Hot Springs and on to Greenville

Arkansas is definitely the greenest state that we have seen on this trip. Mile after mile of rolling hills covered in beautiful green grass.  Even the verges of the highways are a picture, with grass beautifully trimmed for the entire length of the motorway.  They must have a small army of workers with gang mowers to be able to keep it so well manicured.  We have seen a few mowing crews as we travel around.

The RV park at Hot Springs was really well done, and quite new.  Catherine's Landing is situated on one of the many lakes in the district, and we were lucky enough to get a lakeside site for the night. We backed in, hooked up our water, electricity and sewer and sat down to have a well earned break for a few hours.  It was a very peaceful spot, and we just veged. (Is that a word?).

Although it really didn't get cold, there was a fire pit right next to the RV site, so we rounded up some wood - firstly from a dead tree right nearby, and then from another camp site which had obviously had wood left behind from someone's previous visit.  With the help of three tissues and a spent tissue box plus some twigs from the dead tree, Helen managed to get a fire going easily - carrying on a family tradition of pyromania stretching way back to her father Paddy and through her brother Shane.  (Remind us to tell you sometime about the fire on the banks of the river at Captains Flat one Back to the Flat weekend).

We made a couple of calls to Australia courtesy of Skype and the excellent wi-fi in the park, and after a good BBQ meal, we settled in nicely for the evening.

Morning brought with it a reasonably thick cover of cloud - the first clouds we have really seen since a little rain in New York three weeks ago.  We set off for Greenville Texas, a stones throw from our final destination at Mckinney, just outside Dallas where we have to hand back the motorhome.

The first part of the trip was uneventful, but at a roadside stop for coffee, the girl on the checkout advised us of approaching storms.  We turned on the radio to get a weather forecast, and were assured that there may be a few showers about.  They were right - four inches of showers by the time we arrived at Greenville, with a promise of more to come.  As we arrived at the park to check in to the last site available - there is a Winnebago Motorhome Rally here over the next few days - the heavens opened again.

As I write this, we are sitting in the motorhome waiting for the rain to abate.  There is lightning about, and we have't even hooked up to the utilities yet.  It is too wet to get out and do it. We did manage to get the esky from under the RV and fill it with beer, wine and ice though. Priorities people - got to get them just right. Not sure how we are going to cook the chicken we bought for dinner - we had planned to BBQ it, but the rain may have a say in that.  We might just have to settle for some Coronas and lime.

Cheers.