CAMPGROUND: Bull Shoals White River State Park. Nice, long paved and flat site. Both stand-up and fire pit grills. Picnic table. Electricity and water. $24/night. Our site is on the river. Good bathrooms and showers. 4 stars out of 5.

LOCATION: Mountain Home, Arkansas, in north central part of state

WEATHER: Very overcast and rainy. Much cooler. High 53

We awoke watching deer munching away in the vineyards next to the Airstream at the Harvest Host winery. We got an early start and went to a McDonalds in the town for wifi. We had a coupon for a free McGriddle, so tried it. It was the most godawful food I’ve ever tasted….a small round pancake infused with syrup that made up the “sandwich” with a slice of sausage, egg, and cheese inside. I could not eat it. As we sat in the parking lot, trying to get the GPS to work, a man pulled up beside us and introduced himself as the mayor, and wanted to make sure we were OK. So kind.

We drove on backroads all day, mostly due west. Our route took us through cotton country. Some of the cotton was still growing – looks like snow in the fields.

And some of it had already been harvested and was in big bales

We crossed the Mississippi River, and passed through an edge of Missouri

Then, into the Ozark hills of Arkansas. It seems quite remote. We found this very nice state park, right on the river. It is famous for its trout fishing. Unfortunately, it was raining and dreary, so we didn’t do any hiking. The previous occupants of our campsite had left some firewood, so I made a fire, in spite of the rain.

DINNER: With the cooler, dreary weather, I thought soup would hit the spot, so I made some clam chowder.