperate. We never did get the chance to have a fire or sit outside as it was cold and rainy while there, we'll be back to Bo Woods in the spring sure hope the weather is better.

Laundry at the folks house was a priority, 2 1/2 weeks with out a laundry was pushing our limit but we managed, thanks Mom & Dad for the free laundry use. Once the laundry was started we decided to take a ride up to Arthur IL and pick up a few Amish treats, don't know when we'll find a good farmers market again. An afternoon job of changing out storm doors kept Dave busy until time to head for dinner.

1964 with my grandparents, my dad & my little brother

A weekday trip was planned to Rockville IN in Parke County was planned, Parke County is home to a number of covered bridges and a county wide festival was running while we were there. Again the weather didn't cooperate and it rained so walking the streets through the booths was out. We did get a map of the bridges and took a ride through a number of them. I think a longer visit to the area is in order one of these days, have to think about our route next fall through this area. Our scenic ride through the county on old back roads was reminiscent of years ago in VT when we'd take weekend trips doing the same thing.

2000 with my dad & us

 

Our last day in town my dad had a doctors appointment so we headed took a ride in the morning around Lake Shelbyville to see what other camping options were nearby. We drove through 2 IL state parks and another COE park, if we were smaller they'd be fine but at almost 40' we clearly made the right choice, they open mid April just in time for a visit on the way north. We spent the afternoon visiting with my folks and then dinner with them and some of my cousins, one of whom I hadn't seen in over 30 years. Of course forgot to get the phone out much less the camera.

We had a nice visit with my folks and it was good to see Dad doing much better, he's lost 70 pounds since we saw them last April and has made some major diet changes. Way to go Dad keep up the good work, see you in the spring.

On Thursday we headed south to MO, a new state since we've started rv'ing, we don't have anymore reservations till we get to the Houston area in mid November so for now we are winging it. We stopped at Redman Creek COE on Lake Wappepello, we found a nice FHU site so we paid for 3 nights to get us through the weekend. We enjoyed a quiet weekend at the campground, took a ride around the lake looking at other campgrounds, again we made another good choice based on "our" requirements. The one thing we didn't like at Redman Creek was that unlike many COE campgrounds this one did not have sites on the water or any type of water views. 

On Sunday we moved to Conway AR and are staying at Toad Suck COE on the Arkansas River. Temps are suppose to be good so we paid for a week and we'll see what we can find to do around here.

Until next time...

IL: Old Friends & New Friends-Living & Camping

One Sunday we moved over to Hudson IL, it was a 235 mile trip that took a little longer than expected. Shortly after entering IL I radioed Dave he needed to pull over, looked like we had a tire issue with the tire he was unsure of. Last winter we had a tire getting soft but Dave thought it was the valve cap thingy that came with the system causing our tire to go soft, it wasn't. I've been following him for the most part and thought something didn't look quite right. We caught the tire before it caused any real damage, a quick stop in a gas station parking lot and with the auto levelers we soon had the tire changed and were back on the road.

Taking into consideration the time change we arrived at the beautiful Comlara County Park in Hudson IL. The park reminds us of lots of the state parks and COE parks we've been in, it is situated right on Evergreen Lake and has electric only sites with water spigots scattered sporadically around.When we got to our site (39) we decided with the evidence provided to us that we were going in truck first, the power pedestal, fireplace and picnic table would all have been on the wrong sides if we'd of backed in. Comlara County Park is located just a few miles off of I39 just north of the Bloomington\Normal area, the campground is on the shores of Evergreen Lake, rate for a week (30amp) is $124.60, sure can't beat that. Our friends Mark & Nancy arrived on Monday and they have also chosen to drive in their back in site, Mark did good in choosing our sites and we all look forward to exploring the park.

Tuesday we headed to Pontiac IL, Mark knew of an rv dealer there, we went in search of tire info which we got. While there Nancy and I started looking through the 5th wheels and motorhomes, just like when I owned a home where I always enjoyed going through new home models. I enjoyed going through the rv's but found nothing I'd trade mine in on. Afterwards we headed into to Pontiac to a Route 66 museum we'd seen advertised.

The Route 66 Museum was a lot of fun, we've seen lots of similar museums during our travels on Route 66. A great collection of 50's stuff, we all had seen lots of these things in our homes or our grandparents homes.

 

The War Museum was also in the same building, this museum focused on IL men and women who have served our country through the years. I asked if they had anything of Robert Overmyer's a cousin of mine who was a casualty of the Vietnam War, unfortunately they didn't. Since this museum focused on IL soldiers there were lots of personal things, they have a large collection of uniforms.

The rest of our time with Mark & Nancy was spent at the campground, though we did run into to town to get a replacement tire. Since last year we've gone round and round with Mark about whether we were camping or living, to us they go hand in hand and we can do both many times in one day. When Mark and Nancy go out in their rv they are camping, on our one rainy day they did enjoy living in an rv while we played games. Nancy and I spent the guys fishing/bonding time talking and reconnecting, while we saw them last year we didn't get much chance to sit and talk, this time we did. A few nights around a campfire

with talks covering old friends, where our lives are now and where we are all headed in the upcoming years. We've know Mark a long time, I met Mark in high school and Dave met him once we got together, since Nancy and Mark got together we've all been good friends, there were the weekend gatherings, the guys fishing trips and family vacations together later on. So glad as this new chapter in our lives unfolds we are able to reconnect with friends we haven't seen since forever.

While at Comlara we also had the pleasure of spending time with Curt and Glenda of Illinois Campers, I've been following their blog for the last year or so, as they went through the massive transition to the full time life.  Early in our stay they stopped by our site, we set up plans to meet later in the week. Curt and Glenda have been staying at Comlara for awhile as Curt's dad hasn't been well, all signs point to them taking off on their adventure this week. Curt and Glenda are like all the full timers we've met, ready for an adventure and willing to share of themselves and their lives, we spent a wonderful evening talking and getting to know this great couple, looking forward to the day our trails cross again.

At Comlara that weekend an Oktoberfest was being held, not your typical kind but one for the Belegarth Medieval Combat Society. As David "Talion" Pai told us, they are a bunch of geeks out playing. Their characters are loosely based on characters from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.

This young lady reminded us of our son Tom's significant other, she participates in Amtgard. Krystal's character is named Blue Wolf, maybe someday we'll get to see her in action.





Until next time...

Just Passing Through IN

After a rainy, blustery, gas/diesel guzzling 4 hours we arrived in Ft Wayne IN, our original plan had us staying at an IN state park, after figuring the cost with the extra truck it was going to be double the cost of the city park in Ft Wayne. With cold and rainy weather predicted we decided to head for Johny Appleseed Memorial Park where the city has a small campground, with electric sites, some have their own water and some share water.The campground backs up to the parking lot for the Coliseum which appears to be the local large events center, imagine it can get a bit crazy and noisy here sometimes, this weekend though it has been quiet when inside the rig.While it is no state park for sure it is a nice small campground, lots of trees but we ended up in a sight with fewer trees so our satellite finally found a signal. For $18\night on some cold and yucky days I'm not complaining. It's been a great place to ride out a cold weekend, get some blog writing caught up and do a little shopping.

We did find a farmers market where we were able to get some fresh sweet corn, tomatoes, eggs and straight from the farm beef, a few other treats and our market bag was full. Now why I didn't take any pics is beyond me, have to get back in the habit.

We ended up at a mall close to the campground, Dave's boss is a Notre Dane fan, not much of their stuff in VT but we found some at the local mall. Hope you like what we ended up with John, Dave tried to call you to get your input.

We had another small world moment at Johny Appleseed, we met Kathy & Jerry from Jeffersonville VT one town over from our summer place in Johnson. What makes it even smaller is Kathy's sister comes to Maplewoods, recognized the name but couldn't put a face to the name. Because of the inclimate weather we didn't get a chance to visit with our new friends but maybe they'll come visit our summer campground next year.

Our next stop is Comlara Park in Hudson IL, a county park where we are meeting friends from our NY days, we finally caught up with them last fall after 18 years between visits. We hope to meet Curt and Glenda of the blog Illinois Campers:That's How We Roll we recently went full time, unfortunately they are in the area as Curt's dad is not doing well.

Until next time... 

Ohio-New Friends and Cayuga Valley

Site 89

Our travel day from NY to OH should have been our longest until we head north next spring, 6.5 hours and 385 miles later we pulled into West Branch State Park in Ravenna OH. We were in sync more getting ready to leave Verona, we did have one slight issue that we hope doesn't continue. While bringing in the living room slides one of them didn't want to come in, after a couple of tries Dave gave a big push on the slide and it came in, sure hope this is an isolated incident. All said we were on the road by 8am, an uneventful travel day resulted in us arriving just around 2:30, this is our second stay here and this time we chose site 89, a FHU pull thru site. Most of the back in sites are not big enough to hold us plus our extra truck, the pull thru is. Once again most of the sites have lots of trees but the one we chose is fairly open (as is most of the pull thru sites) has great dish coverage and our Verizon signal is at 3 bars with our booster, the camp water pressure isn't great so we'll fill the water holding tank and run off the water pump, noisier but such better pressure.

Veal Marsala

One of the added benefits is Emma Marie's Italiano, we first went there last April for my birthday. That meal was so great we had to go back, we were not disappointed. The resteraunt is locatedin a historical home, one of it's owners was a founder of Ravenna Quaker Mill Co which later became part of the Quaker Oats Company out of Akron. Our meal started with fresh hand cut potato chip and a crumbled sausage, followed by entrees of Veal Marsala and Chicken Risotto, these were so good we got deserts to go. The Lemon Cake and Maple Pecan Cheesecake were absolutely superb, the bill of $56 for the meal was, to us, a real deal.

Chicken Risotto

The waitress was attentive, we also received a visit from the chef and enjoyed a few talks with the owner Emma Marie, a thoroughly enjoyable time all around. If you find yourself in the area we highly recommend Emma Marie's, hoping to have my next birthday dinner there again.








During our stay at West Branch we met our neighbors, Toni came over late one morning apologizing for stopping the mowing as acorns had been bouncing off of her rig. We knew how she felt and assured her it was no problem, well as happens in this lifestyle a lengthy conversation ensued. Toni and her husband John are from the Cleveland area and enjoy a few trips each year to West Branch, one thing led to another, we gave her a tour of our rig and then sat and had a lengthy conversation about full timing, something Toni wants to do but John is hesitant to try. Our conversation picked up the next afternoon when we got back from our bike ride, Toni had come up with more questions that we were all too happy to answer if we could. Suggested she read the RV-Dreams journal that has been so helpful to many folks, just hope we can make a rally someday. We finally met John the morning we pulled out, he had been off to work every afternoon, don't we know how that is. Toni and John if you're reading this and I hope you are, it was great to meet you and we'll see you in April on our trip north. Have a safe winter and don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. Sure wish I had taken a picture of their rig, graphics had gone bad so she had pictures put on, she had actually looked through my brothers pictures when looking for the right pictures, small world stuff again.

One foggy morning we drove over to Cayuga Valley National Park, to the Peninsula Visitors Center to catch the train north 13 miles to Rock Side. While at the visitors center I purchased our National Park Passport book, wish I knew about them years ago, looks like we'll have to go back to all of those National Parks :)  

As a kid I spent time around trains and trolleys thanks to my dad's love of them, the train ride up the valley brought back lots of memories, childhood times and then when my boys were young there were visits from my folks, inevitably some kind of ride on the rails was in order.

What a great deal, $3 a person with your bike, we found a seat and enjoyed the ride up the line.

Peninsula Station-Cayuga Valley Scenic Railroad

Lock 39 is found at Rockside station, the trail follows the historic Ohio and Erie Canal route through the valley. Our first stop just a mile or so down the trail at the new Canal Visitors Center, where there were tons of kids. The visitor center had numerous displays of the orgin and folks who made it all possible, I just can't imagine folks digging the canal, the sheer amount of earth that was moved to put in the canals is astounding, then for the most part they were used for such a short time. I do wonder what it would have been like to travel that way....

Lock at canal visitor center

The first part of the ride just across the canal was a busy road, eventually we lost the road and the trail wound between the Cayuga River and the canal, the railroad follows the far side of the river.

Some OH color

Our final stop on the towpath was at Trail Mix (had to get my passport stamped) in Boston, we were ready for a break and decided to try their featured ice cream, wasn't as good as the Guifords we serve at Maplewoods but it hit the spot.

Boston OH

We enjoyed our ride on the trail but there were lots of folks out, can't imagine how busy it must be on the weekends or during the summer.  We biked 13 miles and are looking forward to finding some bike trails.

We are off to Johny Appleseed Campground, a city park in Fort Wayne IN, the weather is suppose to be cold, the state parks are almost twice the cost and we'll probably be inside more than out. Might as well go for the budget friendly place instead.

Until next time...