Yesterday we had difficulty finding the Piney Grove campground coming from the north. There were no signs and we took some wrong turns before finally arriving. This morning it became obvious that we left the Trace too soon because the main entrance is from the south.
Today we said goodbye to Mississippi and the Natchez Trace after visiting the Pharr Mounds followed by a huge lunch at Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in Tupelo. Our southern detour was nice but it was time to head west again.
We took the Interstate up to Memphis, Tennessee then crossed the Mississippi River into Arkansas heading west on I40. The highway was crowded with big trucks and reminded us why we prefer the blue highways.
At the state highway Ark 11 there was a sign for camping so we exited and headed north. We passed through large fields and tiny farming communities until we arrived at Lower White River State Park which was a museum. We asked at a gas station and they suggested we try the trailer park on Lake Des Arc.
The trailer park turned out to be a private camp with several old trailers and a boat ramp. There was no one around and it was the end of a long day so we decided to stealth camp. Thinking that we might be asked to leave, we parked near the exit which was unfortunately near a streetlight. The park owner saw the light on our shiny aluminum camper and came to tell us to leave.
After talking to Dean and being reassured that we are self-contained, the owner allowed us to stay and refused any payment. Of course we still left a donation in the boat ramp box.
Lessons learned today: don’t trust the “this exit” camping signs and don’t park a shiny rig near an overhead light.
