Day 5: Avenger Field

Day 5: Ennis TX, to Sweetwater, TX -  Avenger Field - National WASP WWII Museum - 1 night

• Miles: ~255 miles
• Left: 10:10 AM Central Time, Arrived: 2:45PM Central Time
• 2 Pit stops
• Weather: Sunny, mid 70s & so Windy

I woke up around 6AM after another good sleep. High View Park was a very quiet campground.  We took an easy start to the day & made omelettes and toast for breakfast.  I took the dogs for walk while Steve did some birding. Cleaned up camper than showered before leaving.  Campground had nice showers with lots of hot water.  

We were on the road shortly after 10AM.  There was SO much construction around Dallas & Ft Worth!! Winds were still strong & made for terrible gas mileage. We stopped at one rest area & one gas station before reaching our Harvest Host location around 3PM.  The temps were in the mid 70’s & sunny but very windy.  We parked the camper, got the dogs settled then toured the WW2 WASP museum. 

WASP = Women Airforce Service Pilots. Avenger Field was home to the WASP training facility during WW2. They trained women pilots to fly various military aircraft for shuttles, test flights, ferrying people & training. Once they graduated the women were deployed all around the country.  

The museum was in two hangers.  The first one had lots of memorabilia from several WASP and later pilots and astronauts.  There were a couple videos playing the history & interviews of several WASP in their later years reflecting on their service.  The second hanger had four old airplanes & other war exhibits.  I bought one of the books about the women & the WASP program. The Women with Silver Wings was so well written & very interesting.  Overall a very cool museum that I would never have heard of if not for Harvest Host.  Highly recommend a stop if in the area.  

We spent the evening in the camper.  It was so windy all evening. The dogs were not a fan of the wind or the gravel lot.  Made dinner in the camper & prepped for the next days drive to Carlsbad, NM.  We were in bed by 8:30PM.  Still getting used to being on the road but each day is getting better & more into our routine.

Hanger 1 Museum

Women Doing Badass Things!

Getting the Recognition They Deserve

Women Fly Them All

Seriously, speechless

Really Great Book

Avenger Field Sunset

Heading Back Out on the Road

• WW2 WASP Museum at Avenger Field
• Sweetwater, TX
• Harvest Host
• Rating 4/5
• Gravel Parking Lot
• Free with membership
• Great museum!
• No hookups
• Easy access off highway
• Quiet overnight
• WINDY!
• Road conditions: Texas: not great, lots of construction around Dallas & Fort Worth

Next Stop: Carlsbad, New Mexico

Day 4: Casita Factory

 Day 4: Hot Springs, Arkansas to Ennis, TX. High View Campground - 1 night

• Miles: ~350 miles
• Left: 7:30 AM Central Time, Arrived: 2PM Central Time
• 3 Pit stops
• Weather: Sunny, cold start to the day

Had a great nights sleep finally.  Up early to take advantage of the great showers to shampoo hair before packing up.  Ate a quick breakfast & on the road by 7:30AM. Gulpha Gorge campground is a great one even though sites are close together.  Every site has full hookups including sewer so we were able to dump at the site instead of making another stop on our way out. The nightly rate is very reasonable at $34/night even before Steve’s 50% discount.  We would definitely stay here again but would choose an outer loop site that is along the creek if available.  We plan to come back again for a longer stay. There are lots of hiking trails in the area plus I really want to experience the Buckstaff Bath House.  

The drive was fairly easy but there was a lot of truck traffic in Arkansas and lots of construction as we approached Dallas…..so much construction. We made one rest area stop & one gas stop before arriving at Casita factory shortly before 1PM.  Casita had announced a new larger travel trailer that we wanted to see in person.  We would really like to upgrade our camper to include a dinette & I would love a dry bath plus a double axle & 4 season would be great too. This new trailer checks all the boxes.  The new trailers are bigger in every way.  The shower was huge, so much more storage, big fridge/freezer & plenty of room to move around.  It felt huge compared to our current trailer.  Unfortunately, the fit & finish wasn’t impressive. It was not enough to sell ours & spend the extra money for it. Seeing the new Morningstar at the Tampa RV show really ruined us for lower quality / less expensive campers.  We were really glad we stopped to look at the new Casita in person.  Definitely worth the trip.

Casita Factory - Rice, TX

Our Setup

17 Foot vs New 24 Foot

17 Foot vs New 24 Foot

We got to High View Park Campground about 2PM.  It took us about 30 minutes to get setup.  We took the dogs for a long walk along the lake.  The campground is on Bardwell Lake & several of the sites back up to the lake.  It was off season so it was really quiet. We stayed in Site 23 on the lake side.  Each site has a covered picnic table, water & electric for $30 / night and since it was an Army Corp of Engineers campground Steve got his 50% discount.  Really great deal.  

Once we got the dogs settled in their pen, Steve did some birding & I did some yoga.  Lots of driving time so felt great to stretch.  We went into the town of Ennis for Bubba’s BBQ for dinner.  It was OK but nothing great. Afterwards we ran into H-E-B for a few supplies before heading back to camp.  The drive back we saw a beautiful sunset over Bardwell lake.  

High View Park Campground - Site 23

Bardwell Lake

Sunset

Sunrise

• High View Park Campground
• Ennis, TX
• Army Corps Of Engineers Campground
• Rating 5/5
• Site 23
• Private showers - Plenty of hot water
• $15 / night with Senior pass (50% off)
• Water & electric
• Sewer dump on site
• Covered picnic table
• Site backed up to Bardwell Lake
• Off Season - Campground was very quiet
• ~10 minute drive into Ennis
• Road Conditions: Meh, lots of construction near Dallas / Fort Worth

Next Stop: Avenger Field - Sweetwater, Texas

Days 2 & 3: Hot Springs, Arkansas

 Day 2: Brownsville, TN to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Gulpha Gorge Campground - 2 nights

• Miles: ~250 miles
• Left: 8:30 AM Central Time, Arrived: 12:30PM Central Time
• 1 Pit stop
• Weather: Sunny, breezy, highs in mid 50's, lows in 30's

After finally getting a few hours of decent sleep we were up by 6:30AM. It rained a bit overnight but we didn't have anything out so nothing to dry off. After taking the dogs for a walk we went across the street to Waffle House for breakfast. Probably the cheapest breakfast we have had in quite some time and bonus it was good!

We were hooked up & on the road by 8:30AM. We made one stop at Lowes outside of Memphis for a few supplies & to walk the dogs. The drive to Hot Springs was uneventful & we arrived at Gulpha Gorge Campground by 12:30PM.  It took about an hour to get setup as the site was deceptively steep, so steep that we didn't have enough blocks & Steve had to use a log on the front. It made for a giant step in & out of the camper.  

Gulpha Gorge - Site 12

Gulpha Gorge - Site 12

After getting all setup Steve went for his Saturday run (can't break the streak!) then had lunch. Also, based on the first night shenanigans with Sammie, I started feeding the dogs earlier in the day so it had time to process before bed.  

After lunch we drove into Hot Springs to check out the Visitor Center & get an overview of the area. The Visitor Center is in the old Fordyce Bath House & doubles as a museum. We learned there are only two active Bath Houses still open to the public.  One of them is closed on Sundays during the off season & unfortunately wouldn’t be able to check it out before we left on Monday.  At the visitor center we watched the movie about Hot Springs then walked through the museum.  The museum was essentially touring how the old bath houses were set up.  There was some really beautiful stained class throughout the building. Back in the day wealthy folks came from all over to partake in the ‘healing’ Hot Springs.  

After the museum we walked down Bath House Row then headed back to camp. At some point, Steve realized he left his Hydroflask coffee mug on the back of the truck when we went into town. When we got back to camp we drove the route to see if we could recover it.  Nope, it was crushed in the middle of the street which I found hilarious, Steve not at all. That's the second coffee mug that has met it's demise by being left on the back of the truck. Sigh.

We spent the rest of the evening at the campsite.  The night was chilly but the skies were so clear & the stars were bright!

Fordyce Bath House Museum

Fordyce Bath House Museum - Even had a Gym!

First National Park of the Trip!

Hot Spring!

Sammie did great overnight but I was nervous and woke up every time I heard her move so sleep was so-so.  I got up early & took shower.  The shower house is great and is accessible via a code only.  It is a private shower, heated, clean, & lots of hot water.  

Since we were staying two nights at this campground we made omelettes for breakfast.  We bought a toaster contraption that I was doubtful would work. I was wrong & it makes pretty good toast although later in the trip we bought a plug in toaster. We really love butter toast!

That's the Toaster Contraption

Mid morning we went back to Hot Springs & hiked up Peak’s Trail to Hot Springs Mountain Tower.  The base of the tower is a gift shop & ticket sales to go to the top. You could ride the elevator or take the stairs to the top.  We chose the stairs on the way up & the elevator on the way down. It was chilly & windy! There are two observations decks at the top.  One is inside with lots of history about the area.  Bill Clinton is probably the most famous person from Hot Springs.  The other observation deck is outside & offers great views of the area. The hike up to the tower is barely a mile. There are lots of other trails in the area but didn’t have time to do any of the others.  We decided we wanted to come back in the future & spend a few more days exploring the area & I want go to the Buckstaff Bath House.

We went to Superior Bath House Brewery for lunch.  We split a flight of beer, all of which was really good.  Steve got a burger but was disappointed with the sauce they put on it.  I had a sweet potato spinach salad which was really good.  After lunch we walked around town before heading back to camp. We spent the rest of day at camp hanging out, walking the dogs, making dinner & prepping for a driving day.

We were all cleaned up & in bed reading by 9PM. Steve decided to use the portable electric heater that he brought which kept the camper so much more comfortable & quiet overnight.

Hot Springs Mountain Tower

On top of the Tower

Famous Resident

Another Hot Spring

Superior Bath House Flight

IYKYK - LOL

• Gulpha Gorge Campground
• National Park Campground
• Rating 5/5
• Site 12
• Great Private showers - heated & lots of hot water
• $17/night with Senior pass (50% off)
• Full hookups, including sewer
• Hiking trails from campground
• Sites are close to each other. 
• Next time would try to get outer loop that backs up to the creek
• Campground was full but quiet at night
• 5 minute drive to downtown Hot Springs

Next Stop: Casita Factory in Rice, Texas