RV

Posts featuring the coach.

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

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Utilities:

Utilities

Dump station behind our site:

Dump station behind our site

Closed pool:

Closed pool

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

A perfectly fine place for a one-night stop.

Travel from Scott, Arkansas to Texarkana, Texas

We drove our coach 151 miles, about two hours of driving, from Scott, Arkansas to Texarkana, Texas.

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

Route map

An interactive map:

We didn’t have a sewer hookup at the campground, so our gray and black tanks were getting rather full:

Mostly full gray and black tanks

Following the coach to the dump station:

Following coach

We used the dump station on the way out to empty our waste tanks, and hooked up our toad there:

At dump station

At dump station

On I-440 West, crossing the Arkansas River:

I-440, crossing Arkansas River

Arkansas River

I-440 joined I-30 West:

I-30 West

A vintage trailer:

Vintage trailer

Roadworks:

Roadworks

Rather narrow lanes, with close barriers, aren’t much fun with a wide coach:

Roadworks

Our coach on a traffic cam:

Our coach on traffic cam

Rest area stop:

Rest area stop

Rest area stop

Cute little trailer:

Cute trailer

Back on I-30:

I-30 West

Our coach on traffic cam

Oversize load (not sure what they’re carrying):

Oversize load

Oversize load

Arkadelphia:

Arkadelphia

Our coach on traffic cam

Passing Hope, Arkansas; President Clinton’s birthplace:

Hope

Trucks

Yellow field:

Yellow field

Texarkana, which (you may be surprised to learn) spans Texas and Arkansas:

Texarkana

The “Welcome to Texas” sign is across the road from our destination:

Welcome to Texas sign

KOA:

KOA

Our site for one night:

Our site

Willow Beach Campground

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

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

Dates:

  • Check in: 2024-03-31
  • Check out: 2024-04-04
  • 4 nights

Weather:

  • Partly cloudy, some rain
  • High temps ranging between 65-80°F, lows around 44-66°F
  • Moderate wind, gusts to 28 MPH

Noise:

  • No road noise
  • Distant train noise
  • Distant plane noise

Site:

  • #F15, back in, asphalt
  • Needed to disconnect toad, parked in front of coach
  • Unlevel back-to-front; needed to use blocks under front jacks; used hydraulic leveling
  • Asphalt driveway about 65 feet long by about 10 feet wide
  • Grass between sites about 50 feet wide on drive side, 80 feet on passenger side
  • Picnic table on concrete patio under shelter
  • Fire pit and charcoal grill
  • Mostly clean site (some cigarette butts and bottle cap-sized trash)

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, conveniently located
  • 40 PSI water, inconveniently located
  • No sewer connection

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 20-35 Mbps down, 2-10 Mbps up, 100 ms ping
  • AT&T: 35-200 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 100 ms ping
  • Verizon: 15 Mbps down, 10 Mbps up, 90 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: none

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpsters
  • Dump station
  • River

Our review on Campground Reviews:

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 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:

Map

Interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Arkansas River:

Arkansas River

Utilities; power and water, but no sewer:

Utilities

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Playground and birds:

Playground and birds

Info signs:

Info sign

Info sign

Info sign

Boat ramp:

Boat ramp

Dock

Snake on the road:

Snake on the road

Sunset:

Sunset

Sunset

Sunset

Travel from Red Bay, Alabama to Scott, Arkansas

We drove our coach 282 miles, about five hours of driving, from Red Bay, Alabama to Scott, Arkansas.

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

Route map

An interactive map:

Toading up:

Toading up

Welcome to Mississippi:

Welcome to Mississippi

I-22 West:

I-22 West

Passing by Natchez Trace Parkway:

Natchez Trace Parkway

Fun with zoom:

Fun with zoom

Bathroom stop at a truck stop:

Bathroom stop at truck stop

Fun with zoom:

Fun with zoom

Entering Tennessee:

Tennessee

Vintage trailer:

Vintage trailer

Bass Pro Shops pyramid:

Bass Pro Shops pyramid

Emergency vehicles:

Emergency vehicles

The fourth state of this travel day, “Welcome to Arkansas”… hopefully the people in this accident took the advice to “buckle up for safety”:

Welcome to Arkansas

Small sternwheeler:

Small sternwheeler

Fuel stop:

Fuel stop

52 gallons of diesel (we paid less than the pump price due to our fuel discount card):

Fuel stop

Rough road:

Rough road

Rest stop:

Rest stop

Paladin:

Paladin

He reached out to touch my foot:

Paladin

Paladin

Towns named Scott and England:

Scott England

Willow Beach Park:

Willow Beach Park

Campsites:

Campsites

Our site:

Our site

Red Bay Acres RV Resort

We stayed at Red Bay Acres RV Resort in Red Bay, Alabama. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A nice full-hookup RV park in the hometown of Tiffin Motorhomes. Our second stay here.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2024-03-24
  • Check out: 2024-03-31
  • 7 nights

Weather:

  • Partly cloudy, some rain
  • High temps ranging between 63-72°F, lows around 38-52°F
  • One very windy day, gusts to 54 MPH, otherwise negligible

Noise:

  • No road noise
  • No train noise
  • Hourly clock tower noise
  • A little neighbor and tech services noise

Site:

  • #24, back in, concrete
  • Needed to disconnect toad, parked in front of coach
  • Somewhat level; used air and hydraulic leveling at different times
  • Concrete driveway about 60 feet long by about 12 feet wide
  • Grass between sites wedge-shaped, from about 20 to 25 feet wide (their smallest “premium” site)
  • Picnic table on 12 by 12 feet concrete patio; fire pit
  • Clean site

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, conveniently located
  • 60 PSI water, conveniently located
  • Good sewer connection, fairly conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 50 Mbps down, 45 Mbps up, 40 ms ping
  • AT&T: 130 Mbps down, 15 Mbps up, 35 ms ping
  • Verizon: 28 Mbps down, 8 Mbps up, 28 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage pickup from site
  • Package delivery to site
  • Onsite restaurant
  • Pond
  • Hometown of Tiffin; local RV repairs

Our review on Campground Reviews (from our previous visit):

Nice place to return to after service

This is the place to stay when in Red Bay for service. It is a beautifully maintained park, with all the sites facing the fishing pond. All the other parks in town were basic gravel lots. The one drawback is having to back in to the site when coming back from service each day, but that’s not a big deal. The concrete pad was nicely level and all the utilities were good. It’s also nice to have the Yacht Club on-site for a bite to eat at the end of the day. If you’re looking to get service done on-site, make sure to check the list of approved vendors. We camped at Red Bay Acres RV Resort in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: Lost Pines Coffee had decent coffee and baked goods for a midday pick-me-up. The Natchez Trace Parkway is fairly close and a very nice scenic drive.

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site this time; again one of the larger corner sites, though this was only barely larger:

Our site

Our site

I used my ladder to check on a leak behind our shower (a loose connection, easily fixed):

Our site

Stuff from basement bays piled up, while doing wet bay enhancements:

Our site

Clearing land behind the park was a little noisy:

Clearing land behind the park

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Central pond:

Central pond

Central pond

Central pond

We visited the onsite Red Bay Yacht Club several times (you know, land yachts):

Red Bay Yacht Club

Red Bay Yacht Club

Red Bay Yacht Club

Pond view from inside:

Pond view from inside

We ate some dinners there, including pizza and loaded fries:

Pizza and loaded fries

Desserts:

Dessert

Dessert

Chicken wings and sandwich, while playing Phase 10:

Chicken wings and sandwich

Another night, tacos and more Phase 10:

Tacos

Games:

Games

Dog park:

Dog park

We wandered across the road to the Happy Hollow Outdoors store:

Happy Hollow Outdoors store

Happy Hollow Outdoors

Happy Hollow Outdoors

Travel from Pine Mountain, Georgia to Red Bay, Alabama

We drove our coach 279 miles, about five hours of driving, from Pine Mountain, Georgia to Red Bay, Alabama.

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

Route map

An interactive map:

Leaving the campground:

Leaving campground

A very narrow road in the campground:

Very narrow road in campground

Very narrow road in campground

Roadworks:

Roadworks

Historic LaGrange:

Historic LaGrange

LaGrange park:

LaGrange park

LaGrange College:

LaGrange College

We drove over an object on the road (couldn’t avoid it), and saw in the rear-view camera that it was dragging from the rear of the coach:

Item dragging from rear of coach

So we stopped at the next opportunity, and I went out to investigate; it turned out to be a bag like for a folding chair, hooked on to the rock guard; I quickly removed it:

Bag stuck on rock guard

I-20 West:

I-20 West

Fuel stop:

Fuel stop

Then we parked for lunch:

Parked for lunch

Popeyes for lunch:

Popeyes for lunch

Popeyes for lunch

I-20 West

I-22 West:

I-22 West

Fun with zoom:

Fun with zoom

Bathroom break (in our coach, of course) at a truck stop:

Bathroom break at truck stop

Paladin mid-yawn:

Paladin mid-yawn

Welcome to Mississippi:

Welcome to Mississippi

MS-76:

MS-76

Highway:

Highway

Welcome to Sweet Home Alabama:

Welcome to Sweet Home Alabama

Arriving at Red Bay Acres:

Red Bay Acres

Our site:

Our site

Refilling our fresh tank with a water bladder and pump

We usually stay at full-hookup campgrounds, as we enjoy our creature comforts. But occasionally we stay at more rustic campgrounds or rallies where there isn’t a water faucet in our site. If a week or less, we just avoid doing laundry, long showers, and using our rear toilet (as that is a macerating one that uses more water on each flush), and can cope without difficulties.

But if we’re staying longer, we have the ability to refill our fresh water tank via a water bladder and pump.

I bought an Aquatank II water bladder from Amazon, a drinking-water-safe flexible water container with a 60 gallon capacity. It folds up really small for when we don’t need it, and fits in the bed of our truck when in use.

Our fresh tank is 90 gallons, so it takes two loads if totally empty, though I usually do one load when it’s about halfway.

Here it is empty, spread out in the bed of our truck. It has an upper hose fitting for adding water, and a lower hose fitting underneath for draining:

Water bladder

I drive the truck to the potable water supply at the campground, and use a hose to connect it to the water bladder:

Hose from potable water supply

I use a water meter to track how much I’ve added:

Water meter

The water bladder mostly full:

Mostly full water bladder

50 gallons:

Water bladder

I then drive back to our campsite, and use an electric pump to get the water into our coach, via the usual filters and water softener as I use for campsite hookups:

Pump

(I also got a drill pump as an emergency backup.)

The electric pump is about 16 PSI:

Gauges

The water bladder during draining:

Water bladder

It takes about an hour to do the full fill and empty cycle, depending on the water pressure at the campground. Definitely not as convenient as a faucet at our site, but when we don’t have one, this solution lets us stay longer without having to worry as much about water usage.