Jacqueline’s Jaunts

June 04, 2025, Riverfront RV Park, Fort Smith, Arkansas I felt better this morning, but it could still develop into bronchitis. I decided to see how I felt as the day wore on.  We visited Fort Smith National Historic Site . Before the entrance to the Visitor Center, there was a reconstruction of the gallows, along with some plaques explaining the gallows. It even had the trap doors. After the gallows, we walked over to the visitor center and museum. I got my passport stamped, bought stickers, and an “ Images of America ” book on Fort Smith. One of the rooms in the museum was a recreation of a jail cell. The information plaques were very informative. This was on the bottom floor. The top floors featured additional displays showcasing the fort’s role in the Indian Wars, the Trail of Tears, and the U.S. Marshals.   Now to turn the page to genealogy....I confirmed with a Park Ranger that Fort Smith was only operational from December 25, 1817, to 1896. I then told the Ranger that f...

03 June 2025, North Little Rock KOA, Arkansas, to Riverfront RV Resort, Fort Smith, Arkansas Uncle Richard called me this morning. We have been playing phone tag for the last few days. I needed the phone number of his cousin Mary Ann. Mary Ann is Herman's daughter, my grandmother's brother. I'd like to call her when we're in Fort Smith.  Damn this cold. Last night I coughed all night long, so I slept in a recliner in the living room. I rubbed some dōTERRA oils on my chest, covered my head with my blanket, and breathed in the fumes. Seemed to help. I also took Mucinex to help with the congestion. Around 4:00 AM, I was able to sleep better. NOT FUN!!! I'm wondering if it's COVID since Barry lost his sense of taste. We forgot to bring COVID-19 tests with us.  We arrived at Riverfront RV Park around 2:00 PM. What a great park. They have only been open for two years. It's right on the Arkansas River. Nice long, wide sites. Excellent play area for kids, featuring...

02 June 2025, Junction I-40 KOA Journey,  North Little Rock, Arkansas Jeeps – 3 Today, we drove to Hot Springs, Arkansas, to visit the Hot Springs National Park , which is actually the city of Hot Springs. It was about an hour’s drive from the KOA. The drive was beautiful, and the weather was outstanding again today.  It took us a bit of time, but we finally found parking. The first place we wanted to see was the row of bathhouses. I wanted to experience the mineral baths, so we went to Buckstaff Bath House . It is the only bathhouse that has never closed. I paid for the traditional package. I thought Barry was going to do one of the packages, but he decided not to. I was disappointed, but he decided just to hang out until I was done.  I went up the old-fashioned elevator to the 2nd floor, the women’s area. I was led to a changing room with a locker to store my belongings. Wrapped in a sheet, I was led to the mineral bath area by Mattie. She had my bath ready for me. I st...

01 June 2025, R&R Winery, Greenwood Springs, Mississippi to KOA Journey North Little Rock, Arkansas Jeeps - 4 We said our goodbyes to Ruth, and we were on our way to North Little Rock, Arkansas. We had a four-hour drive ahead of us. Today’s drive is one of the longest drives on our way home. Most of the county roadways were OK. The highway was better. Everything is green and lush. The sky is blue and full of cotton balls.  We crossed into Tennessee at 1:20 PM. THE INTERSTATE IS HORRIBLE!!!! They win the prize right now for the worst roads. Then we crossed into Arkansas at 1:33 PM. The part of Arkansas we crossed into was a jog so it was quick from one state to another. It was still an hour to the KOA in North Little Rock. We made it about 3:40 PM. Thank goodness our coach’s insulation is sound because we are close to the highway. We are here for two nights.  In the evening, we walked in the park, and you could hear the traffic. Glad we are a little bit away from the road....

31 May 2025, Red Bay, Alabama, Tiffin Service Center to R & R Winery, Harvest Host, Greensprings, Mississippi Today’s drive was mainly on county roads. When we crossed into Mississippi, we didn’t see a sign for about a mile, and then we almost missed it. I had Barry stop, and I walked back to the sign, about 60 feet.  We arrived around 3:00 PM. Once parked and set up, it’s time for wine tasting. Whoever thought we would be wine tasting in Mississippi? The winery has a cool tasting room. The tasting room looks like a dining room. A couple was tasting when we entered. We ended up talking to them for an hour. Both are X-ray techs in a hospital about 45 miles from here. We never stopped talking about kids, family, retirement, bugs in the south, health care, wine tasting, and a whole bunch of other stuff.  Ruth and Rich Romanowski own R & R Winery . Ruth informed us that the winery was having its last Saturday of the month dinner with live music. They do this on the 2nd and...

30 May 2025, Oak Mountain State Park, Alabama, to Red Bay, Alabama, Tiffin Service Center Jeeps – 16 We left Oak Mountain around 10:00 AM. Our next destination is Red Bay, Alabama, to the Tiffin Service Center. As we were leaving Oak Mountain, we stopped at an area where there was a lake. The area had ski jumps, wakeboard rails, and a large water park. There was a beautiful pavilion on the shore. This park has so much to offer. Unfortunately, it’s in Alabama, as it would be an excellent location for our Family Picnic, which we hold every summer.  We arrived at Tiffin around 1:00 PM. We checked in at the office and then drove to our site. Barry contacted Shawn Cole to let him know we arrived. The purpose of our trip here is to take an orientation tour of our coach and discuss a few other matters. Since we were going through Alabama, we might as well take advantage. We had to cancel a few other stops, but we felt it was worth it.  We learned quite a bit from Shawn, especially ab...

29 May 2025, Andersonville, Georgia to  Oak Mountain State Park, Alabama Jeeps- 2 We were up early. We needed to meet Cynthia Stormcaller at the Little Drummer Boy Museum to pay our Campground fee before we left this morning. She is the Curator of the museum, as well as the Director of Tourism for Andersonville. She also does tours at Andersonville National Cemetery and Park. Very knowledgeable about the area.  The museum is a treasure trove of original artifacts from the Civil War. The uniform display is a notable highlight. There are artifacts from Gettysburg, Shiloh, Andersonville, and other notable battles. There is a mannequin dressed in a full silk dress with the history behind it posted in front of it. All the displays feature a history of each piece. My favorite uniform was the Zouave Drummer Boy uniform. The uniform is in excellent condition. According to the card, there is only one other known uniform in the Little White House Museum in Richmond, Virginia. Another f...