Laters, Texas!

And, just like that, four months had flown by, and it was time for us to head back to Minnesota. I knew that this was probably not gonna go well for Arthur, so I planned a stop between Austin and Arkansas near Dallas.

So, in Austin, I had a minor disaster with the water heater. 🍫🍫🍫🍫

I first noticed the leak when I was leaving to go on a work trip, so I grabbed a bucket and put it under the van. When I got back the bucket had some water, but it wasn’t full. Of course, I looked at it when I got back to find the source of the leak. And of course, I found it and tried to fix it, which – of course – turned into me breaking it. I ordered a part and thought I could replace the broken part. I could not, so back to a life without running water. Luckily, I was able to make an appointment at Lichtsinn RV on our way back to MN.

We left Austonia on Saturday around 10AM and headed toward Dallas. Since we didn’t have far to drive, I planned for an extended stop at the George W Bush Presidential Museum.

I had lunch at the museum’s restaurant – Cafe 43. There was a really profound quote from the former president that struck a cord with me in the freedom exhibit. “I believe that freedom is a gift from God and in the hope of every human heart. Freedom inspired our founders and preserved our union through civil war and secured the promise of civil rights. Freedom sustains dissidents bound by chains, believers huddled in underground churches, and voters risk their lives to cast their ballots. Freedom unleashes creativity, rewards innovation, and replaces poverty with prosperity, and ultimately freedom lights the path to peace.” I was also impressed with how they presented the events from 9-11 – very moving.

One of the skills I’ve mastered was backing up Estella into a variety of spaces, including the one above at the GW Bush Museum. Arthur seemed to enjoy the break and hopped up onto his cat stand while we drove through the city, which was much better than his puking fit during the first 5 minutes after we left Austonia.

We ended up on 635 to reach our Boondockers Welcome site in Garland. By this time, I was exhausted, and I just wanted to rest. The hosts were very kind and suggested a walk in the neighborhood to a nearby park. It was just what I needed. It was a windy evening, and a neighbor was having a party, but it was still very quiet and restful.

The next morning, we were up early and on our way to Pirate Kansas – my nickname for ARRRRR-Kansas. 😉 The drive was really good, and Arthur did awesome. We were reminded of how great the roads are in Oklahoma and drove past a beautiful and Oklahoma’s largest lake (Eufaula Lake) as well. When you drive on roads you’ve never been on, it’s such a beautiful surprise to see lakes and mountains that you had no idea were just around the corner.

When we got to Bentonville, I stopped for supplies at Walmart because when in Rome…. Then we were off to our campsite at Blowing Springs RV Park in Bella Vista. We had a good spot near the bathrooms and trash, but not too close. There were a lot of other campers there for the biking trails. The spots were long and relatively close together but very long. The showers were fine but not memorable. I think that it was during this week that it really hit me how tired I was. We spent most of the week just working and lounging.

Arthur was able to relax and enjoyed the days when we could have the screen door open. Next stop – back to Iowa!