Willow Beach Campground

We stayed at Willow Beach Campground in Scott, Arkansas. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A pleasant campground next to the Arkansas River. Our second of two stays here, on the way to and from the total solar eclipse celebration in Paris, Texas.

Dates:

Check in: 2024-04-14
Check out: 2024-04-15
1 night

Weather:

Partly cloudy
High temp 81°F, low 61°F
Little wind, gusts to 17 MPH

Noise:

No road noise
Distant train noise
Distant plane noise

Site:

#F21, back in, concrete
Needed to disconnect toad, parked in front of coach
Fairly level, a little high on the driver side; used hydraulic leveling
Asphalt driveway about 38 feet long, plus concrete pad about 40 feet long by about 10 feet wide
No neighbor on driver side, grass about 50 feet wide to bathroom parking area
Grass and trees to passenger side neighbor about 160 feet wide
Picnic table on concrete patio under shelter
Fire pit, charcoal grill, small standing table
Mostly clean site (some cigarette butts and bottle cap-sized trash)

Utilities:

50 amp power, conveniently located
35 PSI water, somewhat inconveniently located
No sewer connection

Internet (in usage priority order):

T-Mobile: 38 Mbps down, 2 Mbps up, 70 ms ping
AT&T: 9 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 64-128 ms ping
Verizon: 24 Mbps down, 5 Mbps up, 45 ms ping
Starlink: not used
Campground Wi-Fi: none

Amenities:

Garbage dumpsters
Dump station
River

Our review on Campground Reviews (from our first stay):

A pleasant campground next to the Arkansas River

COE campgrounds are usually very picturesque and well-spaced. This one is no exception. Nestled between the river and a lake, there is a nice view either way. There’s lots of space between sites, although each site is not guaranteed to be very long or flat. Our site was just long enough for our 40′ motorhome, but our tow vehicle had to park diagonally to fit in front. The [first] site was very sloped front to back and required multiple pads on the front jacks to get it level. Water & electric only, so plan ahead if staying for a while and need to dump your tanks. The dump station was conveniently located on the way to the exit. We camped at Willow Beach in a Motorhome.

Campground map (from last time; since we’ve been here before, they didn’t give us a map this time; we were in site F21 this time):

Map

Interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

A nice view out our side window:

View out side window

See the previous stay for pictures of other campsites and more.

Video

Video: Paris, Texas to Scott, Arkansas motorhome travel timelapse

A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 243 miles from Paris, Texas to Scott, Arkansas.

Travel from Paris, Texas to Scott, Arkansas

We drove our coach 243 miles, about four hours of driving, from Paris, Texas to Scott, Arkansas.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading east:

Map

An interactive map:

Depressions in the grass from our neighbor’s jacks and tires, due to rain making the ground a little soft:

Depressions from our neighbor's jacks and tires

Our coach:

Our coach

I put a couple of tiles below the AquaHot exhaust, but the surrounding grass still got a little singed:

Singed grass from AquaHot exhaust

Our jack pads got embedded in the soft ground; not too difficult to pull out. The larger pads help spread the load, though, and better than having the jacks get stuck in the ground:

Jack pads embedded in ground

Leaving the full hookup area:

Leaving full hookup area

Solar section:

Solar section

Onto I-30 East:

I-30 East

A fuel stop:

Fuel stop

As usual, we paid less than this, due to our fuel discount card:

Fuel stop

Back on I-30 East:

Back on I-30 East

The Texas overpasses had the Lone Star and state outline:

Texas overpass

Texarkana water tower:

Texarkana water tower

Welcome to Arkansas:

Welcome to Arkansas

The Arkansas overpasses had a less distinctive state outline (reminded me of a Solo cup):

Arkansas overpass

A lunch stop at Southfork Restaurant in Gurdon, Arkansas:

Lunch stop

Truck parking:

Truck parking

Paladin on the passenger chair:

Paladin on passenger chair

Our coach parked with trucks:

Coach parked with trucks

Into the restaurant:

Restaurant

Menu (they also have burgers and such, but we were in the mood for breakfast):

Super slow service, but over an hour later we got our breakfast for lunch:

Breakfast for lunch

We’d ordered biscuits with our breakfast, but they only had one, so provided extra potatoes and lots of toast instead:

Toast and biscuit

Back to our coach:

Back to our coach

Back on I-30 East:

Back on I-30 East

Arkadelphia water tower:

Arkadelphia water tower

Fun with zoom:

Fun with zoom

Oversize load:

Oversize load

Rough road:

Rough road

Fun with zoom:

Fun with zoom

Narrow road due to roadworks:

Narrow due to roadworks

Slow truck:

Slow truck

Overpass:

Overpass

Arkansas River:

Arkansas River

Exit to Scott:

Exit to Scott

An unmarked turn to the park:

Unmarked turn to park

Residential road:

Residential road

Entering Willow Beach Park:

Willow Beach Park

Park entrance station:

Park entrance station

Campsites:

Campsites

Our site (the back-in with the shelter):

Our site

Our coach after untoading:

Our coach

Our site; a bit of a slope on the driveway, but a flat concrete pad:

Our site

Total solar eclipse

Last year we saw the annular solar eclipse while at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. This year, we changed our travel route to witness the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, the last in the US until 2044.

We originally booked a state park within the totality zone, but then the Escapees RV Club announced a gathering in Paris, Texas, also in the totality zone, and we decided to change our route to attend that.

Jenn with her camera, wearing eclipse glasses:

Jenn with her camera

The day started very cloudy, so we were bracing for disappointment:

Cloudy

A glimpse of the sun as the eclipse nears totality:

A glimpse of the sun

Clouds clearing away just in time (with a drone watching things):

Clouds clearing away

Jenn taking photos:

Jenn

A selfie:

Jenn and David

Almost there:

Almost there

Total solar eclipse:

Total solar eclipse

Looking around during the four minutes and three seconds of totality:

Dark

Total solar eclipse

A panorama:

Panorama

Total solar eclipse

Via my iPhone:

Total solar eclipse

Dark

Total solar eclipse

Panorama

This panorama was taken as totality was ending, so the left is darker than the right:

Panorama

Total solar eclipse

Diamond ring:

Diamond ring

The eclipse ending:

Eclipse ending

Group photo:

Group photo

Eclipse ending

A magical experience.

Paris Fairgrounds for Escapees/Xscapers gathering

We stayed at Paris Fairgrounds in Paris, Texas for an Escapees/Xscapers total solar eclipse gathering.

Not a normal campground, but the fairgrounds does have a few full-hookup sites, along with a bunch of dry camping. We managed to snag one of the full-hookup sites.

Dates:

Check in: 2024-04-05
Check out: 2024-04-14
9 nights

Weather:

Mix of sunny, cloudy, rainy
High temps 68-82°F, lows 52-62°F
Some wind, gusts up to 30 MPH

Noise:

No road noise
Distant train horn noise on weekdays
Other camping sections had generator noise, but not audible from our full-hookup section
Some people noise and music

Site:

Rally parking, full-hookup, on grass
Needed to disconnect toad, parked nearby
Unlevel, high on passenger side and front; used hydraulic leveling
Site about 45 feet long by about 15 feet wide
Mostly clean site

Utilities:

50 amp power, conveniently located
80 PSI water, somewhat conveniently located
Good sewer connection, somewhat conveniently located (2 10-foot pipes needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

T-Mobile: 30 Mbps down, 10 Mbps up, 27 ms ping
AT&T: 110 Mbps down, 40 Mbps up, 25 ms ping
Verizon: 25 Mbps down, 9-24 Mbps up, 85 ms ping
Starlink: not used
Campground Wi-Fi: none

Amenities:

Garbage bins
Food trucks
Rally

Campground map; we were in the “FHU Section” (Full HookUp):

Map

An interactive map:

Our spot in the full-hookup section:

Our site

Utilities:

Utilities

Other full-hookup sites:

Other full-hookup sites

A couple of aerial views, from someone else’s drone:

Aerial view

And some aerial views from my drone, a few days later; several rigs had left by then:

Aerial view

Our coach is the second-from-right one:

Aerial view

In downtown Paris, they have a 65-foot Eiffel tower, with a cowboy hat on top, of course:

Paris tower

Paris downtown lights:

Paris downtown lights

Opening announcements:

Opening announcements

Burgerland food truck:

Burgerland food truck

Unremarkable burger, and nice fries:

Burger and fries

Mexican food truck:

Mexican food truck

Mexican food:

Mexican food

One of the activities at this gathering was an all-day “lot crawl”, where each section takes turns to host food and/or beverages, and people from other sections visit to sample them and chat. Some people dressed up in costumes:

Costumes

Bus conversion and old Beetle:

Bus conversion and old Beetle

Food:

Food

Costumes

Facehugger:

Facehugger

Beverages:

Beverages

Alien lifeblood:

Alien lifeblood

Eclipse plates:

Eclipse plates

Costumes

Food

Jenn with our contribution, rather strong “astronaut martinis”, made with vodka, triple sec, and Tang:

Jenn and beverages

Food

Homemade camper:

Homemade camper

Food

On eclipse day, most of the participants gathered to view it:

Eclipse viewing

The day started rather cloudy:

Eclipse

Jenn and David

But the clouds moved off in time to get a great view of the total eclipse:

Eclipse

Some more photos in tomorrow’s post.

A couple of group photos after the eclipse:

Eclipse viewing

We don’t go to rallies like this very often, and don’t participate with all activities when we do, but this was a good one.

Video

Video: Texarkana to Paris, Texas motorhome travel timelapse

A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 93 miles from Texarkana, Texas to Paris, Texas.

Travel from Texarkana to Paris, Texas

We drove our coach 93 miles, about two hours of driving, from Texarkana, Texas to Paris, Texas.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading west:

Map

An interactive map:

Frontage road to I-30 West:

Frontage road to I-30 West

I-30 West:

I-30 West

Exit 199:

Exit 199

Water tower:

Water tower

Building transport:

Building transport

US Highway 82:

US Highway 82

Water tower

We stopped at a picnic area for lunch:

Picnic area

Ducks

Water tower

Stillhouse Road exit:

Stillhouse Road exit

Narrow road

Arriving at the Paris fairgrounds for an Escapees/Xscapers gathering for the total solar eclipse:

Escapees gathering at fairgrounds

Heading to our spot:

Heading to our spot

Using a sewer tote tank and macerator pump to dump waste tanks from the back of our truck

What goes in, must go out. As mentioned last week, sometimes we stay at rustic campgrounds or rallies where there are no sewer hookups. No big deal for up to about a week. But if we’re staying longer, we have a tote tank that can be used to empty our black and gray tanks, enabling us to camp as long as we want.

We bought a Camco Rhino 36-Gallon Portable Camper/RV Tote Tank from Amazon:

Tote tank box

They (and RVers generally) recommend getting a tank big enough to fit the capacity of the RV’s waste tanks, but that advice is geared towards smaller RVs — our motorhome has a 70 gallon gray tank and 50 gallon black tank, so we need to take two trips to fully empty each.

The instructions that came with the tank:

Manual

I also got a Tote Tank Gauge for it, that indicates when the tank is getting full; important since the capacity is smaller than the tanks in our coach:

Fill gauge

I didn’t bother installing the ladder hook, since we don’t have a ladder on our coach. In the future I might add a bar to our towbar to mount a rack onto. But for now I store the tank in the bed of our truck, wrapped in a cover:

Covered tote tank in truck

Here’s the tote tank (when it was brand new):

Tote tank

It has wheels at the back and front; the front wheels can be steered; I normally don’t attach the handle, though:

Wheel

There is a valve on the side to dump the contents:

Dump valve

And a second valve on top for filling, though this can also be used for dumping by tilting the tank vertically:

Fill valve

I also purchased a macerator pump:

Macerator pump

Normally one would position the tote tank next to the wet bay, and use gravity to fill it from the RV’s tanks, then hook the tank to a tow bar or wheel it manually to the campground dump station.

But I wanted to keep it in the bed of our truck, so I could easily drive it to the dump station. So I use the macerator pump to chop up any solids and pump it all uphill into the truck:

Macerator pump

Another time, I attached the macerator directly to the port (with a clear tube); the downside was getting a little water in the wet bay when disconnecting (if the tank isn’t completely drained):

Maserator attached directly

The tank in the back of the truck:

Tank

The hose (only used for this purpose) goes from the macerator to the fill valve on top:

Hose

Both the water bladder and the sewer tote fit quite nicely together in the bed of the truck:

Water bladder and tote

Water flowing into the tank:

Water flowing into tank

Fill gauge:

Fill gauge

The fill gauge rising up as it nears capacity:

Gill gauge

Once the tote is full (or the RV’s tanks are empty), I drive the truck to the campground’s dump station, hook up a sewer hose to the side valve, and empty the tank:

Dumping from tank in truck

Much more convenient than dragging the tote behind the truck. And like the water bladder, lets us stay indefinitely even in a campground without a sewer hookup.

Texarkana KOA Journey

We stayed at Texarkana KOA Journey in Texarkana, Texas. (Campground Reviews listing.)

An overnight stop just across the border into Texas, right off I-30.

Dates:

Check in: 2024-04-04
Check out: 2024-04-05
1 night

Weather:

Sunny
High temp 74°F, low 45°F
Negligible wind, gusts to 12 MPH

Noise:

Freeway noise
Nearby train noise (no horns)

Site:

#C29, pull-through, gravel
Didn’t need to disconnect toad, and didn’t
Mostly level, a little high on driver side; used hydraulic leveling
Gravel driveway about 95 feet long by about 10 feet wide
Grass between sites about 20 feet wide
Picnic table
Swing seat
No fire pit
Mostly clean site (some bottle cap-sized trash)

Utilities:

50 amp power, somewhat conveniently located
40 PSI water, conveniently located
Too-short but good sewer connection, conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

T-Mobile: 20 Mbps down, 2-12 Mbps up, 100 ms ping
AT&T: 290 Mbps down, 6 Mbps up, 80 ms ping
Verizon: 2 Mbps down, 4 Mbps up, 140 ms ping
Starlink: not used
Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

Garbage bins
Closed pool

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Easy access to the freeway

We stayed here one night on our way through the area and it was perfect for that. The pull-through site was long enough for our 40′ motorhome and tow vehicle without having to disconnect. Check-in was quick and easy. Some road noise, which is to be expected, but not too bad. We camped at Texarkana KOA Journey in a Motorhome.

Campground map:

Map