Bridgeport

We made it to Bridgeport and got a spot right on the lake at the Thousand Trails Bay Landing.  We were not able to get a 50 amp spot with sewer and we are here for 5 days.  They do have a honey wagon for $10 that runs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  We will see how we manage this.  Practice for when we go off by boat.  

 

View from behind RV -- see the lake

 

We could have launched our kayaks right here behind the RV, but we would have had to walk them down a rather treacherous path with cactus everywhere.  And it was really hot without a breeze to be had except at night when the winds were crazy enough to keep us up.

We took a ride around he camp ground on our bikes.  This place is not very hilly at all so the rides are not as strenuous, but it is really hot.  Did I tell you it was hot here? UGH!

The map of the campground shows a beach area and it is right across from our lake view (see the picture above).  So we rode around to the other side of the lake to check out all the 50 amp sites with sewer.  They call this area Hollywood Boulevard.  There are large grassy areas that are all mowed and nicely kept.  It appears that all of the 50 amp sewer sites are full timers.  So we will likely never get a sewer site at the Thousand Trails Bay Landing.  Note to self.   We got off our bikes at the 'beach' area and the whole area by the water is full of dog poop!  People take their dogs to one of the nicest places in the park to poop and don't pick up after them.  I mean, I don't know how they walk through here without getting poop on their shoes.  I have never seen any place this full of poop in my entire life!  Really made me angry.  

We also took a ride over to where the map calls 'Lookout Point.'  It would probably be a beautiful lookout point if they had it cleared out.  The POOPY BEACH had a better lookout.  As it is it is just a grassy area with trees all along the edge.  No view of the lake at all. Hmmm?  

This really is a nice place, I don't mean to be all negative here.  I would manage it a bit different.  I mean, it is great that they are catering to the Hollywood Boulevard folks and keeping all their open spaces mowed, as I am sure they pay a pretty penny to stay there full time.  But there are a lot of other full timers that seem to have to mow their own lawns.  Many have riding lawn mowers and take care of their own space.  And some of them don't so they look pretty trashy and even when it does get mowed it doesn't get weed wacked.  I would definitely make people keep it clean if they want to live there.  I don't understand management letting them run the place down.  But who knows, it may be the management living there.  I have no idea.

Bridgeport has a really cute downtown area.  We found an Art Gallery and really enjoyed talking to the owner there.  They showcase 13 or so local artists one of which is her husband.  They have water colors, photography, painting and even some jewelry she said was made by a young 13 year old girl.  Her husband does airbrush pictures that are really beautiful.  Covid had really done a number on them.  We walked along the other shops and just checked them out.  Nothing we need to buy so just cruising.  It is so dang hot here.  I can't wait to get out of Texas.

Dennis found us a cute place to have a bite.  Famous 50's Diner.  Their food was pretty good. But the atmosphere was really cool. They had little black and white old fashioned TVs playing bits of old sitcoms like My Three Sons, Leave it to Beaver, etc.  They had stuff all over the walls about old movies.  Had an Elvis and a Marilyn Monroe figures.

 

 

 

 

We had hoped to go to The Local Goat Distillery in Granbury while we were here but the are closed due to covid and hope to open back up in August.  Will have to make another trip some other time.

And, just so you know, we did fine on the five days without sewer hookups.  I did take one shower in the bathhouse while we were doing laundry right there in the same building, but all other showers were in the RV.  We washed most of our dishes outside on our table because the kitchen holding tank is always our first to fill up.  But we were able to manage without a honey wagon!  I am pretty excited about this since it seems like so many of our Thousand Trails camp grounds have mostly no sewer hook ups.  They even have a ton of full timers without sewer.  They just use those portable tanks and go dump them when they need to.  Seems like a hassle, but we can go five days!!!!

We left Bridgeport on Monday, July 13.  We were supposed to go to another Thousand Trails on Lake Texoma, but they called and said they had a severe water leak and were canceling all incoming reservations.  We found another place and I am so glad we did.  We are only staying two nights here, but Smoking Joe's RV Park is pretty awesome.  It is in Davis, Oklahoma and they have a Smoking Joe's Rib Ranch Restaurant on the premises.  They also have free wi-fi (we watched a movie even) and free ice.  The Rib Ranch was delicious and the camp host told us about a place down the road that has 31 flavors of fried pies and even have breakfast ones.  Well we got up early and hit the fried pie place, it is called Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies.  They have bacon, egg and cheese, sausage egg and cheese and Polish sausage and potato. We got one of each and they were all delicious.

After breakfast we headed out to Turner Falls Park.  The locals call Turner Falls the tallest in Oklahoma, but apparently there is another just as tall in the Natural Falls State Park near the Oklahoma-Arkansas Border in the Ozark Mountains (These falls were used in the film 'Where the Red Fern Grows' filmed in 1974).  I loved this place!!!!! I need more time here and we will be back.  They have a ton of camp grounds and many cabins right on Honey Creek near where the Turner Falls are located. They have old rock 'Castles' around the creek and it is just gorgeous.  All of it!  We hiked all over this place and it got pretty precarious at times.  Very steep and it amazes me that they allow you to just run a muck here.  There were some of the steps around the castles that are crumbling and they aren't roped off or anything. I love this.  Let me take a chance if I want to please.  They even have a zip line that runs over the falls.  We didn't do that, but we have been there, done that - it was kinda anti-climatic for both of us.  These pics really don't do this place justice, but we will make this a destination and spend a lot of time here one day.  

 

 

 

They also have a Chickasaw National Recreation Area that is supposed to be the bees knees.  Wish we had time to check that out as well.  But we will next time.  They are said to have tons of hiking trails, water falls and swimming holes.  Remember this - DAVIS, OK.  Definitely recommend it to all my friends and family who really enjoy the outdoors.

Our next stop will be in Tulsa, OK on July 15. We will be spending a week there because the weekly rate is really good. Also, my brother lives there and we will get to spend some time with him.