The weather was still crummy but the rain that has entertained us for the last 4 days seemed to be over when we hooked the Barbarian Invader to Charlotte and pulled out of Cinnamon Creek RV Park in Minden, LA. We probably won’t be going to Cinnamon Creek again, for several reasons: There is little to do in NW Louisiana, we found no above-average restaurants nearby and the almost biblical noise from the two adjacent highways is relentless. Their wi-fi worked well, though.
We stayed on back roads as we wandered northwest, crossing back into Texas just west of Vivian and continued north toward Texarkana. The sun came out as we crossed the border from Louisiana back into Texas. We crossed the Red River for the first time today but since we are going to follow the Red all the way to Amarillo, I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last. Near Atlanta, TX, we entered a cloud of remarkable stench and wondered if we were close to a sewer treatment plant or a paper mill but saw neither. Much rotten egg smell pervaded the atmosphere. We then crossed the Sulphur River and began to suspect the water which has been recently stirred up by multiple thunderstorms passing through. After we got away from the river, the stink factor dropped substantially.
Twenty miles further north we pulled into Shady Pines RV Park in Texarkana. It is a small but attractive park with trees, concrete RV spots, wi-fi, an adjacent small pond and a good distance between our RV spot and the road which should make it about 60db quieter than Cinnamon Creek. I did hear a train whistle earlier but it was a long way off. However, the rotten egg small we first enjoyed down the road in Atlanta was evident here. When Peggy drew some of the local water for a drink, she quickly noticed that it was sorely lacking on the odorless and tasteless criteria so important for imbibing without grimacing. I guess we will stop by a grocery and pick up some bottled water because the stuff from the tap is nasty.
See if you can figure out which of the pictures was snapped in Louisiana. Click here